I have partnered with Apartment Guide to serve as an Official Apartment Guide Pet Blogger! As an official blogger, I will be sharing articles and ideas for exploring your space, city and style.
Today I wanted to talk about a topic that I know other pet lovers share: lack of space! Whether you have one dog (or cat) or several, we know that means you also have pet stuff. Beds, crates, carriers…they all add up to take up space in your home. And, in places like ours, space can be at a premium.
One way we’ve created space for large pet items like our four cat carriers was to transform an unused shower/tub into a storage closet! Our second bathroom, seen in the photo above, has a full-size tub that we never used. A Mexican blanket serves as a colorful curtain. Closed, it just looks like a standard tub and shower.
But pull back the curtain and a large storage area is revealed:
John cut a 3/4-inch sheet of plywood to fit on top of the tub. Below the plywood, we store items we know we won’t need for a long time. We’ve stopped the drain with an old-fashioned rubber plug, just in case any odors should come up through the unused drain.
On top of the plywood, we have plenty of room for the cat carriers as well as luggage and some out of season clothing.
It is SO nice having the carriers always handy, just in case of an emergency evacuation. (During last summer’s high wildfire danger, we were really glad to have the carriers ready to go at any moment.) I know many people disassemble their hard-sided carriers when they’re not in use…but reassembling a carrier takes precious time. It really gives us peace of mind knowing the carriers are instantly available.
This is a nice, easy, and inexpensive way to get some extra space for those large pet items and one that you can do anywhere, even if you are in a rental and restricted from making permanent changes.
I also enjoyed reading an article in Apartment Guide‘s blog, Moving Today, about organizing your bathroom. It included many tips that pet parents could incorporate to help find space for their dog or cat’s items. For example, one suggestion was to use a cosmetics organizer to bring order to the chaos of the bathroom drawers. It’s easy to get an organizer especially for your pet’s medications, keeping everything in one handy place. Not only does it make it easier to find your pet’s medications when you need them but it’s also a safety measure, helping to avoid accidentally giving your dog or cat your own medication by mistake, an error that could be life-threatening.
Now that we have reorganized our extra bathroom, we’ll be moving on to other areas; I’ve already found tips on handy closet storage accessories and tools, top organizing tips for any room, and even organizing your home office (a must-do!)
Below you’ll find a video look at our bathroom project. Do you have a favorite way you’ve made the most of your space? Be sure to enter Apartment Guide’s #unlockAG Sweepstakes on Twitter by May 15! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a $100 American Express card courtesy of Apartment Guide, too!
Happy organizing!
Whether you’re living, looking or moving, Apartment Guide offers how-to tips for making the most of a space for you and your pet on https://www.apartmentguide.com/blog/.
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- If you’re ready for a whole new space or are looking to move, Apartment Guide has the photos, floor plans, features and tips to help you find the perfect pet-friendly apartment community.
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