A cluttered apartment can make a home feel smaller than it actually is. Organization hacks are a great way to transform your rental into one that’s tidy, structured, and more spacious. Following are just a few ideas to get your started!
1. Add 3M Command Hooks To Any Wall or Door
These hooks are a kind of magic. Below, you can watch a YouTube video that shows you how to install them (and where not to install them). Basically, they can go on most vertical surfaces with some sticky (and rather strong) strips that attach to both the wall and a plastic hook. Couldn’t be easier to install, and they do not require making any holes in your walls or doors.
2. Get Some of These Clever Bathroom Organizers
This post from Apartment Therapy introduces you to TubShrooms and Amazer Rings. I won’t even try to explain what those are. You will have to check out the article to . Other items include a “Gorilla Grip” shower/bath mat, an under sink expandable shelf rack (organization hack), and stainless steel tension curtain rods. There are 8 items altogether that have gotten the best reviews on Amazon, which is a pretty good reference. Many apartment bathrooms are on the small side, so they need help in getting the most use out of limited space.
3. Add Drawers To a Free Standing Wardrobe
IKEA sells free standing wardrobes that are pretty functional just by themselves. However, they do not have any drawer space. This organization hack combines two wardrobes with dresser drawers to create a complete wardrobe set. This article shows you the finished product, with a link to the DIY site that shows you the full process. It is fairly involved, so many may not want to get that deeply into furniture making. But the idea lends itself to simpler (if less artsy) versions that might be more easily doable.
4. Consider Some Creative Shelving for Cookbooks
People who love cooking seem to accumulate a lot of cookbooks. Who ever gets rid of a beloved old recipe? But like everything else, books take up space, and kitchens are not designed to be libraries. If this is your problem, don’t despair. Here is a great site that offers no less than 15 ideas for storing cookbooks in a kitchen. One of these organization hacks is bound to strike your fancy. Happy cooking!
5. Slip a Slide-Out Storage Tower Beside Your Refrigerator
And while we are in the kitchen, here is a brilliant product to take advantage of the skinny space between your refrigerator and the wall. It is a “slide out storage tower.” Well, “tower” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is pretty tall, and slides out from that wasted little space, so you can access lots of items handy for cooking, like spices and foods that would otherwise have to take up space in a kitchen cabinet.
6. Hang a Tank Top Space Saver
Nothing fancy here, but a great organization hack anyway. It seems you can store many, many tank tops on one hanger with the help of a few shower curtain rings. Listotic demonstrates exactly what to do.
7. Go For It With Over The Door Organizers
These contraptions are really quite amazing, because they come in all different styles, to store all different kind of things. What they all have in common is that they attach over a door in a way that does not prevent the door from closing. In this YouTube video, you will see over-the-door organizers for magazines, shoes, pantries, jewelry, makeup, and more.
Check out these other articles with tons more DIY ideas, including one on hacks for little problems and another on accessibility! If you can’t get enough of organizational ideas, we’ve also got a great post on space savers for your rental.
