My Favorite Renter-Friendly Storage Solutions That Won't Leave a Mark

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When you rent, the space is your home but it's not your home, you know? You obviously want to keep it tidy and organized, not only for your own benefit, but so you don't end up forfeiting a security deposit sometime down the line. The real trouble comes into play when deciding how to do that. In most cases, you can't remodel or make any permanent changes, but you're not without options: Here are the best (non destructive) organizational solutions for renters.

Always opt for expanders or tension rods

Plenty of people screw shelving and rods into the walls of their rentals with the understanding that they can patch the holes before they leave, but it's still not ideal. On move-out day, you have enough going on, so you may not want to go full handyman at a time when you already have to relocate and unpack somewhere else. Expandable organizers are a much better option overall.

Expandable drawer dividers (eight for $29.99) are excellent because they help you follow the rules of the Organizational Triangle. Specifically, they enable you to divide drawers and shelves so you have hyper-specific storage spaces for all your item categories. This is really important for keeping everything in order, but you can do it without permanently installing a thing. The same goes for these expandable tension racks ($24.95), which produce extra shelving space wherever you need it.

Obviously, try to use standard tension rods wherever possible, from hanging curtains to creating a bar for extra clothing or handbag storage, but also consider tension-based shower caddies. If there's one place you really shouldn't be making permanent changes, it's anywhere with tile or ceramic, so these are your safest option for leaving the bathroom exactly as you found it. You can get a four-tiered caddy for less than 20 bucks.

The best shelving for renters

In my many years as a renter, I've tried all kinds of shelving units. My problem is I need a lot of storage space, so even though I really like squat ones that don't take up much room, they're just not that useful for me and always end up getting really cluttered. I need big ones—but they have to be just the right size. If they're too top heavy or too light, they need to be secured to the wall, and that's just not what I'm trying to do in a space that I don't own.

I love this four-tiered shelving unit from Furinno ($32.99), which I've had for four years and have had no problems with. Other units I tried before were the wrong size and would collapse or fall over. These are just sturdy and stable enough to stand on their own without reinforcement. Not once in four years have they done anything to displease me or risk my security deposit.

I am also a huge proponent of cube storage. Square shelving provides smaller holes, so you have to be more specific and intentional about the categories you're storing, but the heft is evenly distributed and they're low enough to the ground that, again, they don't need any reinforcing. My top tip, as someone with too much experience, is to get the ones you do have to screw together, not the ones that slide into external holders. Those are too light and unstable. They will collapse. The ones you screw together, like these from Furinno ($29.99 for five units), are much more stable.

Quality adhesive is the renter's friend

I have all kinds of cool organizers around my home, attached to walls and under cabinets. They're attached by adhesive, meaning on the day I leave, I can just pull them right down. I've moved and rearranged them a lot and never noticed them pulling at any of the drywall. That's because I use quality adhesive. I prefer 3M over Command, which I've noticed tends to fall down more. You can get over 16 feet of the adhesive for $12.99.

As for what I use it for, let me count the ways. I have an entire "organizational wall" that includes individual sunglasses holders, racks for belts and hats, and bottle storage for things like sunscreen and hairspray. I also use adhesive hooks all over the apartment, as well as adhesive towel and utensil organizers in the kitchen.

All of these are inexpensive, coming in under $20, and give me hyper-specific organizational options for all of the things I need to store without doing any damage to the property. All that said, I don't recommend adhesive shelving. Any large shelf you have to stick to the wall runs the risk of crashing down. That's not worth it to me, so I stick to shelving units and smaller wall-based organizing tools.