Is your paper clutter out of control? Maybe your craft paper collection has gone wild, or your household’s important papers still do not have a proper home. In either case, we’ve got 17 genius paper storage ideas to help you get organized and kick clutter to the curb.
17 Genius Paper Storage Ideas to Organize Your Space
1. Storage Towers with Drawers
Paper storage doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple storage tower with pull-out drawers will keep your paper supplies organized and within easy reach. Grab an inexpensive label maker and label each drawer to make it even easier to find what you need.
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2. DIY Tabletop Paper Organizer
If you’re a fan of DIY projects, why not make your own organizer? You can build a simple paper sorter and organizer with just a few simple tools and supplies:
- Melamine boards
- Screws and screw covers
- Iron-on edge tape
- Label holders
- Escutcheon pins
You can find a great step-by-step tutorial for making this organizer over at IHeart Organizing.
3. Magazine Holders
One of the simplest and best paper storage ideas is to use magazine holders. They’re designed to hold magazines, so they’re the perfect size for paper. Most are wide enough to hold large stacks of paper, and you can group them by color to make it easy to find what you need.
4. Use a Shoe Storage Cabinet
If you have a lot of paper to store, a shoe storage cabinet is a great way to keep things organized and easy to reach. This shoe cabinet from Walmart, for example, has four tiers with pull-down drawers with two shelves in each one. You can easily stack your paper collection inside and even keep it organized by color.
We recommend keeping your paper in sleeves or magazine racks just to keep the drawers tidy.
When closed, the drawers have a contemporary look that will complement any home decor.
5. Pizza Boxes
Here’s a free option for paper storage: pizza boxes. With a little time and creativity, you can create your own paper storage solution using stacks of pizza boxes. We love how eco-friendly this idea is and the fact that you can customize the boxes however you want.
Here’s a great tutorial on how to build your own pizza box paper storage tower.
6. Filing Cabinet
Filing cabinets are one of the most obvious paper storage ideas, but that doesn’t mean they’re not effective.
If you have space for one, a filing cabinet will keep your paper organized and safely tucked away.
Filing cabinets don’t have to be an eyesore. You can use chalk paint to make yours more colorful or to blend in better with your space.
7. Pine Storage Crates
Here’s another cool way to store paper in a filing cabinet style – pine crates. They’re just the right size and depth to store paper. Just use filing cabinet dividers inside to keep everything organized and easily accessible. You can store your crates on shelves and pull them out whenever you need them.
One crate can hold quite a bit of paper, and you can always expand it if you need more storage. They can even be stacked on top of each other and kept neatly in a corner to maximize floor space.
Related: 20 Brilliant Small Apartment Storage Hacks You Shouldn’t Miss
8. Pretty Binders
Binders are one of the best ways to get rid of paper clutter. They can hold a lot of paper, and you can find pretty designs that match your home’s décor.
If you don’t want to hole-punch your paper, you can use sheet protectors.
The great thing about using binders is that you can easily keep things organized without taking up too much space. They store nicely on shelves or even in baskets. You can group your paper by color or purpose, and you can label your binders to keep everything neat and tidy.
9. Cardboard Box Dividers
Looking for easy DIY paper storage ideas? If you have some old cardboard boxes in your home, then you can make these dividers and get your paper collection back in order.
In My Own Style has a great tutorial on how to make this organizer. All you need are:
- A pair of sharp scissors
- Washi tape
- Craft knife
- Cardboard boxes
If you want to take it a step further, you can cover the boxes with pretty paper. This idea is similar to the pizza boxes idea, but the cardboard boxes here are smaller, making them great for cabinets and other more compact spaces.
10. Stackable Paper Storage Cases
Paper storage cases are the perfect solution for big paper collections, whether it’s office paper, craft paper or even your household documents. They’re stackable, they have slim profiles, and you can easily see what’s inside of them.
They’re great for storing on shelves or even in closets.
Best of all – they’re affordable. You can snag a pack of 10 cases from Walmart and start organizing today.
11. Storage Baskets
Here’s another simple but genius way to store your paper: storage baskets. Deep wire baskets will give you more than enough space to organize your papers. If you wanted to, you could use file cabinet dividers to group your papers by category, color or purpose.
Storage baskets are perfect for cubby shelves, and you can easily pull each basket out to grab what you need. Make sure that you measure your space first and find baskets that will fit in well with your décor.
12. Use Hanging Closet Organizers
Hanging closet organizers may not seem like an ideal place to store your paper, but they’re a perfect solution if you have more closet space than shelf space.
Use paper storage cases to protect your paper and stack the cases in each slot of the organizer. You can add labels to the cases to make it even easier to find what you need.
13. Repurpose a Cabinet and Add Storage Drawers
If you have an old cabinet, you can repurpose it for your paper storage. Remove the shelves and doors if you want, and add new storage drawers that keep your papers organized.
You can also keep the shelves and doors intact and add paper organizers inside to keep everything tidy and tucked away.
Repurposing old furniture will help reduce waste and give you the storage space you need for your paper. If you don’t have any furniture to repurpose, you can likely find a piece at a local thrift store. You can use any kind of furniture for storage, including those with glass doors.
14. Hanging Bag Storage
This may not be the prettiest of paper storage ideas, but it works – hanging bags. You can use Ziplock bags for this or hangup bags. Both will keep your paper organized and protected. The bags hang from pretty curtain rods hung on the wall.
Here’s what you’ll need:
You can use a label maker to make labels for your bags if you want.
Jennifer Maker has a great tutorial on how to recreate this storage idea in your home.
15. Labeled Drawer Storage
Drawer storage towers like this one are perfect for paper storage, and they look just like any other piece of furniture in your home. Adding labels to your drawers will give it a more custom look and make it so much easier to find what you need.
We like this rolling drawer storage from Overstock because it also has a desk that folds out. Who doesn’t love multipurpose furniture? You can store all of your paper inside, and then pull out the desk whenever you want to work on something. It’s an easy and smart solution for your paper storage needs.
Related: How to Make Vinyl Stickers With Cricut That Are Full Of Style
16. Store Papers in a Storage Bench
Here’s a genius way to store your papers and add more seating to your home. Turn a storage bench into a filing cabinet. Most benches are deep enough to store papers, and you can use dividers to keep everything meticulously organized.
A standard upright file folder should work, but to be on the safe side, measure the interior space of your bench before you run out and buy one. You can always make your own dividers if you can’t find a solution that fits inside of your bench.
Use labels to keep everything organized and within easy reach.
And if you don’t like the idea of your bench being used as a filing cabinet, you can store binders of paper instead.
17. Turn a Kitchen Drawer into a Paper Organizer
If you have a deep drawer in your kitchen, you can transform it into a paper organizer. This idea is also great for crafters with large drawers and built-in storage spaces.
Add a file rail clip to your drawer (they’re easy to install) and add hanging file folders. Label each section and group your papers together by purpose, category, color – whatever you want.
For household papers, this storage idea is perfect because it keeps everything within easy reach at the heart of the home – the kitchen.
