Caruso - The everything home storage solutions book : make the most of your space with hundreds of creative organizing ideas

The
EVERYTHING
Home Storage
Solutions Book

Dear Reader,

When I told people I was writing a book on home storage solutions, the reaction was universal: Thats exactly what I need!

Why is it we routinely step over, around, and occasionally on our accumulated treasures instead of finding a proper home for them? Writing this book allowed me to test out plenty of clutter-busting strategies and experiment with lots of different storage products on the market. Even the most organized among usDid I mention Im also an inveterate list-maker?sometimes needs an organizational overhaul now and then. It doesnt matter if you live in a studio apartment or five-bedroom home. There never seems to be enough space for all we accumulate. In my re search, I managed to fill dozens of trash bags, giving the sanitation crew a workout (an extra Christmas bonus await s, guys). Local charities got a windfall, too. I streamlined the clutter and reduced the paper work. Ahhh, finally Im in control, and it feels really good.

I hope this book helps you gain control. And I really hope it doesnt wind up among another ever-growing pile of books on your coffee table.

Editorial

Production

Visit the entire Everything Series ateverything.com

THE

EVERYTHING

Home Storage
Solutions Book

Make the most of your space with
hundreds of creative organizing ideas

Iyna Bort Caruso

To my parents, who always led by example.

Copyright 2007, F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59337-662-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-662-8
Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Caruso, Iyna Bort.
The everything home storage solutions book / Iyna Bort Caruso.
p. cm. (Everything series)
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59337-662-8
ISBN-10: 1-59337-662-6

TX309.C37 2006
648.8dc22
2006028209

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

Thanks to the many friends and strangers who opened up their closets, attics, and basements to me and let me see the places where most visitors dare not go. Thanks, too, for telling me about your bad habits and embarrassing stories. Weve all got our share of them. Kudos to Evelyn, Heidi, and Ariane for going above and beyond. Thanks to Barry for going through this JG adventure with me, to June Clark, and the many hardworking folks at Adams Media, including Lisa Laing and Jessica LaPointe. I would also like to thank my fantastic copy editor, Virginia Beck. Thanks most of all to my husband, Jay, who put up with my many months of clutter-busting fanaticism with his typical humor, grace, and unconditional support.

Top Ten Ways You Know Youve Got a 911 Storage Emergency

1. Your car hasnt seen the inside of the garage for years.
2. The Stairmaster is covered with clothes waiting to be ironed.
3. The ironing board is covered with barbells.
4. Youve got to take a running leap at the closet door in order to shut it.
5. The median expiration date of food in your pantry lands smack in the middle of the Jimmy Carter administration.
6. The junk in your basement is so old its now considered vintage.
7. You leave your clothes in the dryer. After all, its like an extra drawer.
8. You still have warranties of long-discarded appliances.
9. Showers of plastic take-out containers rain down on you when you open your kitchen cabinet door.
10. You dont just have a junk drawer. You have an entire junk room.

Whats your breaking point? When do the piles of paper get so high, the old exercise bicycle in the basement so dusty, the toys in the playroom so trip-worthy that you reach the end of your rope?

Everyones got a story, and there are no urban legends among them. Theres the businessman whose slim closet couldnt fit another item. Rather than sort through his clothes and get rid of his never-wears, he came up with an ingenious solutionor so he thought. You decide. He hung his excess shirts off ceiling fans throughout his home.

The tales of an exasperated spouse going to extreme measures are endless. Many are variations on the while you were out theme. The guilty party leaves for work and the Salvation Army truck parks in the driveway.

Theres the story of one particular woman who got fed up with her husbands stockpiling habits. Their basement and garage looked like a thrift store exploded. You name it, they had it; piles of magazines dating back years, broken luggage, outdated TVs, ancient audio equipment, empty computer boxes. Driven to take extreme measures, she spent several hundred dollars to rent a commercial dumpster. It took the two of them an entire weekend to fill it up with a decades worth of useless, busted, and forgettable items that should have been discarded long ago. By the way, its been two years, but she still hasnt tossed out the business card of the carting companyjust in case. Old habits die hard.