It’s time to do some major spring cleaning. Whether you’re organizing for yourself or your guests, self-storage is a great option for most people. It provides you with unlimited space so you can use caster wheels for your desk.

But if you don’t want to make the investment, you may want to consider some DIY home storage options without leaving your house. If you choose to do it yourself, then keep the following five tips in mind to have a beautifully organized home.

Tips for Setting Up Home Storage

Prepare Yourself

Setting aside the time and room for home storage can be mentally and physically exhausting. You have to plan the best ways to store everything in your home without creating clutter and following through those ideas. You may not be able to keep everything in your home if you have little space.

Your home storage shouldn’t affect your everyday life or be left out in the open. You’ll have to face the risk of giving away a few things. This can be difficult, especially if some of your belongings provide memories. Preparing yourself mentally and physically for this task means going through magazines or Pinterest for inspirational home storage ideas.

Both of these resources can provide you with creative options, or they could cause you to compare your home to what’s seen in the photos. A how-to blog or self-help book are both great places to get started. Either of these guides can help home storage may seem like a reality rather than intimidation. It could even become an achievement that you enjoy instead of a chore you have to do.

Use Dead Space

Every home — no matter how big or small — has dead space. Most of these areas go unnoticed by the people who live there. Dead spaces often take place underneath your furniture and inside your cabinets and can be used for additional storage. If those areas are already full, you can install shelves to create more space. If you take the time to de-clutter and organize everything, you’ll be surprised at how much better your home looks.

Be Careful

When you choose what to place in each box or bin, don’t be so hard on yourself. Organize everything by function and size. Some small objects can be hard to organize together unless you have a system in place. If you don’t, you’ll have to dump everything out and start over again to find exactly what you’re looking for.

One strategy is to store all of your small objects in boxes, jars, or plastic bags, which you can store separately in boxes or bins. If your storage isn’t transparent, you can label them to help you know what’s inside. While this sounds like an overly ambitious project, it’ll help your home look good.

Rethink Your Storage Options

One way to save space in your home is to make use of the items you already own as storage options. Some ideas include Mason jars, magazine holders, filing folders, magnetic strips, and shoe boxes. While magnetic strips are often used for organizing kitchen knives, they can also be used to store bobby pins, toy cars, or anything else that’s small and metal. Even your child’s Legos can help you organize small objects such as cords and keys. Don’t forget to use caster wheels for your desk so you can easily move it around your house without breaking your back.

Provide Your Own Storage

Don’t rely on your family and friends as storage. If you get fed up with your home storage project, don’t use other people’s homes as your storage facilities. Not only does this place a burden on them, but it also postpones your entire project. Take on the task yourself or use self-storage to help you buy some time.