Making the most of small storage space

[MJShore]

I will be in a small room overlooking the Promenade sharing a room with a family member - it will be a smaller room than I'm used to. Any good tips on how to make the most of the space? I always leave things in the suitcase that I may not need, but if any one has a good system - let me know. Someone mentioned something on the boards about bringing a shoe rack... other ideas for storing shoes? We will be two women, so there will be a lot of stuff for a ten day cruise on the Explorer of the Seas! How could we make most of the space?

[TEXASMUNK]

OK, here is a guy's advise:

Everything possible under the bed. Fill the drawers. Put one large suticase in the corner with a blaak garbage bag in it. One of you puts your clothes in the bag, the other just throws dirty stuff into the suitcase. All the dirty stuff is now in one place. STUFF it full. Middle of the week if it is jammed switch it for an empty suitcase and start again. Lat night on the ship, grab your own dirty stuff and pack it in your own suitcases.

[truffles2]

Don't overpack to begin with. And the shoe rack (clear plastic) is primarily for small toiletries so that they are not taking up shelf space. You should have plenty of room if you don't overpack. Repeat after me...."I will not....

[masonpips]

I think it was my 3rd or 4th cruise when I finally realized I could use the over-the-door shoe rack for SHOES. LOL! I used it only for toiletries and the like for the first several cruises.

 

It's my favorite "must have" because it keeps clutter off of the shelves, both in the bathroom and in the vanity/desk area. A *must* have

[RFLOUNDER]

OKAY, my family thinks I'm nuts, but I use a folding, over-the-closet-rod sweater organizer thingy. It has about 6 or 7 "shelves" and has been the BEST thing I've found for staying sane in a small room. The canvas organizer is lightweight and folds flat for packing into the bottom of a suitcase. Once inside the cabin, it attaches over the rod with velcro and Voila! I have individual hanging compartments for underwear, t-shirts, tops, bottoms, sweaters, swimsuit, shoes, etc. I give DH the regular shelves in the room and we still have room in the closet for hanging garments. Of course it still goes without saying -- don't overpack. We have been on 9 cruises and are getting better all the time at "paring down". This organizer was especially handy on a recent Norwegian Cruise where clothes storage in the cabin was pitifully small-to-non-existent.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[sea-cruise]

I always bring those dropping hangers....They are a plastic bar with 5 holes in the bar, and a big C (hooks on closet rod) on each end.

Hang your clothes, one hanger in each hole, then drop one end of the "C" down, and your closet space triples.

I attach 2 or 3 of them end-to-end so the clothes hangers drop and layer all the way down to nearly the floor of the closet.

I always bring a few extra plastic throwaway hangers with me.

You can hang a plastic bag of shoes on the lowest C that is near the floor.

[FreewayFortune]

Over packing is always a problem especially all the shoes:D But I am also trying not to pack too much. I just got an over the door organizer for bathroom stuff, shoes and little things. I also try to make use of every drawer and all the closet space in the room.

[Happy ks]

Some very good tips so far!

 

We've learned over the years to just pack lighter and send things out for laundry or dry cleaning. We've used the over the door shoe organizer and the closet sweater hanger, mostly when we cruise with our kids, though. It's actually not a bad idea for shoes with 2 women in the cabin.

 

I would also consider splitting the toiletries, each bringing a few items for both, rather than double everything. My husband and I use different shampoo/conditioner/toothpaste at home, but when we travel we pare those things down. If you can agree on a few of those things, it will cut down on bathroom clutter.

 

I wash unmentionables every couple of days, they don't take long to dry, there is usually a laundry line in the shower, bring along 2-4 clothespins. That will cut down on your need for drawer space.

 

We don't bother with laundry hampers, we hang our clothes back up (unless they are smelly, then we send them out :o ). It's easier to repack, rather than to have a hamper full of wadded up clothes. We do pack a few extra large ziplocs for smelly stuff.

 

Finally, pack knits, mix and match and don't feel like you can't wear an item 2-3-4 times. Light packing does not mean you have to give up a bit of style, it just means you have learned to pack smarter instead of heavier.

[duck and dog superstar]

Are they the regular over the rod shoe racks with the plastic openings? Anything better than that for toiletries that I can hang and they won't fall out....also good place to get it - Bed and Bath, etc.

[gambler]

Another good one... pop up laundry hampers. They lay flat and then pop up, about a foot or a bit more in length, great for a place for dirty clothes in a corner or to hold all the shoes. Can be bought in the dollar store.

[Travelitis]

There are many good ideas, but the best tip on here is not to pack too much. Try especially to cut back on the shoe wardrobe. Take versatile shoes that will work with more than one outfit. Second is splitting toiletries like toothpaste. Pack small, travel-sized bottles.

 

We put our suitcases under the bed then fold our dirities and put them in the suitcases as we go. If the dirties are inside out, and clean clothes are right side out, you'll be able to keep it straight when you get home. It makes packing at the end much easier. You can put the dirties in zip-locks and smash all the air out of them to compress them and take up even less room.

[rncruiser]

My DH is a chronic overpacker and we always have unused storage space in our inside cabin. Suitcases all go under the bed so they take up no otherwise usable space. You don't need anything special for shoes. I usually keep ours in two places. The first is in the closet on the rack. The second is on top of the cabinets by the mirror. I think that the space was actually designed for that since I have had more than one cabin steward put my shoes there. That's how I learned to use this space for shoe storage. We always have enough room in the closet for hanging items and on the shelves and in the drawers for other clothing. I find the bathroom has plenty of space too for toiletries in the little shelves in the side of the mirror. Remember, you can always use the drawers in the nightstands as well, although we never do. Inside cabins actually have extra storage space that other cabins might not have. There is a shelf on the mirror in the room. Since other cabins have windows or doors in that location, this little storage space might not exist. It is a great spot for keeping toiletries such as suntan lotion.

[lpjpane]

I'm looking for ideas on drying wet stuff. I realize there's a clothes line in the shower but that doesn't dry stuff quickly in a small stuffy room. We'll have a balcony - any ideas how to make sure anything we lay out there doesn't fly away?

[truffles2]

You cannot put things on the balcony to dry. It is a fire hazard. ...also looks terrible.

[SLH]

Are they the regular over the rod shoe racks with the plastic openings? Anything better than that for toiletries that I can hang and they won't fall out....also good place to get it - Bed and Bath, etc.

Forget Bed,Bath and Beyond I find them at the dollar stores! What a great bargain.:)