Thursday, May 16, 2013

A Rubbermaid Bed Frame!


Andy and I are trying to live a minimalist lifestyle, but there are some things we just can't get rid of. Things like his tools (handy to have), travel and adventure gear (expensive), and other things like winter bedding (seasonal). These are items that we don't always use, but we do use them occasionally so we can't just get rid of them. That means we have to store them somewhere.


Normally the closet would seem like a good storage place. But what if you don't have a closet...or if your closet has other things in it like clothing? Or in our case, we decided to do Airbnb, so we cleared out the second bedroom in our apartment so we could host visitors. By creating an empty guest room we found ourselves in need of more storage. We had quite a few Rubbermaid storage bins that we had used when we moved, but sat empty and stacked up in our closet. So Andy and I got to work.


When we moved from Virginia to California we downsized and ended up getting rid of our bed frame. That was our first step in becoming minimalist. We moved with our queen-sized memory foam mattress and used it on the floor. It was actually very liberating and comfortable! So, we decided to combine our frame-less mattress and our need for storage. We filled the Rubbermaid containers (not all of them, that's a lot of stuff!) and arranged them under our queen-sized mattress. It worked perfectly!


We arranged the Rubbermaid (or you could use Sterilite) containers (preferably all the same kind) 5 wide on each side. Then in the middle, we did 3 long (13 total containers). That arrangement fit our queen-sized memory foam mattress perfectly. We did not do anything else. We simply made the bed and slept in it that night. I dreamt about falling out of bed all night, but come morning everything was still in place and both Andy and I felt great.


We have been sleeping on our Rubbermaid bed frame for over a month now and it has gone really well. The containers have not shifted, and we have not fallen out of bed or even felt a difference. The containers are also easy to pull out if we need something. Andy was afraid that we would both roll toward the middle, but that has not happened either. Overall, the Rubbermaid bed frame has been perfect! We now have a bed off the floor AND more than enough storage.

Pro Tips: If you added a bed skirt, no one would even notice the bed was made of Rubbermaids. You could also add bed slats if you want to firm it up even more.

 
(This post was not sponsored by Rubbermaid or Sterilite.)

24 comments:

  1. Very inventive! Although, every time I see a creative take on beds (like the pallet beds) I always wonder about how they hold up under.. umm.. certain noctural activities. I'm like andy - I'd worry that the middle would give out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha Toni! I was worried about "nocturnal activities" as well, but let me tell you, the bed has held up. These rubbermaids are awesome...and they don't squeak or make any type of noise with excessive movement. :)

      Delete
  2. I did this in 2003. I moved to an apartment that had a tight staircase and couldn't fit my box spring. Now 10 years later still going strong!! No issues at all! I added the IKEA bed slats ($30) just for fun, didn't need the extra support, but it makes it easier to slide the bins.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i am wondering now if a day bed or sofa set up isn't possible with these crates too

    ReplyDelete
  4. It holds up great over time! There are two of us who sleep on the bed and the majority of the rubbermaids are empty. We tried to put at least one thing in each of them, but most have almost nothing in them. They shift over a few months, but it is easy to just push them back into place.

    ReplyDelete
  5. First off, thanks for this idea, very creative.
    Sounds like comfort and durability have been good.
    My question is about the lids on the top of each bin not being flat.
    Has this left any kind of impression/or created any irregularities with the mattress?
    Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't had any issue with the lids not being flat. We have a memory foam mattress, so I think everything evens itself out with the mattress.

      Delete
  6. Hello i thought of this a while ago, I urgently need a bed frame them came up to this image while searching for ideas. The question is how many gallons is each container?
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's practical but doesn't look aesthetic.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've also done this a lot. The taller roughneck Rubbermaids give a good height but the shorter ones would be fine if you wanted a lower bed. I wouldn't use anything but the roughneck tubs, personally.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey how I am trying to do that for my son bed he got a twin size XL inwas wondering how many storages bn I am going to need.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi, Ellie
    Wondering what size bins you used?
    Thank you!
    Char Edson :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Ellie,
    Came across your blog after deciding to do this and wanting to see if others had had success. May I ask what size (H x W x D) your bins are? Thank you for any feedback.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Char, thanks for your comment! These bins are Rubbermaid roughneck brand. I bought these about 5 years ago at Target, but I don't think they make this type and color anymore. These are the dimensions:
      25 gal : 28.8" L x 19.7" W x 16.5" H

      Delete
  12. Going to home depot tomorrow and picking up 2 large husky containers. Going to give it try. Thanks for the idea.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ha! I did this at first just to test bed height for a new memory foam mattress in our guest room. My intention was to buy a 16" platform frame so I could slide 15" storage containers under it. But I'm leaving it as-is and plan to buy a 16" bed skirt. Guests will never know. Plus, I gained more space in the garage by putting all the holiday decorations in the containers. And the added weight to the containers makes it very solid. And for anyone interested, it feels just like it's on a box spring or regular platform bed. And since you're supposed to move you're mattress around every 3 months, I'll just flip the mattress around at the same time that I need to get the holiday items out. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. if there are any concerns about the dips in the lids....slide an inexpensive piece of panel board under the mattress...or a sturdy piece of cardboard !!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. a beautiful bed skirt will cover up the bins!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm wanting to do this as I'm moving into a very small studio-ish apt. I thought it made sense to me but couldn't find anyone who'd
    done it before until now.
    Was looking for ideas. This would solve my storage problem (seasonal stuff especially). But was thinking on putting the bed frame on top of the bins positioning.it so the legs help to keep the bins from shifting and would give the middle of the be added support. Thanks for your post and to all those that have a reply. All info is helpful. I think it could work well for my needs.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I recently ran across your post because I've been looking for the most practical, least expensive, easily accessible solutions to my problem. I've moved into a studio-ish sized apartment- no closets, no storage, etc. I need a place to store seasonal items, including seasonal clothes (sweaters, jacket, winter things). Your post confirmed that this idea would work and I knew someone out there has the same idea. Now, my question is O have a fairly heavy queen sized bed do you think the mattress, box spring and ar least two adults eould be fine using the bins? I was going to go with the 18 gallon bins (about 10) - 3 each side and 4 up the center. I'm worried about the weight.

    If you or anyone has advice, recommendarions, etc. Please don't hold back. Don't want to crash to the floor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a super late comment, but I am commenting for future readers who may have a similar question. I would NOT put a boxspring on this. The rubbermaid containers would serve as the boxspring so you would just add a mattress. I used a heavy memory foam mattress and it worked perfectly, I could not tell the containers were there at all.

      Delete