Adding bed storage was a key goal for Bridget Stralko when she embarked on updating her 8-year-old daughter’s room.

The professional organizer not only got creative and added some storage under her daughter’s bed, she’s also made changes in her own bedroom to gain much-needed space.

“We have a 980-square-foot house with no basement, so we have limited space,” said Stalko, founder of Unclutter It. “I know some people don’t like to put anything under their bed, but sometimes you just don’t have that option and that’s true for our house.”

Read on for ways to learn different ways using the extra space under your bed to store your stuff can improve the flow of your room!

Adding a Bunk Bed with Storage

As part of her effort to make the space more useful with a room redo, Stralko said she was looking for a loft bed with storage underneath to replace a more traditional setup, above. Luckily she was able to find an Ikea model that offered built-in storage.

After all, raising the bed and adding a desk and cabinets underneath is a great option for parents with young children looking to maximize their storage space. If you have friends on social media with school-age kids, or have one yourself, you know that the bed loft is a huge under-bed storage and workspace trend these days.

Stralko was able to remove some old furniture that had been in her daughter’s room and still gaining storage space.

“Now it’s all condensed into one big furniture piece, and it actually makes the room feel much bigger,” she said.

Besides the desk storage, the setup also offers a bank of shelves.

“I was able to gather up all her straggler toys and store them in her room, and I was able to reclaim my space in my living room,” Stralko said.

Involve your children in the planning and selection to ensure they like the space and use it. Stralko’s daughter helped contribute paint color, toy storage ideas and more.

“Now she wants to categorize her drawers, and she’s taken more interest in her room because she got to pick things out,” she said.

Under Bed Storage

Of course if you’re not too keen on climbing a ladder to climb into bed, there are other under bed storage containers, drawers and more.

You can buy more storage organizers to tuck under your bed, as a more traditional option. These space-savers can help you organize anything from your vast shoes collection to your seasonal clothes.

“Storing items under your bed can really make your home feel less cluttered and tidier. Because you are strategically hiding items that you don’t use often,” said Michelle Hansen, founder of the home organizing business, Practical Perfection.

Experts warn that you can take this practice too far, if you shove tons of things under your bed without rhyme or reason.

“It also tends to get dusty under your bed so I recommend storing things in some sort of enclosed box or bag,” Hansen said. “Using an under-the-bed storage bag keeps those items clean so you don’t have to wash the dust off of them before using them again.”

Before you buy any storage containers, make sure you measure the dimensions of your bed.

Whatever container you choose, just make sure you have a bed skirt to conceal them or that you’ve pushed them to the middle of a large bed.

“This keeps things looking clean and tidy while still utilizing the storage space you already have in your home,” Hansen said.

Bed Storage Containers

Luckily there are several options when considering a storage organizers:

• Wheels: Opt for storage containers with wheels so that’s it easy to pull out.
• Vacuum Sealed Bags: If your bed sits low, then vacuum-sealed bags are optimal. This would come in handy for long term storage of seasonal items.
• Compartments: If you’re storing several items, think pants or shoes, compartments will help keep everything tidy.

If there’s a storage organizer you have in mind but it doesn’t fit your bed, then Stralko suggests you consider bed risers. These are blocks that go under the four corners of your bed to add more height.

“I don’t have an extra room so my bed is on risers,” she said. “I have boxes that I can pull out under my bed that act as storage containers because we don’t have the storage space otherwise.”

But this option comes with a caveat, Stralko warns you may need a step stool to get on your bed.

Nowadays you can also buy bed frames with built-in storage. Depending on your needs, some have storage in the headrest while others offer storage drawers and more at the base. If you’re looking for something a little sleeker, you can even opt for a bed that has a hydraulic lift to easily access storage under your mattress.

If our tips have inspired you, we also have have storage tips for making every space in your home work better. Pegboards are not only a great organizing option that’s been around seemingly forever, but also can be adapted to just about anywhere in your home.

Lastly, we spoke to some organizing mavens about their small-kitchen storage ideas that can help you add more space to your place and make cooking faster and easier.