Under the Bed storage options
Most people I know have two things in common:
1.) We tend to have more stuff than we have space for, and
2.) We have something shoved under the bed, but without much thought towards using that space for effective organization and storage.
A Queen-sized mattress is approximately 60 inches wide by 80 inches long, which leaves us a footprint of about 33 square feet of storage area - let's put that space to use!
I've put together some ideas, pictures, and links below. These should get your creative-organization-storage juices flowing...
Bed Risers
First thing's first - if you're going to store things under the bed, why not lift the bed 3-6 inches and give yourself possibly double the space?
The pictures above were from The Container Store, but I also saw different styles at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Types of Containers
A quick search online brought us hundreds of different types and styles of containers:
- open or covered
- basic plastic tupperware style or designer fashionable
- with or without wheels, sliders, or rollers
- compartmentalized or not
Here are a few that caught my eye:
Feng Shui
Not everybody loves the idea of storing things under your bed (see Feng Shui Monsters Under Your Bed). But even the Feng Shui experts understand that sometimes space is at a premium and under bed storage is a necessity. In that case, you might want to consider what items might have a positive impact on your life if stored under your bed...
Other Thoughts
Storing things under your bed(s) is a great way to free up some additional space in your closets and/or garage, but some things work better than others. Trading out summer and winter clothes works well. So does gift-wrapping paper and supplies. Or that box filled with knick-knacks in your closet. Or the extra linens and towels that don't fit in the linen closet...
You get the point - there are hundreds of things that will fit under the bed, and if you use the right containers they'll stay clean, neat, organized, easy to get to, and out of the way!
-Chris Butterworth
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