Are you a pack rat? Are your closet shelves crammed to the max with old papers, shoeboxes and bags? Are your cabinet doors sticking out because excess clutter is forcing them open? Does your collection of home appliances -- a pasta maker, bread machine, juicer and other gizmos you've never used -- look like something out of a department store?

Books like Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Dr. Richard Carlson reflect our national yearning for simplicity. It's amazing how a cluttered desk or disorganized home can add significant amounts of stress to our daily lives. Getting rid of the mess -- or at least organizing it more efficiently -- can be a tremendous relief.

If you need to hang onto most of the items -- bills and other important papers, boxes, etc. -- that are piling up in your home, and throwing them away is out of the question, you've got to look for storage solutions. The good news is that contrary to what you might think, your home probably has a few out-of-the-way spots where you can efficiently store your clutter out of sight and out of mind ... until you need to access them.

Every home, from a rented apartment to an older single-family residence, has its share of spaces that may be converted into storage areas. A coat closet in your entry way, for example, is the perfect spot to hang an over-the-door set of hooks, on which you can hang bags, additional coats, your umbrella, belts, scarves and other items you occasionally need to grab on your way out the door. If you've always wanted a wine cellar but it's clearly out of your financial reach, consider purchasing a wine rack and storing your collection in your coat closet. While the temperature conditions may not rival those in the cellar of a vineyard or a pricey estate, you've got an out-of-the-way spot to store your wines.

Remember those plastic cubes we all used in college to create makeshift end tables or to store our collections of snacks and other dorm-room necessities? A couple of these cubes will also provide extra storage space in your closets. Fold and store your sweaters and other bulky winter items inside these cubes, and stack them in the corner of your closet. You're saving the limited space on your closet shelves for other items. Purchase an over-the-door shoe rack for the back of your bedroom closet door to save the space on your closet floor for other items.

Many kitchens contain cabinets that don't reach the ceiling. If that's the case in your home, the tops of your cabinets are excellent storage space either for decorative items or for appliances you don't use often but with which you're not ready to part ways. You can place plants there (provided that they'll continue to receive adequate lighting there, and that you're willing to get out your step ladder and water them often), or, if you've got an assortment of decorative plates or other collectibles such as fine china, this is the perfect spot to place them.

Consider purchasing a hutch, either new or antique, for your kitchen. Most of them contain not only shelves and drawers, but also a countertop-like surface at waist level and doors underneath for storing appliances, cookbooks and other items you don't necessarily want on display. Because hutches can be pricey, and because many of us -- particularly apartment-dwellers -- lack the space necessary to own one, a baker's rack is an excellent substitute. Although you can't hide any items on them due to their lack of drawers and doors, baker's racks are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes suited for kitchens of every shape and size. Among the best types of racks is the "A"-shaped variety, which fits into the corner of your room and won't eat up any space or restrict the flow of traffic in the room.

In the space between the edge of your kitchen cabinets and your countertops, you can install small doors (available at your local home-improvement store) that allow you to hide your appliances. The best part about these doors is that you sacrifice no space in the process. Open the doors, and you've got your counter space back for cooking.

If you're planning to remodel your kitchen in the near future, you may want to consider installing in the corners of your kitchen L-shaped cabinets. These cabinets, which contain L-shaped doors, spin "lazy Susan"-style and provide versatility and easy access to your appliances. One caveat, however: If you have young children, you may want to avoid these cabinets. Their spinning doors can catch tiny fingers. If you have a pantry, install a spice rack or similiar shelving unit on the back of the door to buy yourself extra storage space. Or install hooks on the back of the door for hanging your dishtowels, aprons or hot pads. Depending upon how much space your pantry affords you, you might consider purcashing a few more of those inexpensive plastic cubes and stacking them here, as well.

Homes that contain stairs provide owners with hidden storage space. The space underneath your stairs is probably already a trap for your clutter, but you can use this space more efficiently by installing shelves or storage bins (the Elfa system, sold at Container Store, is a good example) that slide out smoothly on runners.

Short of holding your own garage sale or boxing up your worldly possessions and calling your local charity, these easy storage solutions help you organize your mess. You may not have simplified your life, but you've certainly created the illusion of simplicity -- and given the hectic pace of our everyday lives, that's an admirable feat for most of us.

Published: September 1, 1999

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