Storage Room Organization
/It’s a struggle to maintain order in storage areas. It’s easy to unload items, walk away, and forget about the mess left behind. Storage areas are where you shove items you no longer use, where you store items you have guilt about getting rid of, and where you put items too large to easily throw out with the garbage. Out of sight, out of mind… until you actually need to find something. We’ve all been there. It’s hard to justify spending time and money to get storage areas organized because the disorder is likely not impacting your daily life. But, there is value in getting the ‘behind-the-scene’ areas of your home organized. You’ll get that feeling of weight being lifted when you get rid of the things you no longer need, you’ll have the clarity of mind that comes with order, and imagine all the time you’ll save looking for things. Follow these 4 simple steps to organize your storage space…
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It’s a given that there are things in your storage area that you no longer need. The first step is to get rid of those items. It’s important not to keep things just because you have the space. The end goal is that only the items you truly want and need are stored in your home. I like to call this intentional storage, meaning, everything has a purpose.
Start with the “easy” stuff—if you’re a sentimental person, save the keepsakes for last; if you love your seasonal decor, save that for later. Start with the items that you know need to go! This puts you in the right mindset for the job and gets the ball rolling. Once you’re in a purging groove, it’ll be easier to sort out the more meaningful items. Donate, sell, or trash—do whatever it takes to get the unwanted items out of your home.
Once you’re left with only what you intend to keep, condense. Group like items and store together in…
Storage Bins
Cardboard boxes do not stand the test of time and do a poor job protecting your belongings. Instead, get heavy-duty plastic tubs for the job. I recommend bins for everything, literally. Even my paint cans are stored in a bin—having everything contained gives your storage area a uniform look and makes it easy to find items as you need them.
I prefer opaque bins for the most clean and tidy look. Some people prefer clear bins so they can more easily see the contents—choose whichever suits your needs. Then, be sure to…
Label
As you’re putting your items into bins, it is imperative that you properly label everything. Labels allow you to quickly find items when you go looking for them. Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “I’ll remember what’s in that bin.” Make life easier and label everything.
For bins containing a variety of items (i.e. my party supply bin), I also label the side of the bin with an itemized list of the contents. (If I’m planning a birthday party, I can skip riffling through the bin, I just check over the itemized list and see exactly what I have on hand.)
Now that your items are all in labeled bins you’re ready to…
Shelve
While most plastic bins are designed for stacking, that doesn’t make for the most convenient way to get to your belongings. For the most accessibility, you’re going to need some shelves.
Prefabricated shelving units are simple to assemble, but if you’re up for creating custom built-in shelving, there are some great DIY tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest for easy and inexpensive storage shelves. Be sure to consider the size of your storage bins when buying or building a shelving unit. Ensure the bins you have will fit on the shelves without leaving wasteful gaps.
When planning the layout of your shelf space, try to keep like items together. For example, all Christmas decorations on one shelving unit, keepsakes on another, an additional unit for home repair supplies, and so on. Categorizing and grouping bins together makes it easier to know right where to go to find what you’re searching for.
You may have a storage space with an overwhelming amount of stuff and not a whole lot of time to dedicate to the project—that’s okay! Start organizing one category at a time (i.e. Tackle the Christmas bins when you get those items out to decorate for the season. Sort through the home maintenance items before you embark on your next home project.) Slow progress is better than no progress!
