Suggestions For Using A Self-Storage Unit To Get Your Clutter Under Control
If you've decided to declutter and organize your home, a self-storage facility will come in handy. Unless you have a lot of willpower, you probably won't be able to throw out or give away everything you need to at first. Getting them out of your sight in a storage facility will give you a taste of what it's like to live in a home that's free of clutter. Here are some tips for using a storage unit for clutter control.
Rent For Short-Term Storage
Renting a storage unit works great as long as you use the facility for the short term. Once your house is organized, you should start going through your storage boxes one by one until you've gotten rid of all the stored clutter. You may find you need the unit to store seasonal items you still use, and that's okay. You just don't want to rent a storage unit to store clutter for the long-term when you should get rid of it.
Divide Your Boxes By Purpose
When you go through your house, you can declutter quickly if you divide everything into boxes according to what should be done with the items. This can help you speed clean when you need your house organized for an event or guests. Label four types of boxes. You can even buy plastic storage totes in four different colors to make going through your things easier at a later time. One category is for things in good shape you can give away. One is for more costly items you would rather sell at a yard sale. The third category is for things that are worn out and should be thrown away, but you just can't part with them yet. The final category is for things you know you won't part with or that you can use at home. Don't jumble all these categories together in the same boxes or sorting will be much difficult later.
Deal With The Boxes
When you're ready to tackle the boxes, you can pick up all the ones labeled for a yard sale a few days before the sale. What doesn't sell, you can put back in storage for a yard sale in the future or just give them away to get rid of them. The category of items you've decided to give away can be dealt with individually as you decide who to give the items to. If you don't care about giving the things to family and friends, then just donate the boxes to a thrift store. It may be easier to part with them once your things have been packed up and out of your sight for a few weeks or months. If you want to get rid of them all at once by donating them to a thrift store, just resist the urge to look at everything again or you may not be able to let them go.
The hardest part will be dealing with the boxes of old things that aren't fit to sell or give away because they still have sentimental value. The ideal way to deal with them is to not look at the contents of the boxes, but just go in, load them up, and throw them out. If you haven't missed what's in the boxes all the time the things were in storage, then you may not even think about them again when they are gone. It takes willpower to get rid of things you're fond of and it won't be easy. The last set of boxes to deal with is the one that contains useful items you want to keep, and chances are, this will be the largest category you have. If you've managed to keep your home organized and you want to keep it that way, bring one box home at a time and find a permanent place for each item you take out of it. Do this until the storage unit is empty.
If you have more things than you can fit in your house without overcrowding it, then consider keeping the storage unit for seasonal items as long as you keep the unit well-organized so you can find what you need. A self storage facility is a huge help when it comes to organization of your belongings and it helps keep your home from being overwhelmed with items you're not currently using. However, if you have tendencies to hoard things, be careful you don't turn the unit into a catchall for useless junk you'll never use.
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