Spring cleaning can be a dreaded nightmare. But there's no need to call the bulldozers just yet--some stores around the Bay Area can offer invaluable advice on how to get organized and make the most out of small spaces without sacrificing style.

"Spring cleaning is one of those times of year when we see a lot of customers coming in and wanting help," says Karen Milnes, a sales associate at The Container Store in Santana Row, one of the many stores that specialize in organization.

Milnes says The Container's Store's mantra is "visibility, accessibility, flexibility," which are the features one should look for when shopping for products to help get organized. "[You should] be able to have the things you use most often within reach," she adds.

Milnes says people often fail to recognize additional space that can be used for storing items.

"It's that vertical space that most people neglect," she says.

The Container Store sells many grid systems that can help add shelves and racks of storage to areas most wouldn't think to use. For example, the store sells hanging racks that can be attached to the backs of pantry or garage doors and come in various widths and depths, as well as a variety of shelf expanders that can turn one shelf into two or even three by dividing them or attaching an extra shelf to the bottom of the one above it.

"It's great for making use of previously unused space," Milnes says. She adds that the grid systems allow one to easily see what is stored and also come in a variety of styles made of plastic, metal or wood.

Another handy tool The Container Store offers is a wide variety of stackable storage containers that offer accessibility to everything inside. One of the most popular systems is plastic storage bins that stack easily and securely on top of each other and have one end extend at an angle with a pullback lid, allowing a person easy access to everything inside all the bins in the stack.

"They're great for making use of that vertical space," Milnes says. "It's about making the most of every square inch while still being able to see everything."

A handy kitchen organization tool sold at The Container Store is the lazy Susan. For those who have shelves that are too high in the kitchen--only allowing what is in the front to be seen or reached--lazy Susans can be placed on a shelf and easily spun around, bringing whatever one needs to the front. Milnes says they are also handy for low cabinets that make it difficult to reach what is in the back or around a corner.

Despite how good it can feel to have the home organized, some people are wary to use products like these because they look too industrial or don't match their home's décor.

Storables can help.

Denise Kosena, assistant manager of Storables in Saratoga's Westgate Shopping Center, says Storables offers many storage and organization products that can be used--and look attractive--throughout the entire home.

For example, the store has a variety of file and storage boxes with designs that can match the colors of a home's walls or the style of one's furniture--such as a woven finish in pandan or banana leaf, silk, poly-leather, or even solid, finished wood.

"The wood file crates are very popular because they look more homey. They look good with home décor, and they're stackable so they're portable, too," Kosena says. "A person could really do their whole home in the same style."

Both stores also offer free pamphlets with organization tips and Storables even holds periodic workshops on how to organize different areas of the home. Be sure to remember to take inventory of what needs to be stored, as well as measurements of space, before shopping.

And don't worry--help is out there.