As you look around your house, you realize that you have accumulated more than what fits into the square footage available in your home. It may be that you cannot put up with junk and regularly rid your home of worn out items, or things no one wants anymore. Still, you see that too many things are cluttering your home and hiding its style and pizzazz. Renting a storage unit allows you to rotate your treasures in and out of your house. The hardest part is determining what should stay and what goes to your self storage unit.
Keepers
- Hold onto clothes that are in season and that you wear regularly.
- Keep practical items that have regular use, like silverware, towels, bedding, and soap dishes at home.
- Retain often used furniture.
- Keep photos and wall hangings that add spark to the décor.
- Hold onto board games and enough toys to fill your child’s toy box.
- Keep enough of your college student’s personal objects to make them feel at home when they visit.
- File current bills and private documents like social security cards and bank account information at home.
- Show off collectors’ items in a display cabinet.
- Make room for sporting gear that someone in the house uses every few days (basketballs, yoga mats, bikes and more).
- Carve a niche for an emergency household tool kit.
Storage-bound
- Store out-of-season clothing and footwear.
- Box up extra items that clutter your cupboards like excess towels, the good silver used only on holidays, extra blankets needed only in winter, and toothbrush holders that have been replaced by a fresh design.
- Store the rocker that only grandma sits in when she visits every six months, or other furniture that is rarely used.
- Store photos and wall hangings that make the room look too busy, or just do not fit your current design scheme.
- Pack away extra toys that you have no room for. Rotate them in and out every few weeks so that your child can enjoy all of them. Involve your child in the decisions.
- Put away your college student’s bags, balls, and other belongings that spill out of closets into other rooms, or make the room uncomfortable for guests.
- Stash tax documents and other papers that may be needed but are seldom reviewed.
- Store collectors’ items that take up too much room and do not look good on display. If you have several collections or many items, you may want to rotate them.
- Pack up out-of-season sporting gear.
- Bundle garden tools together in the off season and stick them in a garbage bin in your self storage unit.
- Ultimately, use your discretion to decide what stays and what goes. Label your stored goods well. If you are keeping them, you should rotate what you can into daily use every so often.
