Savvy storage: bedrooms
Useful ideas for keeping your duvets and clothes under control
Does your bedroom look like the aftermath of a jumble sale? Here are some tips for reducing the crush in your wardrobes and drawers.
Top tips for tidy bedrooms
• Edit your clothes. Even if you can’t bear to chuck anything, hide out of season clothes. Use vacuum bags (try Argos): fill the bag with clean clothes, suck the air out using your regular vacuum cleaner, and the bag can be stored in a fraction of the space. This keeps moths out and it doesn’t damage the clothes.
• Under-bed storage. Putting clean bed clothes here is an excellent use of space but get drawers or tubs with lids – moths love this dusty space. Places like Homebase sell plastic storage tubs but even classy canvas under-bed storage costs less than £10. Use these above wardrobes too, where pillows and duvets will get dusty if left uncovered.
• Maximise wardrobe use. The rail might be groaning with clothes, but there is a magical 20 centimetres of space at the bottom where you could add another covered storage tub.
• Upgrade your drawer space. If you don’t want to discard an old dresser but it’s no longer big enough, reassign it to the lounge for storing kids’ bits and pieces and get a new chest that combines a cupboard and shelves so you’re not wasting dead space.
• Free up drawer space. Put socks, knickers, scarves etc into a nice-looking set of baskets. Avoid anything too roughly woven, especially for tights or scarves, as these will snag.
Savvy tip
A fabric or plastic temporary-looking wardrobe is great in a teenager’s room where your child might customise it, but in your bedroom you’ll quickly feel like you’re living in a laundry.
Pass it on – go for light looks
If you need more storage space but hate the idea of huge chests of drawers and wardrobes overwhelming the bedroom, opt for a lighter wood colour, or pick a chest with glass doors for a more spacious feel.