The things we own should have a clear purpose and a designated place in our lives. I am sure that most of us own plenty of things that meet those criteria, but we also own plenty of other things that do not have a clear purpose or designated place. Modern life and the easy accumulation of cheaply manufactured mass goods guarantee that. We need to learn how to organize our storage space to accommodate everything we accumulate.
Who doesn’t have at least one drawer that mysteriously accumulates junk no matter how you try to organize the contents? We know that we should be able to find at least one rubber band, paperclip, pen, chip clip, notepad, and any form of possibly useless conference swag in this drawer – we just have to spend a little time rummaging to find it. Even though things in a drawer are stored out of sight, it still counts as clutter because we need to interact with these things. We all know how detrimental clutter can be. Things stored neatly, on the other hand, serve us well. In order to organize storage space for our possessions, we have to understand their purpose and store them accordingly.
Store Items in an Orderly and Appropriate Location
It is difficult to manage everything we own. We own more things than we use every day. It is important to put forth intentional effort when acquiring and storing our things, though, because where we place these things can impact our lifestyle and our mood. If I toss a screw driver in the back of a cabinet because I am too lazy to take a couple of minutes to find some kind of labeled box or bucket or other designated space in which to place it, then I’ll have an interesting time trying to find it the next time I need it. I will probably spend a couple of minutes digging through everything else in the cabinet if this is the way I handle other objects as well.
If I decide to bypass that dilemma by placing the screwdriver in a prominent place on an open shelf in plain sight, then I shouldn’t have any trouble finding it, but it won’t be a visually appealing sight to see every day. Keeping tools arranged in open view is not most people’s idea of an ideal design aesthetic (unless of course the space is a workshop or other appropriately designated area for that function). Where, then, do we store the screwdriver so that we can both remember where to easily find it and not have to look at it every day?
Employ Storage Containers Craftily
There are plenty of items that we occasionally need to use but that we don’t want to see in plain sight. This is why cabinets, closets, drawers, and closed shelving are your friends, and buckets, baskets and bins are just as crucial to organize storage space. The cabinetry will hide objects from plain sight and the containers will organize objects in distinct locations so that we can quickly and easily find them. Keep a coffee tin in a cupboard or any closed shelving unit to store your screwdriver and any other similarly-shaped tools like extra scissors, screws, etc. You can label the tin until you have memorized its location.
Keep an organizer tray in a drawer to divide smaller objects like safety pins, sticky notes, and pens. Invest in clear plastic bins of all sizes (they are very affordable) in order to store clothes, holiday decorations, and any number of less-frequently used things in a closet. Label those bins and you have a tidy storage system. (A side note, however: the clear plastic bins from Target tend to emit odors that clothing and sheets absorb. This is similar to how clothing kept in a dresser drawer for a long time has a ‘drawer’ smell. I am still not sure whether that is ‘hidden’ odors in the fabric itself or from the storage materials, but I recommend airing out linens that have been stored in these bins before wearing or using them again.)
There are so many storage and space organizers that truly make owning things a lot easier. It seems counterintuitive to buy things for the sole purpose of housing other things, but if it makes things easier to find, more convenient to access, and nicer to look at, then they are well worth it. It helps that many storage items come in different colours and materials to better match your decor, too. I have a couple of cute boxes in my son’s room that store smaller items we rarely need to use but which I know are easily accessible.
You don’t even have to buy storage paraphernalia. I keep a couple of bags of smaller boxes and jars at the bottom of a closet to use for various purposes. At surface level, keeping gift boxes, food tins, and candle jars sounds like hoarding, but I frequently end up using things out of those bags (one bag holds square/rectangular boxes, and the other holds round cylindrical containers) for all sorts of purposes. I don’t save every single box or container but if something is sturdy, in good condition, and looks decent, I’ll stow it away to repurpose. This has come in handy for years.
Long-Term Storage: Know Why You Are Keeping Something
All of these examples so far concern objects that we don’t always use but that we use frequently enough to keep within easy access. However, sometimes we want to keep things that we don’t necessarily need to access at any time in the foreseeable future. These include things like keepsakes or other cherished memorabilia that hold too much meaning to get rid of. Most of the time, people keep these kinds of things for children or grandchildren. That makes sense because there is a future purpose. Sometimes, you have your home decorated in such a way that there is no good place to display such items but you can see a possible future in which your home decor changes to accommodate the items. Or, perhaps you are in what you hope is a temporary living situation and you plan to bring these items out in a future larger space.
If any of those scenarios are actual possibilities that you anticipate, then it makes sense to hold on to these items. However, if there is no future purpose for these items and you are literally holding on to them just because you ‘cannot’ let them go, then it’s time to let them go. Otherwise, somebody who is in charge of your estate after you die is going to have their hands full going through excess items that nobody wants anything to do with. One shoebox is obviously no big deal, but boxes and boxes of things are not something people want to sort through or haul to a dumpster.
If you are holding on to something because you think somebody you know may want it, talk to that person first. Ask if they have any inkling of an interest or think they may in the future before you decide to keep it ‘for them’. And, if they are interested in perhaps someday taking ownership of this possession you are storing, do them a favor and store it in a clean and safe way.
Keep Long-Term Storage Items Clean and Protected
Do not store books or toys or anything else in a cardboard box in a basement or garage for thirty years and then expect someone to want something filled with rodent feces, dead bugs, dirt, or water damage. Nobody wants nor has time to deal with that. It is inconsiderate to give someone something dirty or that requires extra work for the recipient, and keep in mind that parents with young children are especially time-pressed. When you properly organize storage space for items that you intend to give to others, you are doing them a huge favor!
For non-insulated areas and non-living spaces, cardboard boxes are not ideal storage containers for things that we won’t use for a while and want to keep nice. Cardboard is usually fine for the closets in our homes, but it is not appropriate for unfinished basements or garages. Many bugs love delicious cardboard. Mice love nice warm cardboard. Who wouldn’t love to munch on and live in cardboard?
Don’t tempt the infesters. Unless the contents inside the cardboard are sealed within plastic, instead keep items stored long term in sealed plastic bags or plastic bins. The plastic bins may not be 100% airtight, but they at least seal enough to keep out critters and dust. For things that you plan to keep until your children have children, keep them even more secured by wrapping them in plastic bags within the bins. You don’t want something fun and cherished to look decrepit from humidity the next time somebody digs it out decades later.
Donate Things Your Family Won’t Want When You Die
If you aren’t going to store something properly, you may as well throw it away. If you are keeping it, there must be a legitimate reason. Unless your reason to keep something is because you want to one day dig it up yourself and spend time cleaning it from years of dirt, dust, and possibly water damage, then you need to consider how to preserve its clean condition. If you are like me and you hate throwing things in the landfill, then donate the items or find somebody you know who would like them. There are plenty of families who would love free or very affordable children’s books, toys, and other items.
You shouldn’t keep something for no other reason than not wanting to throw it away – find a place that accepts donations for needy families. Just be sure that what you donate is in good condition. Wash (and fully dry!) stuffed animals and clean any mystery stains from books with sanitizing wipes. Plenty of used things are in good condition so long as they are kept clean.
He adores them and gives them kisses every day.
The Takeaway: Manage Your Possessions Responsibly
Managing the plethora of items we accumulate over our lifetime is annoying and challenging. It is the primary reason I have often entertained the idea to move to a hut in another country and drastically alter my lifestyle. I think a lot of people can relate to that and some do sell all their possessions and sail the world on a boat. I do plan to downsize in the future, but at the end of today’s day, I am too much a product of modern culture and I’m fine with that. I just want to make sure I don’t keep more than is reasonable and responsibly manage what I do keep. If we can all practice this by putting in a little extra effort to organize storage space and situate our belongings appropriately, we will save ourselves time, effort, and sanity!