How to Use the Storage Space Under Your Bed

With all the extra room we have under our beds, it’s a wonder that fewer people use that space for storage. Think back to when you were cleaning your room as a child. You probably found that many of your toys ended up lost under there.

So use that extra space, but do it right. Underneath the bed is a great place to store many items, including those that don’t fit as well in a closet.

Planning the Space

Before you store anything under your bed, you need to know how much space is underneath it. To get you started, here are the dimensions of all mattress sizes in inches.

• Twin 39x74

• Twin XL 39x80

• Ful 54x74

• Queen 60x80

• King 76x80

• California King 72x84

In addition to learning the size of the mattress, measure the height from the floor to the bottom of the bed frame. Write the dimensions down, then start looking for appropriately sized containers. There are plenty of underbed storage containers on the market. Many are made especially for garment or shoe storage, but you can use them for other things as well.

Alternately, you can get containers not made specifically for underbed storage. These might include wooden bins or plastic containers. Sturdy cardboard boxes work, too. You can remove the lids, since the bottom of the bed frame will basically cover them, anyway. When you pull these boxes out, you’ll have access to the contents without having to remove lids.

Depending on what you want to store, you may want to purchase, or make, sectioned containers.

What to Store

Underbed storage is excellent for things you don’t need to use every day, things that you don’t need to see when you open your closet. Here are some ideas.

• Out-Of Season Clothes: In summer, you don’t need to sort through your winter jackets in your closet every day, and in winter, you don’t need to go through your tank tops and swimming suits. Wash them, dry them, fold them nicely, and store them under your bed.

• Bed Dressings: Extra sheets, blankets, comforters, and pillow cases go perfectly in boxes under the bed. You don’t need to change your bed every day, but you’ll want those extras ready to go when you do.

• Shoes: Shoes can be so awkward! Yes, there are many good ways to store them, from shoe racks to keeping them stacked in their boxes. Under the bed is also a great place to store them, especially in an underbed shoe organizer.

The same things adults and teens should store under their beds count for kids as well, but here are a couple of other ideas.

• Books: Your children may want their books lined up nicely in bookcases, but what if they have extras they want to access easily? Or, what if they just want to do something different? A short box with books displayed, spines up, will fit well under most beds.

• Games and Puzzles: Rather than having puzzles and games stacked high in the closet, or taking up valuable bookshelf space, consider storing them in a box under the bed.

• Toys: Toys, in their myriad of shapes and sizes, get unruly! You can put them in appropriately-sized boxes and fit them under your child’s bed. You may also want to make a custom toy chest for this purpose.

Other Ideas

Here are some other ideas for what you might want to store under a bed. These work especially well for adult or teen rooms, or for a guest room.

• Present Wrapping Supplies: Wrapping paper, tape, and ribbons can be tough to keep in your closet. Besides, you don’t need them all the time, just when a birthday or a winter holiday, like Christmas, is coming. Wrapping paper storage containers will fit well under just about any bed, and the rest—ribbons, tape, and bows—can be sorted in a box.

• Craft Supplies: Do you like to scrapbook, sew, or pursue other crafts? Your various types of paper and bindings, stickers, glue, paint, fabrics, buttons, and more will do well under your bed.

• Media: Movies, games, and CDs typically belong next to your television entertainment system. However, what happens when your collection grows too big, and you want to keep the older items from your collection? Storing them under a bed, where you can retrieve them when you want to watch an old favorite, works well.

• Luggage: We all need luggage for when we go on trips, but most of us don’t travel often. Where do you put your suitcases when you’re not using them? They can take up a lot of closet space. However, by putting them under the bed, you keep them out of site and can get them out to prepare for a trip.

Of course, self storage is also a great and inexpensive solution to storing your clutter. Consider it if you have more to store than what will fit under your bed or beds.