Using Doors for Storage

I have been living in Pearl Cabin for a bit less that two years and am continuing to learn how to make every square inch of precious space count.  As I encounter a new problem area, I think on it and it seems I eventually come up with a solution.  One example is that I couldn't find anywhere to store the iron and ironing board.  I love to just leave it set up so it is very easy to access but not in this house! 

I finally remembered that I had seen a rack designed to hang ironing supplies from a door.  Off to the store I went and returned with the perfect rack.  Deciding that the most logical place would be the linen closet, I simply hung the rack over the door.  It's wonderful that if I decide to move it the rack doesn't cause any damage - this is important because I have been known to change my mind!  The rack holds the ironing board, the iron and the spray starch.  Perfect, everything I need is right there and put away out of sight.  Success!

I like shoes and have a lot of them - probably more than I need.  I found it difficult to find the ones I wanted to wear by digging through the pile at the bottom on the closet.  I thought and thought about this one.  At one time in history I had a rack that fit on the back of the closet door.  I wasn't really crazy about it because it really didn't hold enough shoes and didn't stay together well.  But that was many moons ago so I started searching for an updated model.  At the big box store, I found what appeared to be a great shoe rack so I took it home.

It has metal pipes that hold the white plastic sides together.  They are staggered so the shoes sit at a downward angle to keep them from falling off.  It was easy to assemble and in no time I had it hanging on the door.  I started putting shoes on it and it works just as I thought it would.  My closet has two doors that open like French doors so I have to open the other door a bit to get the door with the rack closed because the shoes made the door thicker.  But being that this is the only real annoyance, the pros far exceed the cons!

I have more shoes than fit on the rack so I change them out by the season.  Out-of-season shoes are put in a plastic bin that rolls under the bed.  As the seasons change, I can easily swap the shoes out. 

Out-of-season clothes are put in space bags and stored under the bed also.  The seasonal swap-out of clothes also encourages getting rid of clothes that aren't going to be worn.  As you pack up for the new season, it is very easy to remember if you wore an item or not.  Just another way to save space!  If you donate unwanted items to a charity, remember to get a receipt as you may be able to claim the donation on your taxes.

I love finding ways to make life easier!  And living in 650 square feet is definitely a challenge so I get really excited when I find a new solution.