Over time, professional organizers develop a “bag of tricks” that they regularly rely upon to organize and simplify clients’ spaces. One such trick is magically uncovering extra storage space by utilizing the back of doors throughout your home.

If you’re a regular blog reader, you already know about the importance of using vertical space for maximizing storage in your home. In my experience, the back side of doors is one of the most often overlooked areas for increasing storage potential.

So let’s explore some different ways that you can put those doors to good use, shall we?

{This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy}.

Using Bedroom Doors for Storage

Got a collection of some sort? Corral it on the back of the door! Perhaps you have a man in your life with a significant baseball hat collection (I happen to have two such men in my house). Use a Cap Rack attached to the door to keep the hats in one central location.

I am a huge fan of the clear over-the-door shoe organizer . Use these on the back of your bedroom door for organizing hair accessories, jewelry, cosmetics/toiletries, toys…you name it! You can also install hooks on the back of the door to hang robes, purses, etc.

Using Kitchen Doors for Storage

When I organize a kitchen, the kitchen cabinet door interiors rarely avoid a “makeover” of some sort.  Storing items on doors frees up valuable space on the countertops and inside drawers/cabinets.  There is a mind-boggling assortment of organizing products made specifically for inside the cabinet doors, including:  plastic wrap organizers, pot lid racks, and door-mounted shelving, just to name a few.

You need not purchase fancy products to take advantage of this vertical space; often times, all you need is a Command Hook!   For example, in one client’s kitchen, we attached a food inventory on the interior door panel of her pantry, using a clipboard and a Command Hook.  In another kitchen, we used Command Hooks to hang bulky potholders, which allowed us to free up precious drawer space adjacent to her oven.  Use hooks to keep measuring cups/spoons, cheese graters, and colanders organized and easily accessible.

 Using Bathroom Doors for Storage

Many homeowners use the back of the bathroom door as a place to hang wet towels.  Take a look at your door and see if you might be able to add an extra hook or towel rack, in order to take advantage of this space even more for towel storage.

While you’re in there, think about how you might be able to use the interior of your bathroom cabinet doors as well.  This just might be the ideal space to store toiletries, cleaning products, and regularly used styling appliances, such as curling irons and hair dryers.  As you might have guessed, there are a whole heap of organizing products designed for this purpose.

I hope that this blog post has inspired you to look at your doors with a new perspective. How much extra storage space can you uncover by taking advantage of those doors?