15 Minute Organizing – Under the Beds
There are so many small organizing projects that you can do quickly. To give you some ideas for quick projects this is a series of posts that will get you more organized and then make it easy to maintain order.
Under the Beds
From a young age, we are told that bad (scary) things live under the bed. Is it still that way in your home? Do you know what’s under your bed? If you are a follower of Feng Shui you’ll know that you should not store anything under your bed, as it impedes the flow of energy through the room. I subscribe to this idea, but you may need to use this space for storage.
What’s under your bed?
So what’s under your bed? Tell me. I’ve never understood the reasoning for using the space under the beds for storage. But, I’m an out-of-site-our-of-mind kind of person. Whatever you have stored under your beds, let’s clean it out and organize it. This quick organizing project is quick and easy and can provide extra storage space if used well.
Here are some great options from Pinterest.
It’s important to use storage containers with a lid, so dust doesn’t collect on your items. If you can see your under-the-bed storage when it’s under your bed look for something stylish, as opposed to plastic bins.
If you need more space under the beds than what your bedframe offers here are some other possibilities from Apartment Therapy, using all IKEA furniture.
So what's under your bed? Tell me. I've never understood the reasoning for using the space under the beds for storage. Click To TweetA little creativity goes a long way in a small space.
Sort, Purge, Group, Contain, Maintain.
What’s under your bed?
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Great photos. For small spaces, it’s great to use the storage under the bed. =)
Thank you!
It’s essential to use under the bed storage in small apartments. The Container Store has terrific bins made for just this purpose. I advocate using this space for things like special occasion shoes, out of season clothes, and extras (like extra shampoo, toothpaste, etc.).
Those are great categories for under the bed. Things you don’t need everyday!
When space and storage is in short supply, using underbed storage is helpful. I know it competes with traditional Feng Shui thinking, but if you have to store things below where you sleep, just choose those items carefully. Maybe linens and out of season clothes are better than storing memorabilia, family photos, or hard objects.
When our kids were growing up, they shared a small room. At one point we bought Captain’s beds which had built in drawers below. It was a great way to maximize the space and have enough storage for their clothes and other items.
Built in drawers are awesome. Great suggestion about being thoughtful on what type of items you store under where you sleep.
Well, a variety of things under my different beds. Dining room table leaves, holiday gifts, out of season clothes, memorabilia, a suitcase. LOL, I”m making myself laugh as I write this! Like Linda, I know this isn’t great Feng Shui, but sometimes you just need the space!
It’s true, sometimes you just have to maximize every inch of space!
If you have a dorm, a studio apartment, a small one-bedroom, closets that are full because you have a large family or lots of housemates, or apartments that have no garage or storage units, there’s really no option but to use underbed storage. If there’s only one clothing closet in a room and two people, there’s no space for off-season clothing without shortchanging one person. It’s also helpful for keeping things that are too big/tall to fit in closets with full shelves, or too large or awkward to fit on those shelves. Sometimes, there’s literally nowhere else to keep empty luggage or seasonal items. Yes, the fung shui is bad, but enclosed clutter under a bed is much better than visible clutter in dorm or apartment! 😉
I think it’s a (somewhat understandable) 1st world privilege for us to assume that people have garages, basements, attics, closets, or cabinets, but we have to bear this in mind. Only 9% of Americans under 35 own their homes, for example, which limits storage space to whatever closets already exist. For years, I lived in apartments with limited storage (and, as a renter, couldn’t build or affix shelving to walls or create other vertical storage), making the under-bed area a necessity. My current home has the luxury of a walk-in closet upstairs and a coat closet downstairs, but there’s still no place I can store an upright vacuum (except tucked behind a door) or suitcases. I’m really glad you provided those Pinterest and Ikea alternatives, as I know they’ll help people who don’t benefit from the privilege of having storage space equivalent to storing their essentials. (And bed risers allow for even more usable underbed storage!)