Personally, I'm the type that if I can't easily see my stuff then I have too much stuff. If I have too much stuff than that means I shouldn't be getting any more stuff. Therefore, I have an incentive to figure out how to keep my stuff displayable
Keep in mind that in the end it all comes down to cubic space consumed. Hanging or stacked, a lot of stuff takes up a lot of space. At some point individualized containers cease to be viable (IMHO) because the volume of the containers themselves starts to add up.
Here's a test you can do to see what hanging stuff would look like for you... get a tapemeasure
Hopefully you'll find that it's at least 7' (84") high. Based on your pictures I'd say you might just make it
Then find the longest uninterrupted wall without anything, like pipes or what not, within 31" of it. Measure how long the wall is.
For the sake of argument, let's say you have a 7' high ceiling with a 10' wall that can be clear out to 31". Subtract 6" of the length to account for three supports by 2x4s. That gives you a total set of dimensions as follows:
Height = 84"
Depth = 31"
Length = 114"
You can fit roughly 1 normal sized uniform per linear inch. In the assumed setup stated above, there's enough room for two rows of uniforms. That means you can store a total of (roughly) 228 uniforms hanging up with the assumed measurements. If you have 228 uniforms in those bins, IMHO you're better off making racks and opening up the floors space. Plus, if you have 8' of ceiling space then you can still have about a foot of space to stick stuff either under (easiest) or over (with a shelf) the racks. If those bins you have are about the size I think they are, you could probably fit another 8 bins tucked under or on top.
Now, how do you get that space? Well, it's all about creative space management and (potentially) making some sacrifices. My huge triple decker space required me to remove a large amount of book cases. Where did the books go, you might ask? For the most part I'm preparing to purge them. I don't really need the majority of the books I have so I'm going to part with them in order to have the space for something I do "need"
Just keep in mind that wall space is the best space to use. Therefore, anything which really doesn't need to be taking up a wall shouldn't be. That's advice I'd give people for any room in the house.
Measure things up and see what you make of it. I think you'll be surprised how much space those plastic bins are consuming.
Steve
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