7 Small Apartment Storage Ideas That Are Renter Friendly
A small apartment does not give you more closets, and a lease usually means no holes in the walls. The storage has to come from furniture, doors and the height of the room.
Every idea here works without a drill and leaves with you when you move.
1Edit before you add storage
In a small home, the cheapest storage is owning less. Go room by room and remove duplicates, things kept 'just in case' and anything that belongs to a hobby you no longer have. Storage products work when they organize what you use, not when they hide what you do not.
2Put every door to work
Each door can hold a full rack without a single screw. Over-the-door organizers with pockets or baskets suit the bathroom, pantry, bedroom and coat closet. Check the door thickness and make sure the hooks are padded so they do not mark the paint.
3Go tall and narrow
Floor space is scarce, but wall height is free. A tall, narrow shelving unit holds as much as a wide one while using half the footprint. Place heavy items on the lowest shelves and use a furniture strap or anti-tip kit, many of which need only a small fastener.
4Choose furniture that hides things
When a piece of furniture has to stay, make it store something. A storage ottoman holds blankets and doubles as a seat or a coffee table. A bench with a lid works in an entry or at the foot of a bed. Look for sturdy hinges that hold the lid open.
5Slide a cart into the gaps
The six inches beside the fridge, the washer or the sofa is real storage. A slim rolling cart fits those gaps and pulls out when needed. In a kitchen it holds oils and cans; in a bathroom, cleaning supplies and spare paper.
6Hang things with removable hooks
Removable adhesive hooks and strips hold more than most people expect: bags, robes, brooms, kitchen tools and light shelves. Follow the weight limit and the instructions for clean removal, and press each strip firmly for the time stated on the pack.
7Use baskets to group small things
Open shelves look cluttered when they hold loose items. A set of matching baskets turns each shelf into a set of drawers and hides the visual noise. Give every basket one category and a label, and store the baskets you use least on the top shelf.
Keeping it that way
Leave a little empty space on each shelf. A home that is full to the last inch has no room for the next thing that comes through the door.
Before you move out, removable hooks and tension rods come down in minutes, and everything else rolls or carries to the next place.
Everything mentioned in this guide
One list, so you can check sizes against your own measurements. Links go to Amazon; we may earn a commission.
Questions people ask
How do I add storage to an apartment without drilling?
Use over-the-door organizers, freestanding tall shelves, storage furniture, slim rolling carts, tension rods and removable adhesive hooks. None of them leave marks when used as directed.
How do you store things in a small apartment with no closet?
Use a freestanding garment rack or wardrobe, under-bed bins for off-season clothes, a storage bench by the door and a tall shelf with baskets for folded items.
