Turn bookshelves into The Best Backpack Storage Unit

Updated December 2023

You are about the find out what the Best Backpack Storage Unit is but first…

Do your kids come home and dump their backpacks on the ground?

Mine do! They are notorious for coming home, throwing shoes off, and then just dumping their school bags down anywhere.  This usually ends up in me tripping over them as I walk up the hallway!

There must be a great storage solution for the kid’s school bags…surely?

What we needed was somewhere that was easily accessible to the kids.  When the children walked in the door, we needed somewhere that they knew exactly where they could take their shoes off and hang up their jackets and school bags. We needed an ideal solution that became the go-to drop zone from when the kids set foot in the door.

We started to search for creative storage ideas while keeping in mind that we didn’t want to spend too much money on a storage system for school bags.

When working out what the ideal solution was going to be, we determined a few criteria, including:

• It must be located somewhere close to the front door.  We have a small entryway, and it needs to be something that doesn’t clutter the area.
• It needs to contain school papers and everyday items such as school bags, reading tote bags, shoes, and coats.
• It can have individual hooks that my kids could hang their jackets on.
• I like an organized home, so it needed to be a simple solution that was easy to maintain.

Then it was like a lightbulb flicked on, and I came up with an open cubbies concept – keep in mind this was back in 2015!

So we had a hunt around the house and collected 3 Kids Bookshelves that we could EASILY modify into a school bag storage station…perfect!

The Kids Bookshelves worked a treat!

When the kids get home, they don’t leave a huge clutter pile at the front door; they now put all their things straight away into their designated entryway storage. Everything is at the right height for my little guys to be independent and place all of their belongings away by themselves.

Kids Bag Storage Units can fit almost anywhere…

The great idea about the cubbies is that they don’t just have to be placed at a doorway. They can live in children’s bedrooms, the laundry room if you have space, a corner of the garage, a mudroom or coat closet, in the hallway, or if you’re like us and have an extra room – which we use for a playroom – you could place them in there.

If you have to declutter to make room for this kid’s backpack storage unit, do it – it is so worth it. If you need to free one some room, first, some helpful articles from Good HouseKeeping and Elegant Simplicity talk about decluttering, which can help you get your space ready for your Kid’s storage solution of the year!

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What are you waiting for – Let’s see how to make this Awesome Backpage Storage Unit

Instructions:

• First things first, you will need to get 3 or 4 shelf bookcases like this one from Amazon; if you can get them for under $25, that’s a great deal, and I recommend you snag them! Try and find the ones with one full backing panel; this helps keep the shelves stable, especially since children will be using them.  If you can’t, though, it’s no problem; just use what you can find!
  • Click on the images below to get your bookshelf.

You could get 2 of the Iris USA 2 – Tier Wood units. You would just need to place them on top of one another.

• Take out the 2^nd shelf from the top, or if you are building brand new, don’t install the 2nd shelf – this will allow enough space to put things like bags, hats, and jackets.

• Then finally, putty up the remaining holes to give it a clean finish.

• Get some 3m hooks like these from Amazon and attach them to the inside – I placed mine on the side and back of the larger cubby part for hats and gloves.

My kids use the top larger cubby for bags, jackets, and hats. The 2^nd cubby down is for books and school work or things that we may need to return to school, and the bottom cubby is for shoes.

That’s it – It is so easy!

This is a total game-changer, and if you haven’t placed one of these in your home, you really need to! – I find this a simple and affordable solution for all my children’s backpacks, jackets, and shoes, and the best part is it helps keep our home tidy and organized!

Want an organized Kid’s School Bag storage solution but want something slightly different?

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of DIYing your own kid’s cubbies or want something a little different, Amazon has available some amazing alternative solutions that you must check out; keep reading below:

Kids Space Open Storage Organizer

The new KidSpace Collection helps you organize the nursery, playroom, or bedroom to give your children more space for all their big moments. This unit could easily house 3 large school backpacks, jackets, and shoes. It is a simple design that should easily fit into the entryway wall of your home if you have space. You could easily make this into the family command centre and use it for the entire family – genius! Definitely check this one out if you want something simple but effective.

ODK Parent-Child Hall Tree with Bench and Shoe Storage

This unit is a multifunction open storage unit that is ideal for storing backpacks, coats, shoes, hats, and more for the whole family. I would imagine this looking great in a laundry room, mud room or large hallway space for children (and their parents too) to store their bags!

2 Door Metal Vertical Storage Locker for Kids

Check out this super cool kids locker that is perfect for kids’ bedrooms, mudrooms, or laundry rooms. It comes in a range of fun, bright colours and includes 2 doors. There is room inside for storage bins for your littles to store their favorite items. Your kids would love this so much that you would need to get one for each child!  I could see these taking up a spot in children’s bedrooms!

Maupvit Shoe Storage Cabinet with 2 Flip Drawers

Looking for somewhere to store shoes so they aren’t cluttering up your entranceway?  If you are looking for something that will match your home style and decor, a great option is this shoe storage cabinet. It is perfect for hallways, entranceways, mudrooms, and laundry rooms. The 2-drawer shoe cabinet can store up to 24-32 pairs. There is a shelf on the top perfect for placing a handbag or some decor items. This is a modern freestanding shoe cabinet that adopts the design of space-saving flip drawers, which are easy to open and close. Check it out today!

VASAGLE Coat Rack with Shoe Storage

If you are looking for something slightly different with a vintage vibe, this Industrial Storage Unit may be the perfect option for you. This multi-functional hallway coat rack boasts a top hanging rail, 9 hooks, 2 shoe shelves, and a shoe bench. Designed with a strong iron frame and vintage-inspired shelves, this may be a perfect addition to a farmhouse hallway.

3 Door steel storage locker

Sticking with the industrial theme, these 3 door steel locker units would look fabulous in an office space, teen bedroom, kids’ playroom, or a little nook. Built to last with plenty of storage space for bags, shoes, books, and folded coats. These cool units don’t just have to be for the Kids! They are great to use in garage spaces, and workshops for tools. 3 generous vented storage bins (12 D x 10 W x 9 H inches) with lock loops offer plenty of space for safely storing your stuff out of sight

Humble Crew Storage Organizer

You can completely switch it up and go for the Humble Crew Storage Organizer. You could use the larger bin for backpacks and the smaller ones for shoe storage, hats, and books. Add some 3M hooks to the side for jackets, and voila, you have a beautiful area to store your kid’s items.

MAYROY Metal Locker Office Storage Locker

If you have a large home and can afford the space, then the 9 Door Metal Locker unit is a winner in our books! Ideal for use at home, in the office, or at school, this is a secure way to keep children’s belongings safe. Allocate your child a locker or two and have them place their items in it when they get home from school.

We think our DIY Backpack Storage Unit is the best!

This idea has been saved on Pinterest over 30K times now, and it is totally the perfect solution! You don’t need to have a big house to effectively pull this idea off, and it definitely stops hallways from getting cluttered up with children’s school bags, shoes, and jackets in the long run!

How do you organize your kid’s school bags?

Stick Around – You need to check out

Click here to read: How to keep your kid’s toys organized

Some great tips and ideas to have your kid’s toys sorted in no time!