Many homeowners today have grown an incredible collection of things that their home size is no longer sufficient to store their belongings. To remedy this, homeowners have resorted to buying or renting storage units. Doing this frees up more space in their home and makes it easier for them to keep it more organized and tidier.
However, while their homes may now be tidy, it’s the storage unit that seems to need some organization. Just because it’s out of sight doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a system in place to keep it orderly. Otherwise, it’ll be quite challenging for you to find what you’re looking for when you have to go through mountains of clutter.
This is why it’s important to keep your storage unit organized. To achieve that, here are five smart ways from the pros:
1. Clean The Unit Thoroughly
When you first bring your things into the storage unit, it’s an empty and clean space. Over time, however, as you bring in more things, it’ll get more and more cluttered. Dust and dirt may also accumulate if you don’t take the time to clean it regularly.
To avoid this situation, every time you bring in new things to your storage units, make it a point to do a thorough clean. Don’t wait until the dirt gets overwhelming before you seriously consider cleaning your storage unit. You wouldn’t want it to be a place you’ll dread going to just because it’s filthy.
2. Create A List Of What You Have
Most of the items placed in storage units are seasonal items or lesser-used items in your home. However, imagine how cumbersome it’ll be when the season is right for you to pull out those things and you don’t even know what you have and don’t have in your storage unit. Although it’s just a small room, if you have plenty of belongings, it’ll eventually be difficult for you to remember what’s in it or what you’ve given away.
Like a warehouse, it’s recommended for you to have a list or inventory of what you have in storage. Even a simple Excel file will work for this purpose. Having an inventory system makes it easier for you to know what you have and don’t have.
When you already have that spreadsheet, do remember to update it regularly. Whenever you take items out of your storage unit, make that revision on your inventory as soon as possible.
3. Sort Through Your Storage Unit Periodically
How often do you sort through the items in your home for a big spring clean? Whenever you do this, make it a point to do the same for your storage unit, too. This is a key step to ensure you don’t have a lot of unnecessary belongings in your storage unit. With periodic sorting, you’ll only have what you need to keep.
The key is to practice the three-bin system: keep, sell, and donate or give. The sell and give bins should always be filled with more things than the keep bin. Remember that having a storage unit doesn’t justify you having any more items than you need to keep. If you keep holding on even to things you no longer need, you’re only going to get stressed at the mountain of belongings that pile up.
4. Choose Boxes Of The Same Size
You can improve how your storage unit works and looks by having similarly sized boxes. This will make it easier for you to stack your boxes and make them hold up heavier belongings.
Here’s a pro tip to apply: use medium-sized boxes instead of the largest ones you can find. You can maximize space more with boxes that don’t take up too much floor space. Then, all you have to do is stack the boxes on top of each other.
5. Store Items In Clear Bins
The cheapest way to keep boxes in your storage units is to have big, brown boxes. However, this isn’t necessarily going to be the most organized system. That’s because it’s hard for you to see what’s in every box.
As you purchase storage boxes for your storage units, look for clear boxes while factoring in the ideal size discussed above. That way, you can easily see what’s in every box. Most importantly, your storage unit is going to look neater and more organized with clear boxes.
Conclusion
If you’ve owned a storage unit for a long time now, surely you know that dreadful feeling associated with walking through your storage unit. If you haven’t done your part in keeping it clean and organized, it’s not surprising how the mountain of clutter is going to overwhelm you. This situation can be avoided with a bit of planning and effort in keeping your storage unit organized, as highlighted in the tips above.
