3 Steps to Declutter Your Storage
At Established Moving & Storage, we offer short-term and long-term storage solutions at our climate-controlled Seattle storage facility. And as you may know, once you have a storage space, it can become a sort of blackhole. Everything you don’t have space for in your home, anything you no longer use gets chucked into your storage unit or garage.
This happens again and again until your storage is filled to the brim. Either you purchase another storage unit, or you take some time to declutter. If you choose the latter here are the steps to declutter your storage.
1. Gather the Necessary Tools
Before you tackle your overflowing storage unit or garage, make sure you have all the tools and packing supplies you’ll need. Those tools could include:
- Pens and markers
- Notepad for checklists and inventories
- Sticky notes for labeling
- Trash bags
- Laundry Baskets
- Packing boxes
- Tape and scissors
With these tools you can start organizing your stuff and even pack up of the things you want to remove out of your storage unit.
2. Sort Your Belongings into Categories
After you’ve gathered all the tools you need to begin decluttering, try using the four-box method. To utilize this method, you can either reserve four boxes or set up four areas right outside your storage unit. Use sticky notes to label these four large containers or areas into the following four categories:
- Donate/Sell
Things that are placed into this category are the items you no longer want to keep. However, they are still in good enough condition to be useful to someone else.
- Home
Things in this category are to be returned to your home. You’ve either made space for these items or you’re going to start using them regularly again.
- Trash
These items are no longer wanted or needed. They are either in such poor condition or are so outdated that its best to put them in the garbage.
- Storage
These items will stay in your storage unit.
3. Prepare for Sentimental Items
It is likely you have accumulated so much stuff in your storage unit over the years that you may not have the clearest idea of what items are stored inside. Once you start decluttering and taking stuff out, you may be confronted by sentimental items like family heirlooms. Don’t beat yourself up if you get emotional! Give yourself more time when deciding which category to place these items into.
After following these steps, your storage space will be decluttered in no time!
When you are in the process of moving to a new home or office location, we can handle all your storage needs. Established Moving & Storage offers both short-term and long-term storage solutions for families and businesses alike. Contact us to learn more about our storage services.
