Submitted by A.J. Miller of Miller Organizing

In the seemingly never-ending quest for more storage space, there is one place in the home that is often overlooked – underneath your bed. If you have a full-size bed or larger, you have 28- to 42-square-feet of storage underneath it. There is a wide variety of containers made for storing out-of-season clothing and accessories, extra pillows, blankets, sheets, toys, memorabilia, small electronics, photographs, sports equipment, paperwork and many other items in that often overlooked space.

Some of you may already have beds that sit high off of the floor and can accommodate under-the-bed storage containers. If you don’t – or if you want your bed to be even higher than it already is – try using bed risers. When placed beneath each foot of your bed frame, bed risers can lift your bed an additional 5 to 7 inches off the floor. Bed, Bath & Beyond and The Container Store both sell a variety of bed risers in plastic, dark wood, light wood and stackable versions. Both stores also sell under-the-bed storage containers.

So if your closets, cabinets and bureaus are bursting, take advantage of this easy, practical and often overlooked area for extra storage.

Miller is a residential and small business organizing expert, a popular motivational speaker and writer based in New York. She founded her company, Miller Organizing, in 2005. She is a past member of the board of directors of the New York chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), the recognized authority in the field of organizing. Over the course of her career, she has helped hundreds of busy New Yorkers to get – and stay – organized. She writes a column on getting organized, clutter control, time management, living more simply, increasing productivity, how being organized reduces stress and other related topics for a local New York newspaper. She also runs the Clutter Support Group of the New York Public Library.

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