Expert Advice on Home Improvement TV Host of Emmy®-Nominated Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather Channel

While ¾” metal pipe or thick wall conduit, make a strong closet rod that won’t sag, it’s not very attractive to look at. To improve the looks, cut a piece of 1″ diameter thin wall PVC pipe (SDR) to the length needed. After sanding the plastic pipe smooth, slide it over the metal pipe, and install in the closet. Not only does it look better, but clothes hangers will slide much easier over the slick plastic surface.

To mount a 1″ x 4″ shelf on a pegboard wall, drill holes in the back to accept straight pegboard hooks. Before drilling, hold the shelf up to the pegboard to make sure the holes align.

In a cramped bathroom, finding a place for a wastebasket can be a real challenge. One way to solve this problem is by mounting it on the inside of a cabinet door. This not only provides easy access, but hides the basket from view.

Removing the hanging rod and installing additional shelves will allow this closet to hold a lot more than clothes and Christmas ornaments. Since the room is being converted into a home office, the closet was modified to store a file cabinet and office supplies.

Closets typically have a hanging rod with a single shelf above it. This leaves several feet of wasted space near the ceiling that could be used more effectively for storage. While you could add cleats to the wall and another long shelf, a better solution is to make two side by side freestanding shelves out of 1” x 12” pine.

Fold-down ironing boards are a great way to reduce clutter in your laundry room. They’re a real timesaver as well, allowing you to keep your iron ready to go at a moment’s notice. They can either be surface mounted or recessed into the wall—as we’ll be doing here—for a low profile look.

If you’re tired of constantly untangling and tripping over your extension cord, try turning a 5-gallon plastic bucket into this handy cord caddy. To use, place the bucket near an electrical outlet and plug the end of the cord that extend through the hole into the outlet. It’s a good idea to spread the cord out during use to keep it from overheating.

If you spend a lot of time gardening, you know how handy a potting bench can be. Not only does it give you a convenient place to work with your plants, it also keeps the inevitable mess that goes with it confined to one spot.

While the garage is a great place for storage, it often becomes cluttered, making it hard to find what you need. Here are some easy projects to allow you to get even more storage space out of your garage while keeping it organized.

An important step in organizing your garage is to store large tools—like rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows—so they’re easy to find when you need them but out of the way the rest of the time. Start by attaching a long board to the wall at eye level.