Utility closets are supposed to be small, but not everyone knows how to handle organizing a small space. That leads us to making a simple system to help you make the best use out of that space!
When it comes to storage space, apartment living is a challenge no matter what size your place is. You're always trying to maximize the room you have, and there's a million different ways to do that. One thing that I'm usually not a fan of is the over-the-door system. I prefer things to be hidden and clean, but there's one place where it's not such a big deal. The utility closet.
We have a utility closet with a heating unit, washer and dryer. There was an existing shelf system in there when I moved into Melissa's place, but it just never felt like there was enough room for all of our cleaning supplies and tools. I decided that the only real solution was the over-the-door method. I cruised over to Container Store's site and found a fairly easy solution. It would've been a slam dunk on any regular door, but we don't have just any regular door. Our door has a vent in it. A big one. And it's not flush with the door, either. It was never a problem until three different Container Store employees literally looked me in the eyes and told me that this over-the-door project was totally impossible since our door vent sticks out 3/4" and a standard would not be able to go from the top to the bottom of the door.
Impossible, they said. With motivation like that, I was determined to figure out how to make this work. As you can see in the photos, there's only a few parts you need to buy. 1) The standard (ours is cut to 58") ($18), 2) top and bottom of the door hooks ($8), and 3) baskets ($12). Typically, these OTD systems should have a standard run from the bracket on the top of the door to the bracket on the bottom of the door. You tighten the top with an Allen wrench (included), and pop the baskets on. Boom. Done. Easy.
Ours took a little McGuyvering. I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to secure the bottom bracket to the top of the door vent- Gorilla Glue, bungee cords, etc. Luckily, I had a creative breakthrough. C-clamps. I got a couple of them from the local hardware store for about $4 each, and it was a piece of cake to install. Check out the photos. It worked out perfect because there's nothing to glue and there would be no damage if we wanted to remove it, and the c-clamps are hidden by the bottom basket.
When it comes to the baskets, they make a few different sizes from shallow, narrow ones for spices and small items, to larger, deeper ones that are better for storing cleaning supplies. We decided on 5 of the larger baskets to hold a bunch of our stuff. You can see that it definitely helped us free up some room, and it's hidden from sight until you open the door.
Overall, this is a very easy project that only takes a few minutes, and is very affordable. Our set up was about $100. There are so many OTD solutions, from the pantry to the bathroom. I hope this inspires you to maximize the room in your space. Good luck!
