Battling messes throughout your home is exhausting. Everything should have a place, but that doesn’t always happen. Read about these easy ways to add storage when your home is cluttered and you’ll spend less time cleaning. They’re simple solutions that work in any house because they’re so easy to customize.

1. Sort Through Your Junk Drawer

Almost everyone has a junk drawer in their home. It may not even be a drawer sometimes – it could be a corner in your closet or the trunk of your car. Wherever things end up when they don’t have a designated storage spot is an excellent place to start your organizational upgrades.

Throw out or donate anything you haven’t used in the last few weeks or months. You may not find a permanent home for everything in your junk drawer, but you’ll reduce the clutter making your home feel or look messy.

2. Assign a Charging Location

The sight of tangled phone and tablet chargers adds instant clutter to any room. Banish it for good by picking one location where everyone can charge their electronics. You’ll maximize the counter and table space around your home while utilizing cord-organizing tools like labels and plug hubs to systematize the chargers your family uses daily.

3. Look Under Your Beds

You can always store smaller or foldable belongings under your beds. All you need is two or three-inch deep containers that are longer than they are wide. Some even have wheels to make it easier for instant access. You’ll only need to roll or pull them out to access whatever you need from storage.

4. Investigate Your Attic

Houses don’t always have finished rooms in their attics, but that doesn’t mean people can’t use them. Consider laying plywood across your attic beams to add enough space for large storage bins. You can keep belongings up there to double your storage space without an expensive renovation project.

5. Hang Utility Hooks on Walls

Never doubt the usefulness and strength of utility hooks. Homeowners can hang them almost anywhere to hang whatever is causing the most clutter. Think about selecting a few to turn your garage into usable space. Utility hooks are strong enough to hold garage essentials like wheelbarrows, bikes and lawn furniture so you have more room to park your cars or arrange your workout equipment.

6. Attach Storage to Your Closet Door

Closets are some of the messiest places in a house. Shoes never seem to find a home, but that’s one of the most manageable clutter problems you can solve. Find a hangable shoe rack that fits on the back of your closet door. You’ll gain more floor space and tuck your shoes out of sight.

7. Build a Shed

Anyone with extra yard space can consider adding a shed to their property. They’re pre-built at most home improvement stores, but a simple toolbox is all you need to construct one during your next free weekend. Gather supplies like planks, plywood, shingles and a door for easy access. You’ll gain storage space overnight for whatever clutter you need out of your home.

8. Create Labels for Pantry Containers

Sometimes clutter builds up because you can’t tell things apart. Imagine your collection of kitchen spices. You likely have a few essentials you use in most of your recipes, but what about the dried goods you don’t use daily?

Sort through your dried food and spices to check their expiration dates. Throw out anything that’s gone bad and make labels for the containers you want to keep. The labels can also go on clear containers for things like cereal and pasta. Giving yourself more organizational tools makes it easier to tell clutter from trash.

9. Find Multipurpose Furniture

Adding storage to your home may seem impossible when there isn’t any floor space, but the good news is you can always consider multipurpose furniture. It comes in all shapes and sizes with internal storage for keeping your belongings out of sight. Look into benches with storage space, beds with built-in drawers beneath the mattress and other pieces like mirrors with internal shelves.

10. Schedule Regular Donation Drop-Offs

Sometimes the answer to your storage problems isn’t a matter of buying new furniture. Some people only need to sort through their things and routinely drop off whatever they don’t need at a nearby donation center. Your calendar can send reminders when it’s time to dig through your closet, basement or bookshelves. You’ll never forget to downsize before clutter gets a chance to become a problem again.

Increasing Storage in Your Home

Now that you’ve read a few ways to add storage when your home is cluttered, think about what would solve your storage problems. Hanging things on your walls, in your attic or setting time aside for sorting through everything could help you get closer to a clutter-free future.