First impressions count

Good storage systems can look cool in their own right, and help organise your clutter.

Unless you've been living under a rock you'll know that getting rid of clutter is one of the keys to selling property fast and at a good price.

Self-storage units are a great way to park excess belongings short term. Failing that, good storage ideas are abundant and all manner of products are available to make homes more minimalistic.

While it's nice to buy your storage from designer homewares stores, the likes of The Warehouse and Kmart sell many simple products for masking clutter. Fabric storage cubes are a great start for disguising the clutter. They fit neatly into shelves and wardrobes and thanks to competition from the big department stores can cost $10 or less each. You'll also find wicker, felt, cotton, woven and metal baskets for a song.

Anthea Baker, interior decorator and home stager of Homebase says one really useful storage product that doesn't cost a huge amount is the Sistema 30L Storage Organiser that is designed to go under beds. At $23 each from The Warehouse they don't cost a lot and can be used for spare blankets and other bulkier items. Baker is also a fan of the Storage Box shops.

Another clever idea, says Baker, is to buy a cheap set of melamine shelves for use in your wardrobe. A set of shelves does much the same job as an expensive wardrobe fit out. Baker has done this in her own wardrobe, moving the shelf heights to accommodate shoes and boots. It looks good, but costs little.

Another wardrobe organisation option is to go to Mitre 10 Mega, which has a range of different storage units for wardrobes such as the $169 Wardrobe Starter Kit in white. While you're there, check out bicycle storage hooks as well.

As well as being practical, storage products can make a design statement. The important thing, says Baker, is to be consistent. Don't, for example, buy storage cubes in different colours.

If you're looking for really clever home storage ideas take a tip from the tiny home movement. Catherine Foster who wrote Small House Living, downsized her life to under 90sq m and has interviewed more than a dozen Kiwis who live in architecturally designed homes of that size or smaller.

Each and every house in Foster's book uses storage effectively to tame their belongings. Some have done it on the smell of an oily rag, sometimes buying pre-cut heavy duty plywood that only has to be screwed together, she says.

Garages and lofts are house vendors' friends. Baker says the garage is one of the few places in the house that buyers won't be put off by a little extra stuff, but the more that can be hidden away in stacked crates the better. Consider using flat pack cupboards that can be taken with you.

"The most effective way of using these is to find a wall where the whole area can be covered floor to ceiling," says Foster.

"Simple carpentry like this is DIY level if you're handy, or get a handyman in for a few hours. But make sure it is excluded from the list of chattels on the sale agreement."

Loft spaces are often wasted space in Kiwi homes. A relatively cheap way to open up the space is to install a loft ladder. A New Zealand made ladder costs from $499 including GST and freight says Andy Burns, marketing manager at Sellwood. Add to that installation, which costs around $500, and a floor in the roof space for around $199 per square metre, says Burns.

His staff are often amazed at what people use the additional storage space for, once they've installed it.

"We have seen people with canoes up (loft ladders)," says Burns.

Cheap clever storage ideas aren't just limited to the interior of the house, garage and loft. The Warehouse and other shops such as Mitre 10 sell garden storage to hide away things usually left outside.

Foldable garden storage boxes that cost from around $99 can be used to store garden tools, outdoor cushions and pool paraphernalia, says Baker. The next step up is a cheap garden shed for around $200 upwards from Mitre 10, Bunnings Warehouse and other stores.

Finally, if you're looking for more inspiration Google "storage ideas", search the same on Pinterest, or check out books on the subject from your local library. You'll be amazed at how many everyday items can be repurposed for storage at the same time as adding design excellence to your home.