5 Ways to Organize Your Clutter Room with Customized Storage

Almost everyone has probably done this. Their "clutter room" turns into a cluttered storage area.

1. Sort your "stuff."

Whatever you have stored in your potential clutter room, find a way to sort it. This may involve purchasing some bins with lids that you can put on shelves once you decide how you want to arrange your clutter room. Otherwise, use whatever containers you currently have - or even dump out the boxes you currently store items in. Then, use these empty boxes to sort all your items.

2. Decide whether to keep or discard.

Take at least two or three boxes you have, or clear an area in a cluttered room to do this. Stack items together, such as "keep," "throw away," or "donate. Think of this project as if you were moving and couldn't take all your items with you, only now you're just downsizing to make room for the most important items.

3. Decide what the room will be used for.

Some people may have a utility room to store brooms and cleaning supplies. This may also become a laundry room. Others choose to use this space as a storage room, or they may have a section separate from where food is placed. If you keep cleaning supplies far enough away from any edible items, you can design the pantry to also have space for cleaning supplies.

4. Map out the layout of the room.

If the plan overwhelms you, remember that your drawing will serve as a guide. You don't have to commit to it, but it will give you an idea of how to lay out your utility room. Your drawing will help you decide if you need shelves, drawers or cabinets. You may even want all three of these things. Draw this in between organizing what you want to keep or discard.

5. Choose your cabinets.

Try not to stress too much about this step. However, it helps to know if you like to keep items on open or closed shelves, or if you need tall closets in your utility space. To make the most of a room, you can even find cabinets that fit in two corners and along an entire wall.

If you plan to have a pantry and a closet for cleaning supplies in the same space, consider a combination of closed and tall cabinets. For smaller items, perhaps consider units with more shelves. Of course, if your utility room doubles as a laundry room, you'll need to measure the size of the appliances.