EIGHT Ways to Create Space at Home Instead of Moving

You’re running out of space at home, but what are you gonna do? Finding a bigger house right now could be a challenge. The housing market in Oklahoma is no different than in other states across the Midwest, with shortages on all types of homes, new construction slow to complete, waiting lists with builders and developers a mile long, prices for building materials through the roof (so to speak), list prices of new homes higher than ever, and many existing homes selling for well above their asking price. In short, it’s not a great time to be looking for a new home.

If you’re outgrowing your present home but you’re unsure you can move into someplace bigger, all is not lost. With a little help from Oklahoma self storage, you can make more space in your existing home instead of moving to a bigger one. We’ve combed dozens of articles on the subject to bring you some of the very best tips for how to make it happen!

Get rid of what you don’t need. This one may go without saying, but the first thing you should do if you want to make more room at home is to let go of anything that you no longer need or use. This can feel like a pretty daunting task, however. Fortunately, there’s a relatively simple way to do it. Break the job down by room, rather than trying to do everything at once. Start with that spare bedroom or your office, and clear out one room at a time. If you’re getting rid of things that are still perfectly good, don’t just toss them in the trash, though. Consider a donation. You can even itemize it for your taxes!

Optimize your bedroom space. It’s easy to let our bedrooms get cluttered up with clothes, lamps, extra pillows and blankets, or whatever. Unfortunately, a cluttered bedroom is far from conducive to good sleep. Start by ensuring that you’re putting your closet space to good use. Anything that’s out of season can be kept in storage containers under the bed or in self storage so that it doesn’t take up valuable closet real estate. Clearing out your bedroom will create a space that’s restful, welcoming, and free from distractions.

Attack the cupboards, closets, and shelves. Clutter thrives behind closed doors. Out of sight, out of mind. We’re mostly talking about kitchen cabinets and cupboards—especially the hard-to-reach ones that you seldom use—but you might have other places throughout the house that you use to keep your clutter out of the way. Go through all of it a bit at a time. Throw out anything that’s expired—you’ll be surprised at how much you find—and get rid of anything you don’t need. Clean out the fridge and freezer while you’re at it. You may be shocked at how much space you can free up!

Outgrown it? Let it go. Get your kids in on the action. Have them help by boxing up anything they’ve outgrown. That means clothes, sure, but it could also mean toys that they no longer play with or books that they no longer read. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to kids, either. How long has it been since you got out those scrapbooking supplies? When was the last time you picked up the knitting needles? If you’re no longer into a craft or hobby, banish all the ephemera from the house like you would a bothersome poltergeist. Same goes for clothes that no longer fit or that you simply never wear.

Don’t junk up the garage (unless you have to). The garage can be a great solution for storing lawn mowers, camping gear, sports equipment, you name it. On the other hand, an over-cluttered garage is only going to spell frustration when you need to access something that’s stored inside. Plus, you might want to, you know, actually put your car in there sometimes. Fortunately, you can maximize the efficiency of your garage space by installing overhead ceiling racks or shelving along the walls. These can help to store all kinds of things like luggage or seasonal decorations, while still leaving room for your car this winter.

Maintain productivity in your home office. These days, we’re all getting a lot more use out of our home offices than we used to. Even if you don’t work from home, a home office may get plenty of traffic when family members are doing homework, paying bills, working on crafts, or just surfing the ‘net. Unfortunately, all that use can also mean lots of clutter. Luckily, plenty of other people have found themselves in a similar situation, and office supply stores can be a treasure trove of handy and efficient storage solutions that can help keep your home office organized.

Use vertical and overhead space. No matter how much cleaning and reorganizing you do, your home is only so big. You may find that you’re still short on space even after you’ve purged everything you feel comfortable purging and organized everything that’s left. Many of us don’t take into account more than half the space in our houses, though. The space up near the ceiling doesn’t have to go to waste just because it’s up high. Hang bicycles from the ceiling, mount the TV on the wall, put bookshelves up over doorways, and use other clever storage solutions to help keep your home looking uncluttered while making use of all the space you do have.

Take advantage of Oklahoma self storage. Of course, you don’t have to store everything you own in your home. That’s what self storage in Lawton is for. We can help you keep the things you want to hang on to but don’t have room for, and we can help you keep items out of the way in the short term while you declutter, organize, downsize, relocate as part of a military move, stage your house for storage, or at any other time. We can also help you to make the most of your self storage space. Just ask one of our friendly staff for tips while you’re here!

Storage ‘R’ Us is a local self storage company that’s been serving Lawton and the surrounding communities since 1972, and we can’t wait to help you declutter your home and start living your best life today! And when the housing market improves and you do decide to move? We’ll be here to help with that, too.