Visit our sister sites:
  • All You
  • Coastal Living
  • Cooking Light
  • Health
  • My Recipes
  • Southern Living
  • Sunset
  • This Old House
Real Simple | Life Made Easier, Every Day
  • food & recipes
    • Browse All
    • Recipe Search
    • Recipe Galleries & Favorites
    • Cooking Tips & Techniques
    • Shopping & Storing
    • Tools & Products
    • Ingredient Guide
  • home & organizing
    • Browse All
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Decorating
    • Home Improvement
    • Gardening
    • Green Living
    • New Uses For Old Things
    • Cleaning 101
  • beauty & fashion
    • Browse All
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Makeovers
    • Clothing
    • New! Finish the Look Fashion Game
  • holidays & entertaining
    • Browse All
    • Holidays
    • Entertaining
    • Gifts
    • Real Simple Gift Guide App
    • Holiday Decorating Ideas
    • Easy Home Entertaining
    • Holiday Entertaining
  • weddings
    • Browse All
    • Flowers
    • Cakes & Catering
    • Ceremony
    • Dress & Attire
    • Etiquette
    • Budget
    • Guests
    • Planning
    • Registry & Gifts
    • Real Weddings
    • Checklists
  • family & work
    • Browse All
    • Health
    • Money
    • Family
    • Life Strategies
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Etiquette
    • Books & Entertainment
    • Money Management Tips
  • checklists
    • Food
    • Beauty & Style
    • Household & Finance
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
    • Cleaning
    • Family
    • Organizing & Home Improvement
    • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Weddings
  • blog
    • Browse All
    • Adventures in Chaos
    • Conversation Starters
    • Daily Thought
    • New Products
    • Simple Tip
    • Where We're Clicking
  • magazine
    • Browse All
    • Table of Contents & More
    • Road Tests
    • Daily Finds
    • Newsletters
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Offers
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Back Issues
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • GIVE A GIFT
  • VIDEOS
  • NEW! SUMMER NEWSLETTER
  • NO-OBLIGATION BOOK CLUB
  • REAL SIMPLE OFFERS
  • SUBSCRIBE

Easy DIY Ideas

  • Email
  • Print
  • Save
Pile of booksNgoc Minh Ngo Page 3 of 34

Easy Storage Solutions From A to Z

Books

As in: The dog-eared Danielle Steel novels you don’t necessarily want to display but wouldn’t dare part with, either.

The fix: 
Cardboard boxes are ideal for storing books. Plastic bins “trap moisture, causing paper to wrinkle and glue to weaken,” says Joshua Mann, a co-owner of B&B Rare Books, in New York City. Set books in boxes side by side, alternating them so one spine faces down and the next spine faces up. “Don’t stack books on top of each other. The covers and pages can warp,” says Mann. Wrap valuable books, like leather-bound ones, in Mylar sheets (from 58 cents each, pearlpaint.com). Then store the boxes in a closet free of temperature fluctuations.

Next: Condiments and Spices
Skip to Daily Finds slides.
Wall covered with framed artwork
Variety of batteries
Pile of books
Roast Chicken With Moroccan Spice Rub
Dishes drying in a rack
Cords behind entertainment center
Firewood in a basket
Gas grill
File cabinet and folders
Light bulb and lamp
A pile of envelopes and bills
Pearl and diamond necklace on a jewelry box
Kitchen knives
Compact fluorescent bulbs
Pile of magazines
Nuts and bolts
Folded clothes
Cans of paint and paintbrush
Pet accessories
Bedcovers
Cookbooks lined up on a shelf
Sports equipment in a closet
Drill and tool kit
Bath towels in a wooden crate
Kitchen gadgets
Colorful ceramic vases
Large wine rack
Packed ornaments
Patio
Sewing implements

Most Popular Galleries

  • Joe Fresh Halter Ruffle-Hem Dress

      10 Finds Under $50

  • Beach bag

      31 Books to Read This Summer

  • Worried woman infront of clock wall

      13 Signs That You Need More Free Time

Hot Topic

“Does getting his haircut make your toddler anxious? Instead of getting snippy with him, use these three strategies to keep him calm....” - Brigitt Hauck
More From

How to Keep Your Kid Calm During a Haircut

What do you think about this article? Share your own solutions and ideas

View Earlier Comments
Advertisement

What's Hot

White dining room with high-backed chairs and glass and wood cabinets

Decorating With White

Far from boring, this go-to neutral can take any room to new stylish heights.

  • 7 Great Garden Tools
  • Huffington Post Home: 10 Outdoor Fire Pits for Your Backyard
Computer deskNew on the Web
4 Tips for Surviving Your First DIY Project as a Couple
[sponsored post] The house my fiance and I bought together last year isn’t...
from The Nest Blog - Home Décor, Cooking, Money, Health & Sex News & Advice » house & home
Bacterial 'bling': Adding silver to antibiotics boosts their effectiveness
With the recent rise of deadly drug-resistant bacteria in the United States, on...
from FOXNews.com
Get the Look: Summer Camp!
You may have aged out of sleepaway camp but no one would blame you for missing i...
from POPSUGAR Home
HuffPost Tastemakers: A Meal At Nopi
Ottolenghi is a lucky man. Read more: Tastemakers , Ottolenghi ...
from Tastepartner on The Huffington Post
PHOTOS: Find Out How You Can Hang Out With Martha
You don't even have to sign up for Match.com to do so....
from Home on Huffingtonpost
Cast Away for South Seas Style (18 photos)
While many architects the world over build houses that bring the outside in, in...
from Houzz
  • Browse RealSimple.com:
    • Ask Real Simple
    • Contests & Sweepstakes
    • Games
    • Makeover in Minutes
    • New Uses for Old Things
    • No-Obligation Book Club
    • Photo Contests
    • Quizzes
    • Road Tests
    • Shop, Prep, Cook
    • Real Weddings
    • Tools, Videos, Checklists
    • Site Map
  • Customer Service:
    • Contact Us
    • Customer Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your California Privacy Rights
    • Subscribe
    • Give a Gift
    • Real Simple Products
    • Real Simple Offers
    • Real Simple Rewards
    • Back Issues
    • Media Kit
  • On the Go:
    • Real Simple iPadRead Us on Tablet
    Get our Apps:
    • No Time to Cook
    • To-Do Lists
    • Gift Guide
  • FREE Newsletters:
    • Weekly Tips
    • Daily Finds Newsletter
    • Keep-It-Together Checklist
    • SEE ALL
    Time Inc. Lifestyle Brands
  • Connect With Real Simple
    • Pinterest
      JOIN US
    • Facebook
      LIKE US
    • Twitter
      FOLLOW US
    • Google Plus
      FOLLOW US
    • YouTube
      WATCH US
    • Instagram
      FOLLOW US
  • Food & Recipes
  • Home & Organizing
  • Beauty & Fashion
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Weddings
  • Family & Work
  • Checklists
  • Blog
  • Magazine
Real Simple Home and Lifestyle Network
Copyright © 2013 Time Inc. Lifestyle Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.