I need to see all my stuff.
Considering how MUCH I have, of…everything, it can get a little difficult, but it’s true nonetheless. However, ironically enough, I can’t STAND clutter. It messes with my head. I’m a maximalist in every regard, but if everything doesn’t have an assigned place, I can’t deal. So to have my counters just awash with products doesn’t sit well with me. But if I don’t SEE the products on a regular basis, I’m never going to use them. They’ll expire, my hair will suffer, my soul will suffer, it’s entirely a mess. And I know that some of y’all are out there just like me—visually oriented hoarders…er, collectors. So this is what I’ve learned to help myself out in terms of storage that meets my product junkie needs, no drawers necessary!
1. Small bookshelves
Unsurprisingly, my blerd (black nerd”> butt has a lot of books on hand. NO, not ALL of them are graphic novels, I also “read read”. Also, shut up. But now that I’ve had big girl jobs and large vehicles for a few years, I’ve been walking out of Half Price fully loaded more often than not. So that left me with an overloaded small bookshelf…that was promptly put into my bathroom and covered in hair products. Like so.
I can’t say that stuff oriented towards the back won’t get used last, but since I’m trying all of this stuff for work, a lot of it’s going to end up donated amongst family and friends when it doesn’t pan out for me.
Perfect system!
2. Curios and Curiouser
I’m a sucker for dust collectors. Nice vintage glass and porcelain things just call to me! And luckily, a few of those things can actually serve more than one purpose. Like storage! Using bottles and vases to store hairties, or smaller tools like the toothbrush you use for your edges and your duckbill clips isn’t just visually appealing, it’s practical! Plus, you get to look totally ‘Pinteresty’ in front of your minimalist friends.
Get to those garage sales and get cracking!
3. Free and Clear containers
Sadly, I don’t mean free as in they don’t cost anything…unless you raid my craft storage while I’m too at school to stop you, MOMMY. Just jokes, I love her, and she’s welcome to every…most…SOME of my things. But open clear containers like this
And this
Can actually be used for smaller bottles, especially all your DIY oils, very easily! As I explained in our Pound For Pound challenge intro video, I did find a glass vial of Phyto serum smashed to bits from improper storage in a drawer of mine. What we didn’t have time to mention was that I found it with my fingers as I was groping for a pen. “Hmm, my writing implements aren’t usually this oily…or this…sharp” isn’t a great line of thought to ever have to have—and a more visible storage solution like this really would have helped. Don’t make the same mistakes I have. Rise above and protect your tiny artisan formulas. And your fingers.
4. Shower baskets ROCK
You know what they DON’T tell you about shower baskets? They can actually be hung up pretty much anywhere. Check this out:
That part of my bathroom doesn’t get the best lighting, but you see where I’m going with this. That’s all just chilling out on some otherwise unused wallspace in my bathroom. And it works fantastically! When I was in college, I actually used my shower hanger from home as grooming storage while attached to the bunk rails of my dorm bed. It’s a good thing.
So what if I’m an apartment dweller?
Honestly? Just invest in some spackle. I tried to do the whole hole-less thing too, I really did. But my soul cried out for art on my walls, and my scalp cried out for easily accessible moisturization. If it helps, the ONE thing I didn’t leave myself enough time for when I left my last place was refilling the holes in the walls, and I still got most of my deposit back because I deep-cleaned everything else. Trust me, people that make a business out of owning property know to have color-matching paint and wall-patching equipment on hand, it’s going to be okay.
Getting any ideas? You all set to get your stockpile back in your sightline?
Let us know if you’ve gotten inspired to Spring Clean, or if you’re a know-it-all already, what your other unconventional storage solutions are in the comments! I’m always taking notes.
