10 DIY Storage Ideas to Reduce Clutter in the New Year

Having trouble keeping your clutter to a minimum? Want to get organized for the New Year? Don’t worry, you are far from alone! I’ve got 10 great DIY storage ideas to help you embark on your decluttering journey. From stacked bills, fallout from the kids’ projects, pet toys — and let’s not get started on that overwhelming garage clutter — there are plenty of things we don’t throw away in a timely fashion or organize properly. Just read on!

Simple DIY Storage Ideas That Will De-Clutter Your Life

If you believe your home needs de-cluttering, the New Year is a great time to get your organize on and start 2016 with a (literally) clean slate.

It doesn’t have to be as time-consuming or as overwhelming as you may think: Make it a part of your daily or weekly routine and spend just a few minutes tidying your space. You’ll save money, time and energy in the long run, and your home will be all the more pleasant.

Read on and learn some creative and clever DIY storage ideas to organize things without spending much time or money at all.

 1. Purge Right Away

Choose a room around your home and decide what in it needs to be donated, thrown away, or sold. Choose a different room every day before the week is up, giving you a chance to work on a room-by-room basis to ensure your home is clutter-free and ready for the New Year. Collecting items in the garage or other areas can be a problem, so you will need to consider what you can donate to a local shelter, church or library.

2. Arm Yourself With New Storage Options

One of the biggest reasons homeowners feel it is hard to keep clutter at bay is due to their lack of good storage options. To combat this problem, it’s best to find storage solutions for loose magazines, toys, paperwork, and other things that tend to cause clutter before you start cleaning up. There are custom-made solutions, such as furniture specifically made for this purpose,  but you can also make your own storage bins from things you probably already have around the house.

3. Teach Your Family To De-clutter

To prevent a buildup of toys, arts and crafts, and other kids’ stuff, ask your little ones what they really want to keep and what can go. Clear out everything they’re not attached to. Older items that are no longer used and that take up valuable space should be removed as soon as possible. Have specific areas for designated storage so everyone in the family knows where to get things — and where to put them away.

4. Optimize Your Home For Vertical Storage

Instead of attempting to use every bit of space on the floor, you should switch to a vertical storage option. Shelving, bookshelves, as well as other solutions that work for vertical storage, will help keep things more organized and in plain sight. Tip: Use the highest shelving for rarely used seasonal items so you won’t have to constantly jump on a ladder. Customized shelving will give you greater freedom of storage.

5. Make A Schedule

If you set aside one hour for organization and clearance each weekend of the year and actually discard items, you will absolutely keep the clutter down significantly. Magazine subscriptions, newspapers, stacks of mail, and so forth need to be removed each week or they will stack up to nightmarish levels. With a good schedule, your DIY storage solutions will be a lot more effective.

6. Make Use Of All Spaces

Any locations that are out of the way can be re-purposed for smart storage solutions. If you have the means and the time, a little DIY work will really pay off. Custom furniture with hidden storage compartments is a great way to simplify cleanup.

7. Make It Fun!

Organizing does not have to be a drag! Spice up your cleanup time by playing upbeat music and getting the whole family involved. Want to prevent your little ones from throwing their dirty clothes on the floor? Make a basketball hoop over their laundry baskets, and they’ll be excited to slam dunk their clothes in the right place. Search the web for other fun storage ideas.

8. Know What Items To Let Go

A lot of times the source of your clutter stems from your own inability to let go of older, unnecessary objects that you’ve acquired over time and may have some sentimental significance. Assess the reasons you have for keeping such items and make sure you have a good, out-of-the-way location where you can keep them if you really want them. If the items have not been used for a long time, then it may be time to let them go.

 9. Put Things Away

Parents are notorious for telling kids to put things away, but adults do not always practice what they preach! It’s important to set an example and put things away. You won’t just reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning up, you’ll encourage the rest of the family to develop good habits.

10. Hire Professional Help

If you are extremely busy or the job is too big for one or two people, you can always hire professional help. Once a professional takes care of the built-up clutter, you should be able to maintain it yourself.

Still looking for some more DIY storage ideas? Watch this video from Adela and learn 9 more DIY room organization and storage ideas:

These DIY storage ideas are just exactly what I needed. I love how creative we can all get when it comes to home organization. Do you have any DIY storage ideas of your own? Let me know in the comments below!

Looking for some ways to keep your tools organized? Check out these 11 Awesome Garage Storage Ideas!

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Remember: you can do it!

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