Discover space you didn’t know you had

Finding more real estate in your house is a cinch with clever tricks that make the most of every nook and cranny

Enlarge a linen closet with a vertical roll

Packed linen closets often turn into a fabricalanche, but stopping spillage is easy: Just roll towels and tuck them in file sorters on shelves. “This method not only saves space, it keeps linens wrinkle-free,” says professional organizer Brenda Scott, owner of Tidymyspace.ca. “Plus, when you go to grab one, you won’t jostle the other linens, so your closet stays tumble-free and tidy!”

Store more in your dresser with shoeboxes

Jumbled socks and delicates can make for a haphazard drawer. The easy fix? DIY dividers, which create cubbies within your drawers. No need to buy them — simply cut shoeboxes in half vertically and fill compartments. You can secure dividers to the bottom of your drawer using double-sided tape, suggests Ema Hidlebaugh of Minimizemymess.com.

Expand a living room with pretty baskets

Lots of furniture on the market offers hidden storage, such as footstools with bins. But they’re pricey! A better bet: “Put clutter in pretty baskets and bins, then slide them under your coffee table, or even under your couch if there’s room,” says Scott.

Free up closet storage with an over-door organizer

Disinfecting sprays, detergents and other bottles often topple into a hard-to-navigate pile. To keep supplies in order, make the most of vertical space. “The pockets of over-the-door shoe organizers are the perfect size for cleaning supplies and are plastic, so they’ll contain any random drips or spills,” says Hidlebaugh. “Plus, it’s easy to instantly see and grab whichever product you need.”

Extend kitchen counters by opening utility drawers

To double the counter space, open a kitchen drawer, lay a dish towel on top, place a cutting board across it, then close drawer until the board is snug. “Larger cutting boards also work great placed across your sink for workspace and can double as a drying rack,” says Marty Basher, organization expert for Modular Closets.