8 Underrated Storage Solutions You May Be Missing Out On

Here are eight helpful storage solutions interior designers tell you not to use, but could actually improve your home’s organization and make it more functional.

When did home organization become so heavily tied to interior design? Was it social media influencers and celebrity organizers? Or TV shows? Or maybe magazines? We see gorgeously styled photos of minimal cabinets filled with all beige cleaning supplies and droolworthy TikTok videos of shelves with $500 worth of baskets on them and feel like our house is suddenly less than. It seems like now home organization inspo is just high-end decorating.

What is affordable and useful is sometimes coined by interior designers as tacky, so instead of prioritizing that function right now and making your home more organized, people just leave the mess to wait until they can buy the expensive “nice stuff.”

But here’s the truth, if you can’t maintain a cheap storage method, you can’t maintain an expensive one either. And the longer you wait, the more stressed you’re going to become with your house.

So if you feel like you’re drowning because nothing in your house has a dedicated storage spot but you are paralyzed due to your budget or weak interior design skills, I want to bring you back down to reality and show you that you can get organized using things you have or are within your budget now.

And if you really crave that designer look, you can always upgrade later. But for now the goal should be to get things organized and systems in place so you can build healthy tidying habits. The aesthetics come later.

If you know you need to just organize something so you can feel a little more in control of your home and life but your budget doesn’t align with the Instagram feed feel, here are eight affordable storage solutions that are actually really functional. And don’t you dare let a designer tell you otherwise.

Over-The-Toilet Cabinets

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a designer say not to buy over-the-toilet cabinets because they’re tacky, I could gut and remodel my entire bathroom. Sure, they’re not high-end looking, I can totally admit that. But when your bathroom is small and you need somewhere to store your stuff, you take what you can get.

The most common types available are freestanding cabinets and shelves and floating cabinets. Floating cabinets have to be bolted to studs in the wall, but freestanding ones just need to be anchored. They’re easier to install and are great for renters.

Dollar Store Containers

Yes, it’s true that cheaper containers do not hold up as well as better-quality containers. But you know what’s worse than cheap dollar store containers? Having all your stuff piled up on shelves and scattered in the floor because you’re too scared of being shamed for having cheap bins. Storage is storage, and a $5 container does the exact same job as a $40 container. (I can rant on this for daaaaayyyyyys!)

To keep your less expensive containers from looking like a cluttered mess, choose one color and stick with it. White plastic bins or bamboo wood containers are a classic choice, and they go with any design style. Clear containers look great in closed cabinets and closets but look messy when out in the open. And a woven basket looks nice anywhere.

Handheld Label Makers

All the pretty pantries you see online have one thing in common—custom vinyl labels. Those labels are made with a Cricut machine and can turn plain containers into pieces of storage art in no time. While a Cricut machine is a great investment if you’re a crafter or professional organizer, it’s not the only option.

You can buy a handheld label maker for under $40 that prints out labels in seconds on whatever color tape you like. This one is my favorite because it doesn’t require Bluetooth or WiFi and has a full keyboard.

Over-The-Door Pouches

Ask any high-end designer and they’ll tell you not to hang things over the back of doors because it cheapens the look of the room, and the hooks show on the other side. But over-the-door pouches can really give you a lot of storage space for the random small items that are hard to find homes for.

They come in a lot of styles, including solid canvas instead of the basic clear plastic, so you don’t have to compromise style for function. Use them in your pantry, bathroom, laundry room, craft space, kids’ rooms, office, and even the garage to keep little mismatched things tidy.

Rolling Carts

A rolling is stereotypically something a college student uses in a dorm room, and designers say anyone over the age of 25 shouldn’t have them in their homes. But when you think about functionality, nothing beats a good rolling cart. They allow you to store items you may need in various places in the house in one portable area.

When it comes to picking a rolling cart for storage, choose your materials wisely. Plastic ones are affordable and great for kids, while metal and wood are more sturdy and have better options. I recommend the ones from Ikea, Michaels Craft Store, and even the kind they sell at Target and Walmart are great options.

Handled Caddies

The “Sunday Restock” videos killed the reputation of the handled caddy. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? Lines and lines of cleaning supplies perfectly spaced on cabinets or inside narrow clear bins. But before this aesthetic trend, no one questioned whether it was ok to use a handled caddy.

The beauty of a caddy is all your cleaning supplies are in one container together, and you can pick it up and carry it from room to room when you’re doing home maintenance. It’s the most efficient way to clean, and there are a lot of styles available to choose from.

Under-Bed Storage

I’ve seen at least a hundred videos on Instagram from design accounts saying “Stop storing things under your bed!” I will agree that it does look cluttered if you have a platform bed and there are containers underneath. But the honest truth is, sometimes the space is more important.

If you live in a small home, under the bed is valuable storage space that you can’t afford to waste. But don’t feel like you’re stuck with those shallow clear bins with the white lids you see in every big box store. There are really nice canvas bins with wheels and a dust jacket to keep items clean that work well and look nice under the bed. And if you really need the space but are set on no visual clutter, consider a bed with built-in drawers underneath.

Recycled Boxes

Yep, I went there. You know a box is a container just like a Pottery Barn basket is, but you wouldn’t ever consider using it for storage. While cardboard shipping boxes may not be good options, you can use smaller sturdier boxes in hidden places to hold a wide variety of things.

Cell phone boxes and jewelry boxes make great drawer organizers, and each set gives you two matching sizes. Use them inside nightstands, kitchen drawers, and desk drawers, and no one will ever know. Thick slick product boxes (the kind with a hinged top and pretty branding like Boll And Branch) make perfect storage inside closets and laundry rooms to hold off-season items.

More Organizing Ideas

Want more realistic organizing ideas you can implement now instead of waiting until you have a bigger budget? Follow me on Instagram for inspiration to get Organized-ish no matter where you are in your decluttering and tidying journey.