No More Cluttered Shelves: DIY A Sliding Book Storage Solution With An Item You Already Have

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Bookshelves aren't meant to be cemeteries for books. But more often than not, you place books on a shelf and forget about them, leaving them to gather dust. If you haven't read the book, a cluttered bookshelf might be less than enticing. And if you have stocked the shelf with books you've read, there are still many times when you might want to take them out, whether you're telling a friend about a book and decide to lend it to them, or if you'd like to take a peek again to remember that passage you loved so much. But often, we forget to reach for them and cover them up with clutter (candles, figurines, photos, etc). To avoid cluttered shelves, you can make a DIY sliding storage solution that makes taking books on and off the shelf beyond easy.

The idea for this clever and easy DIY comes from YouTube creator Mana creative corner. For this, they used a simple laundry detergent container and X-Acto knife to cut it. Then, when filled with books, this DIY acts as an easy pull-out container. It's convenient, cheap, and easy to do. 

For this DIY, you need an empty liquid laundry detergent with a top handle, like this Tyler Candle gallon of glam wash laundry detergent. The container needs to rest on the shelf, so it should be rectangular with flat edges, rather than curved ones. The exact measurements depend on the size of the books you're hoping to store: the book's width needs to fit within the height of the container, minus the handle part. A 5-liter or gallon container should work for books that are standard size (6 or 7 inches wide) but you can bring your favorite book to the store if you aren't sure.

If there are any labels or stickers on the container, make sure to remove those first. To do this, use a hair dryer on the hot setting, warming up the label for 15 to 30 seconds. This should soften the adhesive, and allow you to pull it right off. If needed, you can remove leftover sticker residue with household ingredients like warm water and white vinegar.  

Then, you'll want to draw a line with a marker to use as a guide while cutting. Start right above the handle, going all the way down parallel to the sides of the container. Using the blade, cut down along the line, which should give you what looks like a plastic container with a handle on one end. If you'd like to smooth the cut edges, use a bit of sandpaper and soften them. If you're using this container to store books in a hidden shelf or cabinet, or if white looks good in your space, you can use it as is. If you'd like it to look a bit more high end, you can use decorative napkins and Mod Podge to cover the plastic using decoupage to turn it into a piece of art. And of course, you can also use spray paint to give it an all-over colorful makeover. 

Whenever you need a book, simply pull on the handle and lower the container off the shelf. This isn't a hack to hide your cluttered bookshelf, but rather a way to make it more user-friendly. Actually, it can also be used for other things, not just books. For example, use the same DIY to store bathing suits in the closet, ingredients in the pantry, or plastic bags in the kitchen cabinet.