Updated: Jan 6, 2025 by Kris Jarrett

Pillow Storage: Organizing Tips!

Want some ideas for throw pillow storage? I’m sharing how I organize my own pillow stash!

I’m the first to admit that I’m a total sucker for decorative pillows and have pretty impressive pillow stash. I often get asked where I store my extra decorative pillows and bed pillows, which tells me that I’m not the only one with a little bit of a pillow hoarding problem 🙂

Today I’m pulling out my pillow stash to give you some pillow storage ideas for your own home along with a few tips for buying pillows so you don’t have quite as many to store in the first place! (commissionable links are included in this post; see my full disclosure statement {here} for more information)

Polyester Filled Pillow Storage

One of the keys to taming my throw pillow stash is storing my throw pillow covers and pillow inserts separately. Let’s first talk about throw pillow inserts! If you have polyester throw pillow inserts or bed pillows, vacuum pack them! {These jumbo vacuum storage bags} are awesome, allowing you to store pillow inserts in only about ¼ of the space they’d normally take up.

Label the outside of each bag with the sizes of the pillows and store them in a closet or under your bed:

You can store a TON under your bed with these vacuum storage bags! Details in post!

Room Sources: Braided Wool Rug | Scalloped flush mount light | Camp stools at foot of bed (similar) | Gray & white duvet – no longer available | Flagstone drapes (mine are single-width blackout lined)

The key to vacuum packing the bags so that they lay relatively flat is to vacuum out the air a little bit at a time, pausing to smooth and even out the bag several times until you’re done. These vacuum storage bags are also great for bulky comforters and blankets.

P.S. I’m not a fan of polyester throw pillow inserts except for on a bed where they’re for show and not comfort. For throw pillows in a family or living room, down is the way to go!

Down Pillow Storage

If you have down throw pillow inserts, it’s best not to vacuum pack them because it can cause the down feathers to break. They can be stored in jumbo plastic bags with dessicant packs to prevent moisture from affecting them. Or you can store them in large plastic containers.

These same storage solutions work for sleeping pillows. I also have and love {these pillow storage bags} that work beautifully for storing both throw pillow inserts and bed pillows:

Storage bag with handles for storage of pillows and blankets in closet

I can fit three standard size sleeping pillows in each bag and they stay dust-free:

Three sleeping pillows in open storage bag

Throw Pillow Cover Storage: KonMari Them!

For years I’ve been folding up my extra pillow covers and placing them in a drawer. It’s worked pretty well but always involved a lot of rooting through the pillow stacks to find the ones hidden in the bottom of the pile. After seeing the KonMari method of folding clothes in a drawer so you can easily see and access everything, I decided to do the same with my pillow covers.

I folded each pillow cover into an 8″ square and placed them in {these lidded fabric storage boxes} that fit my pillow squares perfectly:

The awesome storage boxes I used for pillow cover storage (covers were folded using KonMarie method!)

I have one storage box for my 22″ and 24″ pillow covers, a second box for my 20″ pillow covers, and a third box for my 18″ and lumbar pillow covers. I labeled each of them with a tied-on tag so I know which box to grab at a glance:

Labeled tags for the boxes used for storing my pillow covers!

You can store these boxes just about anywhere, including stacked in a closet where they wouldn’t take up much of a footprint at all. In both our current home and previous home, I’ve stored them in the cabinets at the base of our bookcases:

These lidded storage boxes for my pillow covers fit perfectly in the cabinets of our family room bookcase!

And while I’m sharing a peek behind our cabinet doors, I wanted to show you another organizational feature I love! I can’t take any credit whatsoever since they were here when we moved in but our cabinets have two hidden drawers with built-in hanging file storage:

Loving this hidden cabinet drawer for hanging file folders! Great organization!

It allowed us to get rid of the standing file cabinets we had when we moved in which is really nice. Now we try to file most things electronically (see my post on our simple mail organizer for more details on the handheld scanner we use) but we still have quite a bit of paperwork stored in here from years past. Weeding through them and scanning the paperwork we need to keep is somewhere on my never ending to-do list…

Two Quick Tips for Buying Pillows

Let’s wrap things up with two quick tips for buying pillows that might help keep you from having as many to store in the first place (trust me, my stash would be 10 times as obscene without these). First off…

1. Whenever possible, buy throw pillow covers without the inserts. If you buy every pillow with the cover and the insert, not only are you paying for something you don’t need but you’ll end up with so much more bulk to store. Invest in a small number of high quality inserts and when you want a pillow change, just swap the covers.

My favorites inserts are 25% down/75% feathers – I’ve invested in a few of these but they’re super pricey! For something a little less expensive but still great quality, 5% down/95% feather inserts are the way to go (I have and recommend {these ComfyDown inserts}).

Want tips on arranging living room pillows? See my post on how to how to arrange throw pillows on a couch!

2. Invest in some high quality, solid color pillows in your most-used colors that you will use again and again for years. Having a set of neutral pillows that work with everything will keep you from having to buy as many new ones when you decide to change up your pillows with the seasons.

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I hope you pillow addicts found today’s post helpful! I’m glad to have finally found an organization system that works for me and hope you’ll be able to take a tip or two away that works for you too! Want more helpful organizing tips? See my post on 20 home organization ideas for my favorite tips on how to organize every room in home!

Enjoy your weekend friends,

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