How to organize storage rooms
Storage rooms are supposed to help us stay organized by keeping clutter and junk out of our main rooms, but having an unorganized storage room can make things even worse. An unorganized storage room can make you inefficient, can result in you losing your great grandmother's china, and can just make you feel cluttered, unorganized, and desperately behind. How can you organize your storage rooms in a way that makes it easy to access what you need when you need it? One big day of organization can really help you change your life, and the good news is that it only takes one big push and then your storage room will no longer be ruling and ruining your life.
Here are some general tips that will help you organize your storage room:
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- Keep things accessible
- Organize things based on type (i.e. keep all Christmas decorations together)
- Organize things based on need
- Keep humidity out
- Keep your belongings safe
Install inexpensive shelving
You should invest in metal shelving, since it won't be damaged if it gets wet. Choose shelving that fits in your room, so make sure that you measure before you go to the store. When you arrange your boxes and loose items on your shelves, put smaller items towards the top and the heavier and larger boxes on the bottom.
- Invest in plastic containers Plastic containers, which are readily available at really any store (Rubbermaid has a number of different sizes, and their products are available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) are sturdier than cardboard boxes. Heavy duty plastic containers also won't be damaged if they become wet, which is especially important if your storage room is in your basement or your attic or your garage.
Rule number two: organize things by type
When you are organizing your storage room, go through all of your boxes and containers. Put things that are alike together. All Christmas decorations should be in the same boxes. All summer clothing, decorations, and so on should be together. Separate your mementos from your spouses. Put craft supplies all together. All electronics and media should go together.
- Label your containers Invest in some inexpensive, stick on labels. Label each and every container, and make sure that you put the label on the side of the container instead of the top so that you will be able to see the labels when you put the containers on your shelves. Be as specific as possible. "Miscellaneous" just doesn't cut it. If you do have a miscellaneous box, then you should list the things that are in that miscellaneous box.
Rule number three: organize things by need
When you put your containers on the shelves, then you should put the ones that you will need to access regularly near the door. Put ones that you will rarely get into near the back.
Rule number four: keep your belongings safe/keep humidity out
There are a number of things that you need to do to keep your belongings safe.
- Install a smoke detector
- Install a humidity detector
- Elevate your shelves
This last step is especially important if your storage room is in a basement or a garage. Elevating your shelves and anything too large to be on a shelf can help you keep your belongings safe from flooding or other humidity.
