Small Apartment Storage Ideas That Make Cleaning Easier

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

Storage and cleaning go hand in hand. The more things you have sitting out, the longer it takes to clean, because every item has to be dusted, wiped around or moved. Good storage gets things off counters and floors so cleaning is a quick wipe instead of a reshuffle. If you just finished How to Clean and Organize Apartment Closets, this is the next step for the rest of the apartment.

Most of these ideas are renter-friendly, meaning no drilling or permanent changes. Check your lease before you put anything on the walls.

Look for wasted space

Small apartments have more storage than you think. You just have to look up, down and behind.

• Under the bed: shallow rolling bins or a bed frame with drawers.
• Over the door: hanging racks for shoes, pantry items or cleaning supplies.
• Inside cabinet doors: adhesive hooks for measuring cups, pot lids or hair tools.
• On top of the fridge: a basket for things you use less often.
• Behind the couch: a slim console table with baskets underneath.

One caution about under-bed storage: bins that slide right up against each other trap dust underneath. Leave a gap so you can run a vacuum attachment through, or pick bins on wheels that roll out in one pull. The same goes for anything stored on top of the fridge. A basket there is easy to lift and wipe under. A pile of loose boxes is not.

Kitchen storage that keeps counters clear

Clear counters are the fastest way to a clean-looking kitchen. Every appliance and jar you can put away is one less thing to wipe around.

• Use a riser shelf inside cabinets to double your space for plates and mugs.
• Keep a lazy susan for oils and spices so you can lift it out to wipe the shelf.
• Hang a rail with hooks for utensils, or use a crock and keep it to one.
• Store small appliances you do not use daily in a cabinet.
• Add a rolling cart in a narrow gap for extra storage.

Bathroom storage without drilling

A small bathroom fills up fast. These help:

• An over-the-toilet shelf for towels and extra supplies.
• A tension rod caddy in the shower to keep bottles off the tub edge.
• Drawer organizers in the vanity so products are not on the counter.
• Adhesive hooks for towels and robes.
• A small basket per person under the sink.

Less on the counter and the tub edge means fewer soap rings and hard water spots to scrub. Choose caddies with drainage holes or open wire bottoms, so water does not sit under your bottles and leave a ring. Empty and rinse them every week or two when you clean the shower.

Living room storage

The living room is where life happens, which means it is where stuff piles up.

• An ottoman with storage inside for blankets and games.
• A basket for remotes, chargers and controllers.
• Closed cabinets or bins on shelves, so you dust a box instead of twenty little things.
• A shoe rack at the door so shoes do not wander into the living room.

Entry storage for a small apartment

Many apartments have no real entry, just a door into the living room. Create one with a small bench or a shoe rack, a tray for keys and a hook for bags. Put a washable mat inside the door. In North Texas, a lot of dust and mud comes in on shoes, especially after a rain storm. Catching it at the door keeps it off your carpet.

Cleaning supply storage

Keep your cleaning supplies where you will use them. A small caddy under the kitchen sink and another under the bathroom sink means you can clean either room in minutes. Hang the broom and mop on a hook in a closet, and give the vacuum a spot where it is easy to grab. If your supplies are hard to reach, you will clean less often.

Do not over-store

Storage solutions can become their own clutter. Before you buy bins and baskets, declutter first. Get rid of what you do not need, then buy storage for what is left. A small apartment works best with fewer things, each with a clear home. Measure the space before you shop, too. A bin that is an inch too tall for the shelf just becomes one more thing sitting on the floor.

We clean lots of small apartments in Waxahachie, Midlothian and around south Dallas County, and the ones with good storage are always faster to clean and easier to keep up between visits.

Start with one room, see how it feels, and then move on to the next.

Find out what is included in our cleans on our apartment cleaning page. Next, we answer one of the most common questions we get: how long does it take to clean an apartment?