Are your junk drawers bursting? Is your storeroom a nightmare to behold? Are you running out of closet space? Do you wish there was a way to declutter without losing too many of the precious knick knacks you want to hold on to?

1. Stacking Hangers

If you don’t want to shell out money for stackable hangers, you can upcycle used soda tabs to layer multiple hangers together so you take up more unused vertical space and vacate more hanging space on your closet rods for longer clothes. It’s also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Hang It!

Have you seen those amazing hanging underwear or sock organisers with the little pockets for you to tuck your laundered and folded underwear or socks into? They’re amazing for keeping random items like reusable fabric masks (because COVID, am I right?), neckties, glasses, and other little items that don’t seem to fit into any category to qualify for a dedicated storage space. You could also repurpose hanging organisers to keep items of varying shapes and sizes that don’t fit in a box together like crafting tools, stationery, cleaning products; the list seems endless. It’s beautiful how all these little pockets can hold completely unrelated items that you can just hang in a closet out of sight, and voila! Decluttered cabinets and shelves in seconds.

3. A Case of the Sheets

Folded bed sheets taking up too much space? Especially with the tricky fitted sheets that never seem to fold into neat rectangles? Fold them the best you can, and stuff them into their matching pillowcases! Save yourself the headache of trying to get those sheets perfectly folded, and save space simultaneously.

Photo Credit : DIY toilet rolls

4. Toilet Rolls - The Unsung Hero of Home Organisation

Where do I begin? From keeping your leftover Christmas wrapping paper neatly rolled up and stored away, to holding all your errant cables and wires that make cupboards look so terribly messy, the humble toilet roll has a host of repurposed roles to play after you’re done with its main purpose. You can roll up socks in each roll and have a drawer full of neat rows of already-matched socks so you never have to go hunting for a missing twin again. You could convert them into desk organisers. You could sheath knives with them. You could use them to organise your junk drawer. You could find more uses for toilet rolls than even the hanging organisers. And you’d be doing the environment a favour too!

5. Grilling the Airspace

If you have grill shelves in your refrigerator or freezer — rejoice!

With a few solid binder clips, you can hoist all your half-used package food items up in the airspace within your fridge to free up sitting shelf space. It not only maximizes fridge space, it helps make all your food items easier to find so you don’t have to claw through a ton of other items to get to the packet you want at the back of the fridge. You can replicate this concept with under-shelf inserts in kitchen cabinets to maximum unused airspace. It also helps with visibility when looking for items within deep cupboards and cabinets. 

6. Make It Stand

File folders aren’t just great for keeping your bookshelves and work desks neat and orderly. You can use these pillars of support in any shelf to store things vertically instead of stacking them. From pots, pans, chopping boards and baking trays in the kitchen cabinets, to divvying out space for your bags, purses and clutches in your wardrobe, file holders can also be used to stack items in tall spaces. Think vertical storage for produce in your pantry, organising your cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, or stacking fruits like apples and oranges in your refrigerator!

Posted on 9 September 2022

Racheal Sia, 

SIXiDES Editorial Team