I store our socks and underwear in our bathroom cabinet (we have a closet and a cabinet) and I have 4 buckets on each shelf...one for socks and one for underwear for both of us. We don't walk out after the shower to get underclothes or have to bring them in before we shower.

annellis...I like that idea, I think I will use it too. I do store a set of underwear and some socks and a tee shirt, out of my bedroom so that if my husband is sleeping I don't have to wake him up to get them. Not that he would mind so much, but I have a motto..."let sleeping husband and children sleep" Life is so much more peaceful when they are sleeping! No one asks for breakfast,etc.

Brug,

I do that too! I have a fabric drawstring bag hanging on the knob of a bathroom cabinet (it's a tilt out that hides the hamper) and it holds all my everyday underwear. No need to fold anything too.

Maria

We travel a lot and sometimes with little notice. Inside my small suitcase is the travel case with cosmetics,& toiletries & bug spray. a small notebook with lists of things I need when I travel to specific places & what clothing to bring. A paperback book to read on the plane, an extra pair of glasses, an extension cord,curling iron. Pen & pad.

I'm pretty boring, but I read once of someone who got doors put on the bathtub surrounds, and stored things not often used in the space under there. I thought that was a great idea.

I store my gift wrap, gift bags, ribbons, tags, scissors, tape, etc. in a hanging organizer similar to the one in the link below. The one I have has pockets on both sides so I keep Christmas/holiday related wrap on one side and birthday/general wrap on the other. It holds a amazing amount and it has been a neat and handy solution what was formally a huge mess.
Does this qualify as an unusual storage place?
Elizabeth

Here is a link that might be useful: gift wrap organizer

I used to store canned goods in the buffet.

I store shoes & hats & mittens in the china wall unit (not a breakfront), and also store my sewing supplies there.

I store knee-highs in a penguin cookie jar on my dresser.

marge...looks like you could be ready on a min. notice! Do you like to travel?

lily...that is a great idea, also the ottemans that open up. It seems like such a waste of space when they don't!

Elizabeth...not sure if that is unusual, but it sure looks terrific for storing wrappings!

talley sue...I think you will win the prize, if there was one for your stockings in a penguin cookie jar!!! That has to be the most unusual. Any other neat hiding places?

I have a smallish baker's rack in our bathroom....on it, I keep all my makeup (which isn't a lot) in a miniature chest of drawers, my scents on a silver tray, my lipstick in an old wooden cigar box, my earrings and bracelets in a Chinese box, my hair dryer in a basket with a cotton lining, my hairbrushes and combs in an enameled tin bucket, and my first aid and analgesic things in a small wooden cube that has four compartments and four little baskets as drawers. I love how it looks...orderly, but with some personality and lots of natural materials.
And I keep dryer sheets in an antique (but not rare) blue and white Chinese ceramic jar with a lid near the dryer, just because I like to use it every day.

I don´t know if this is unusual, but right beside the entrance door we have a HOL storage cube from IKEA with a cushion on top of it. It holds bags of outgoing stuff (one time events - not the bags we carry with us everyday) and extra soft slippers for guests (we are a no-shoes-inside household). And we sit on it to put on shoes. When we build our home and have a bigger entrance hall I´d like a second cube to use the same way (so we can separate the slippers from the bags and 2 people can put on shoes at the same time).

In the entrance we have 2 shallow bookcases (for dvds and paperbacks) that have double shoe cabinets at the bottom (the tilt out kind). These were custom made.

In our bedroom we also have 2 bookcases with cabinets at the bottom with shelves inside that hold DHs extensive shoe collection (no room for those in his reach in closet).

On the dresser in my bedroom I have a rectangular basket (stuck on the surface with that gum-like removable putty so that my toddlers can´t grab at it). It holds pens and pencils, scisors and other small stuff that would normally go in my desk, except I don´t have a desk. (Oh... when we build I´ll definately have a small GUSTAV desk -IKEA, the light colored one - with a nice old fashioned lamp and a really nice woven waste basket, right under my bedroom window!)

Sorry for rumbling on!

Maria

Here is a link that might be useful: HOL storage cube

.. if anyone is interested to see it.

Maria

Here is a link that might be useful: GUSTAV small

This is funny to read about, since I used to store undies in the bathroom, until we remodeled the bathroom and everyone (my friends/family) wanted to start using it. That felt a little too personal for just anyone to poke their noses into, so I moved those back into the bedroom. If it's a private bathroom however, it's a great idea.

I use my old cedar chest as a coffee table in the living room. Since I don't have to get in there too often, it works well for extra storage. There's a linen chest in the living room as well, which holds a table lamp; inside are extra candles, seasonal linens and things like room spray, incense, candle snuffer, candle holders and matches. It's a little out of the way, yet handy for accessing without having to go too far.

I keep a basket of toys for my littlest visitors in the front hall closet, so as soon as they hit the door, I can pull it out/down for them. They are instantly engaged, which lets me visit with my friends.

In a bedroom closet, turned office, there's a built-in shoe rack. It's very old, and has metal strips that pop into slots to hold the shoes. I took all my ribbons/tape/paper towels, and put them on the strips, so I can pull out what I need and cut it instantly. The closet also holds gift wrap, bows and cards, along with other office supplies (well organized of course!).

I have an antique pot cupboard/nightstand that holds extra toiletries like soap, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner that resides in my den. It's close to the bathroom(s) (between the two really) so it works well as a satellite location.

So many neat ideas for expanding existing storage!
I really like those IKEA cubes that hold stuff, plus you can sit on to put on your shoes. I could even use one for a laundry basket outside my bathroom, I bet. I will have to look into that.
Using decorated boxes and tins is a great use for them too. They become functional instead of decorative.
The shoe rack turned into paper storage is a great idea too. So many that I like that I cannot name them all.
Thank you all for sharing your "secrets" with us. I am sure alot of us have gotten some new ideas!
Margie

When we lived overseas, a friend kept her Christmas decorations in a china pack carton that she covered with a tablecloth and used as a nightstand in her guest bedroom. She had one on each side, and it allowed her to store all of the Christmas decorations that she had brought. She had a round plastic top on them, and they worked great for both purposes.

Great idea londondi! I might have to use that one too!

I have alot of stuff stored in it! To tell you the truth I cannot even remember what, it has been so long that the TV has been on it and it is too heavy to easily remove!
A treasure chest I guess! I know there is a set of china that was my MIL's with violets on it but have no idea of the rest!

Does DH's collector's sports car count? Seriously, he keeps it under cover in his shed, and when we were shifting into our new home, we used the car to store linen, blankets, doonas and pillows etc. until we shifted in properly.
It is completely vermin and moisture proof, so even now, we keep some of our camping gear, like sleeping bags and canvas swags in the trunk of his car. He hardly drives it, it's purely a collector's (he calls in an investment LOL) car.
In our previous house, my laundry was right next to the garage where the car was stored, so I used to use it's bonnet as a place to fold my washing. DH was scandalized to think I'd regard his precious car as nothing more than a useful laundry table

Maybe not a PLACE, but one of the best ways I've come up with for assigning speed dialing numbers is using the person's birthday...for instance, I never could remember that my sister Jean was number 2, sister Mary was number 4, daughter number 5, etc. etc. But I DO know their BIRTHDAYS...so now sister Jean is 21, sister Mary is 17, daughter Deb is 7, hubby is 27.....

Luckily, no one on my speed dial has the same day of the month....in that case, I guess I'd have to come up with something else....oh yeah, since #1 was pre-assigned to "in case of emergency" on my cell, my son became 31 (birthdate March 1)

I store knee-highs in a penguin cookie jar on my dresser

...note to self: look twice, before stealing a cookie at tally_sue's house!

I'm sure I have some unusual storage places, but since I thought 'em up, they all seem perfectly reasonable to me - LOL!

redcurls...I like that idea for storing phone numbers...as long as you don't forget the persons BD you will do great with it!

Lily...that is a terrific place for storing stuff. I once met someone who had a VW bug and used to store french bread in it over-night. They said it kept it fresh! A "very large bread storage container"!

Funny how we come up with more and more areas as we think about it!

Embee...lets hear about your usual/unusual storage places!

mvastian said:

On the dresser in my bedroom I have a rectangular basket (stuck on the surface with that gum-like removable putty so that my toddlers can´t grab at it).

Can you buy that gum-like removable putty? I've thought of several uses for it, but didn't know where to get it.

I'm so relieved that all of the "unusual storage places" posted here are clever, but not too secret. I've had clients take me to their homes to show me where they stash valuables, so I can retrieve them after they die. I worry that they are creating a treasure trove for some contractor who eventually discovers a large amount of cash during a remodeling project. If you have a loose brick in your fireplace, it's better to fix it than hide your jewelry there.

Quandary,

As I am a greek living in Greece, maybe the way I described this product was a bit misleading. After doing a search for it on the english-speaking site of the company (www.uhu.com), it seems the correct phrasing would be "Removable and reusable glue pads". I don't know if you have UHU products in the US, but in Europe they are very easily found in any stationery/office supply store. To better secure it, I used more pieces for it than just under the four corners. Hope this helps

Maria

Here is a link that might be useful: UHU patafix white

As children, we were taught to store out pajamas under our bed pillows. Well into adulthood, I thought everyone did that. :)

Gray,

We did that too! (and I thought the same)

Maria

Maria -- your description was perfect. I immediately knew what you were describing. I'll try to find it here.

I still keep my pajamas under my pillow, too.

Quandary,

If you'd email me with your postal address (you can do that through "My Page"), I could put a pack in the mail for you. At no charge of course. (I have received unexpected surprises from a couple of ladies in this forum and I'd love to share the pleasure with others!)

Maria

... there was a product that worked in the same way 10-15 years ago that was called "blu tack", only it left some residue. (suppose it's still around, we just don't see it here in Greece) UHU patafix seems to be better. It will only leave a grease mark on paper if left on for a long time.

DD and I use a dresser in a spare room to dry/style hair.

On the dresser is a wooden CD storage bin, open side up, that corals her hair products. (She is forever buying something new to try.) We also have a six-pack bottle caddy made of medal. It stores the hair dryer, curling iron and flat iron, along with some brushes. I like that it can store the irons hot.

Hooked on a knob on the top drawer is a small plastic tote for "garbage" mostly hair pulled from brushes, the occasional wrapper...

I had never heard of storing pajamas under the pillow until I married. That's the way my husband's family always did it. I came from a household that threw pj's in the wash each morning and put on fresh ones at night. I used to sneak my new husband's pajamas out from under the pillow, wash them and replace them the same day and he never knew the difference. Once the children came along I stopped that habit and also started storing their nightclothes under their pillows too. I was never able to do that for myself though, kept my old ways.

I have a red apple cookie jar in the kitchen that's more for decoration than use. When my son came to visit, he wondered what was in the cookie jar, so he opened it up, looked in, and in amazed tone, shouted "COOKIES!"

I have a small microwave stand in my grandson's closet. Shoes sit on top' toy bins sit in the space meant for the microwave, other "stuff" that is important to him inside the doors. Because he is still small, his clothes can hang on hangars on the rod and not interfere with the stuff on the stand. Close the closet doors and everything is neatly hidden. We also use a microwave stand for my DH's bedside table. He has sleep apena so he needs lots of space for his CPAP and supplies as well as lamp, bookks etc. His has a rack on the side, probably meant for hanging dish towels or such, but he uses it store the hose from the CPAP after he has rinsed it out each day. Works great, and he can close the doors at the bottom to hide his considerable mediacal realted clutter. When DGS was very small he put a kitchen-style childproof latch on.

Quandary, that removable poster putty can be found at almost every drug store in the "tape and glue" section of the stationery part.

Staples has it, hardware stores have it, craft stores have it.

I think "poster putty" is a trademark; the generic is "adhesive putty."

One brand name for it is Dap (though Dap's is usually blue, and I've found I prefer white)

I don't actually love it for paper posters, bcs it can get the paper greasy.

There also double-stick plastic squares that are removable.

Some pics to help you find it:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}} in white

Dap's FunÂTake "reusable adhesive"
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

and good old Scotch, in white

In England, they might call it a mastic--there are brands named Sticky Tac and Quick Tac and Blu Tac (Blu Tac apparently comes in other colors, LOL!)

Someone mentioned a CD case.

I spraypainted a big CD rack white, stood it on its side, and slide CD cases in as shelves.

Like this guy did

There's a pic of mine on this thread, but it's from before I painted it.

I contemplated not bothering w/ the spray paint, but honestly, it's SO dark in black that it makes a HUGE difference.

I didn't use clear shelves, but I did buy the CD jewel cases w/ the colorful see-though sides, so light can pass through.