Given that guest bedrooms are usually only used every once in a while, it makes sense for them to double up as storage to make the most of the space. Store too much, however, and it can quickly turn into a cluttered and unwelcoming space.
While it is tempting to stash everything away out of sight, there are certain things you should never store in your guest bedroom ideas if you want to make prepping for guests simple and maintain a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Here, professional home organizers share the six key items you should never store in the spare room, and where to put them instead, to ensure your guests have a peaceful stay in your home.
Things to never store in a guest bedroom
Avoiding these guest bedroom storage mistakes will help to create a clean, welcoming space that gives both you and your visitors peace of mind in your home.
1. Bulky items that are hard to move
Home gyms are a luxury many people would love to find space for. While an underutilized guest bedroom could be a good spot for this, Sarit Weiss, founder and lead organizer at Neat & Orderly, NYC, advises against it.
Sarit says, ‘Keep your guest bedroom clear of bulky items such as treadmills, stationary bikes, and other bulky storage items. Storing these items in your guest bedroom can make the room feel cramped and less homey for guests.’
If the bulky items are in a vital and other-wise useful area of the guest bedroom, especially if it's a smaller room, it can make their use of the room more difficult than necessary and hinder the warm welcome you were hoping to give them.
2. Personal items and mementos
While you should add some personality when designing a guest bedroom to avoid it feeling cold and clinical, you should avoid including personal photos and momentos Audra George, professional home organizer and owner of Pretty Neat Organizing, Oklahoma, says. This doesn't mean you should declutter sentimental items, but find new homes for them.
Audra explains, ‘Avoid storing overly personal items in the guest room like family mementos that are fragile or highly sensitive things like documents that would make guests uncomfortable or tempted to view private matters.’
3. Off-season clothing
Having a second closet to store out-of-season clothing is a great way to organize a closet for fall or spring, but relying on these storage ideas too heavily can leave guests feeling like they are invading your space, rather than being welcomed in.
Amélie Saint-Jacques, professional home organizer and founder of Amélie Organizes says, ‘Keep in mind the primary purpose of the room – if your goal is to make guests comfortable, then they need room to move around and unpack. I actually recommend paring down your wardrobe so that you don't need to store off-season items in the guest bedroom – if that is not feasible, perhaps clothes could be stored in underbed storage ideas rather than in a guest room closet.
‘But even then, assuming the closet still has enough room and empty hangers for a guest, it will be functional enough,’ she adds.
All prices correct at time of publication.
Under bed storage bags are some of the most practical home storage investments, helping to keep out-of-season or formal clothing stowed away but easy to access. These have reinforced handles so they won't be pinging off when you move them in and out.
Make your under-bed storage bags stretch further with vacuum bags, compacting seasonal clothing down to keep more in a smaller space. You can use any standard vacuum with a hose to suck out the air and reduce the bag down to a fraction of its size. Avoid delicates.
Keep spare seasonal shoes out of guests way by storing them under the bed in dedicated organizers, freeing up space in guest bedrooms and entryways. These pull out organizers have handy compartments to stop one pair's soles touching the tops of the next pair.
4. Items you need frequently
Generally speaking, you do not want your guest bedroom storage to be a key part of your home organizing ideas and systems. After all, the last thing you want is to have to sneak into your guest room when people are staying over to grab spare linens from the dresser.
Jamie Hord, professional home organizer and founder of Horderly says, ‘You don't want to store items that you need regularly in a guest bedroom because you'll have to remember to move those items out of the room before the guests arrive and you don't want to go into the guest's space while they are staying in there.’
5. ‘Doom’ boxes you are yet to declutter
Not knowing what to do with the items you are decluttering is a common problem, often resulting in ‘doom’ boxes of items that need to leave the house, but we are not sure how. The guest bedroom can offer the perfect solution, helping to keep the box out of the way. When guests come to stay, however, they will inevitably get in the way.
Amélie Saint-Jacques, professional home organizer, says, ‘The guest bedroom should not be used to store doom boxes or items for which you haven't found a home yet. Those are clutter and will be so hard to move out of the way that they may even prevent you from using the guest bedroom altogether! Take the time to clear the clutter and find a home for the items you will be keeping.’
If you're out of time to clear the doom box, move it into your own bedroom and leave the guest bedroom streamlined and welcoming instead.
6. General clutter
It should go without saying that any clutter lying around on dressers, side tables, and floors should not be left in a guest bedroom if you want to create an inviting space.
Audra George, professional home organizer, says, 'There is nothing as unwelcoming to a guest as excessive clutter in the room that they are staying in. This could make your guest feel like there is no space for them and no where to store their items.
'The bottom line is that guests should feel welcome and like they have a space for them to store their items. Decluttering and making the space simplified and less chaotic is a must.’
If you are still unsure which items you should not store in a guest bedroom, put yourself in a guest's shoes, suggests Jamie Hord, professional home organizer. ‘Think about what you might feel uncomfortable with when staying in a guest room. You want the room to feel customized for your comfort and not see other people's personal belongings.’
This is a great approach to help you style an inviting guest bedroom.
