Share your home storage hacks with IKEA - £300 IKEA voucher to be won

[JustineBMumsnet]

Despite their size, children manage to take up more space in a home than many parents ever bargain for, making ample storage space an even more precious commodity than it was before children for many parents. With this in mind, IKEA would like to hear about the ways you make the most out of your storage spaces and how it’s made your life easier.

Here’s what IKEA has to say: “The house can often feel crowded after the festive period but a few small changes can make a big difference. Adding hooks and storage solutions at a lower height gives children the freedom to tidy things up by themselves. Remember children love spending time where you are so a small kitchen trolley can make a perfect mobile Art & Craft or play station that can be moved tidied away quickly.”

Maybe you have a creative way for storing lunchboxes or tips for fitting more into cupboards without them overflowing? Perhaps you swear by hangers on doors, boxes inside drawers or folding your clothes in a specific way? How have you used IKEA furniture or accessories to make the most of your space?

Whatever your home storage hacks, share them on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 IKEA voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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@peachweach I am so nicking that idea! We are very boringly using them (hemnes shoe cupboards) as shoe cupboards. The difference it's made is mind-blowing. We have one of each, the small square one is not so deep, and fits behind the front door. Had to take a little nick out of the top shelf to squeeze it in. Also have loads of the sage green cardboard boxes for cd's and DVDs - remember them?

@Happierwithouthim we’ve just used our normal bed slats .

I have small children so I keep lots of small.but pretty baskets in my living room for all those random little toys, can just collect them.up.and hide them away easily then!

Lego table.

Ikea LACK table, 6 plastic boxes on the shelf for bricks (sorted by colour or shape or utter chaos, whatever floats your boat). 3 massive boxes underneath for builds in process. Blu tack base plates on the top of the table to create scenes/areas for building etc.

We used IKEA to design our wardrobes to contain the exact storage we needed in the bedroom. I have put hooks all over the inside of my wardrobe doors to hang jewelry, hairbands, belts, bags. Also store alot of stuff we have as a family together, swim wear all in one drawer. Suitcases, weekend bags all in one place.

Malm drawers for shoes in the hall.

Under bed storage boxes for out of season clothes.

Same as everyone else. Kallaxes and Expedits everywhere.

Stuva loft beds for the kids, look fab & lots packed into a relatively small space. Pan drawers!

20 years ago just after moving house, we bought an ikea shoe storage unit, a wardrobe with trouser/jean pull out rack (genius) and Billy unit.

Shoe storage unit was initially to go in the hall.
However it would have meant that it would have been quite close to the stairs.
So moved the unit into the porch and put a plant or two on the top.
Tall Billy unit fitted neatly in to a corner in upstairs hall and is used as a book case..
And wardrobe with the trouser rack is used daily.

Kallax everywhere.

I have tried so hard to find something else that does the job as well for the same price point. So I have a love hate relationship with kallax. It's used as a bedside table, children's storage, TV stand and bench by the window with padded seat on top, shoe storage by door.

Just when I thought I would try something different they introduced drawers for kallax and that was it. Kallax for life.

Love the drawer dividers, use them everywhere. No more hunting for things in a drawer containing all black items!

Do you know those small shelves / picture rails? They have a sort of lip on the end. I’ve got one the right way round and one upside down (ca 30cm above the regular one) on the side of my kitchen cupboards to store my cutting boards. They are also amazing for under the sink inside the cupboards (on the side walls) for all the small stuff and perfect under a mirror for make up storage (did you know the stackable plastic containers for craft storage/kitchen utensils etc just fit on to the lip = extra storage! Awesome :-)
Coat hooks everywhere! To keep the pulley in position, on the side of wardrobes, to hang the hair dryer on to.... even on walls in the kids rooms to easily clip a duvet cover on to make a den in no time.
A wardrobe door has become an actual door for a space where it would have made no sense to have a blind.
Lots of simple picture frames with ornate designs drawn around them on the wall and my favourite (though discontinued!) a sticker of a massive free standing clock. Love it.

*fit on the lip = hook onto it. So no space on the actual shelf wasted with them.

Kallax everywhere. For shoes, hats, dvds, toys, gadgets, general hide it away so no one can see it storage!

An Ikea plastic Vessla Storage Crate With Castors makes a fabulous kids' shoe storage box and it wheels in and out of the understair cupboard with ease.

We always opt for furniture with added storage when possible. Beds with storage underneath, benches with storage etc. That way you add a lot of storage without altering the footprint of your furniture. Multi purpose furniture is also a good go to for making more out of your space so sofa beds, stackable stools that can be used as extra dining chairs or side tables etc as required. But above all organisation is key. Using small storage to maximise the storage space already available can halve the amount of storage space that you actually need.

We have a Kallax style staircase style wall unit (Kallax was first choice but didn't fit in the space) It hosts all the arts and crafts stuff which used to cover the table.

Then we have underbed storage in all bedrooms. Good for bedding and ironing.

Coffee tables have baskets underneath to hold little bits and pieces like printer cartridges, tape measure, stamps etc.

Beside the sink in the bathroom we have free standing 3 drawer rattan baskets to keep hand towels, bottles etc we're currently using. Then plastic baskets to hold the 'about to use' stuff on the window sill. Also a sliding bath panel with all the bathroom cleaning stuff behind it, locked away from the kids.

I have limited space in the lounge so have a comfy stool which also stores my blankets in.

We use a lot of storage boxes - for shoes, hats, bags - keeps the hallway tidy. The play area has ikea storage/ shelving which is a real help.
I also use under the bed storage boxes for winter clothes in the summer etc.
I've recently had shelving put up in the utility room to organise the washing powder/ products and have somewhere to keep the iron and ironing basket, so that's loads tidier now.

We have a Trofast unit under our stairs. It fits the awkward gap perfectly & we each have one drawer for our shoes (with our initial stenciled on), plus a spare for hats, gloves etc. There is even space on top for umbrellas etc. So much better than the boxes we just chucked shoes in before!

We have kallax units with boxes in the playroom and each box is labelled with the type of toy so that when it’s time to clean up, I make it a competition between the children and I as to who can fill their box fastest. They enjoy it and don’t view it as tidying up, it’s a game!

We use a lot of trofast!
Also bekvam spice racks are fab to go on the wall to hold picture books or next to the bed as a mini book shelf especially with bunks.

Mine is not so much what I have but what I can visualise if we had the spare cash.
We have been renovating our house in stages so have a half completed utility room which is also the main entrance in and out of the house.

I want to add IKEA kitchen cabinets so all the usual kids and family items are out of the way. Then boxes inside the cabinets for the smaller items.

I know MN love a diagram so I've drawn a very rubbish one & here's how it looks now excuse the mess bit this is tidy

Those Ikea wall rails with hooks. You can hang literally anything from them and make cupboard space. We have several in the kitchen with all sorts hanging on them. You can get little shelves that hang off too and we've put water bottles and such like on them.

Trofast in my ds room, He has 2 sets, I love the variety in sizes of the boxes and colours, I wouldn't be without them!