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Home Furnishings

2011-02-01 14:24:00

Storage solutions

Question: I was putting away my holiday items and realized that I had too much clutter. How can I control the clutter of my storage areas?

Answer: Well I know I’ve been there. I needed to put away seasonal items and there were still old seasonal items left in storage that I didn’t use. As the years go by, the clutter seems to get greater. Well I hope I can help. First off, put to one area all the things that you neglected to use in the past year. Ask yourself, “Why didn’t I use it?” “Do I still need it?” If you decide you don’t need it, now is the time to get rid of it before it gets buried again. If it is seasonal items, you may want to put them in containers that are easily accessible, and give them to charity before that season comes around again. If it is Christmas and you donate it now, most charitable donation places don’t have space to keep it throughout the year, but if you wait until fall to give it to them, they will be able to put it out right away. So be sure to mark those boxes with dates of when to donate, so you don’t forget! If you have items you don’t use anymore, but consider them sentimental, then pass it on to someone in the family who can use and appreciate them. If you have children’s clothing that is still good in good condition, but your kids have outgrown them and you don’t want to take the time to have a garage sale or put them on E-bay, think of friends or neighbors who may have children in those sizes and ask if they would like to have them. At least you will be comforted knowing they are being used by someone you know. When they are done with them, they can pass them on to other friends or take them to a charity. These friends and neighbors will remember you when you need something and its shows that you care for them. Now that we have gotten rid of some things, we can start organizing what we want to keep. A storage area must be more than just a floor space. So much space is wasted from the floor to the ceiling. Look into investing in some shelving or have a carpenter build some shelves. Measure the tubs or containers you already have to give yourself an idea of how much space you will need between your shelves and how deep they will need to be. If you need to invest in some more storage containers, you won’t regret getting them. I prefer clear ones, so if you don’t get everything marked, at least you can see what is in them. Before putting all your keepsakes in containers, you need to sort them and put like things together. This takes some space, but you’ll be glad you did later. Make sure all things that belong together, stay together. So the next time you need to find what you are looking for in storage, you will know exactly where it is. This may also be a time when you decide there are a few more things you don’t need, and put them in boxes to give away or dispose of. Once all of the items are in containers, take the time to mark the containers and put them in order so that they are accessible when needed. If there are things that you won’t need for a long time, put those things up high and put the things you need to get to lower on the shelves. Once everything in your storage area has a place, it will be much easier to keep it organized. Just be sure to put things back where you got them each time you use them. If your storage area is organized, you will be inspired to start on the rest of the house. Just take one room at a time!