Now that the Christmas rush and New Year festivities are well and truly behind us, 2019 is here! Bearing in mind you probably had to rearrange or store things over the holidays to make space for visitors, now it’s time to put everything back. This presents the perfect opportunity to declutter properly with the help of our checklist and effective storage tips.
We’ve all been there; faced with the mountain of things we’re supposed to keep but you don’t have to. Make 2019 the minimalist year so have a good old sort out session instead of stuffing everything back. It will only lead to more clutter and a serious waste of space. For an uncluttered 2019, we’ve highlighted a few key areas to help you get started.
Storage Tips And Decluttering
Clearing things you no longer need is often challenging but it doesn’t have to be. It all starts with being prepared to throw away, sell or donate anything that you haven’t used for some time. If there are certain items you cannot part with, renting a self storage unit is always an option. Reputable establishments provide quality units with exceptional value for money while offering long or short term agreements.
Getting Started
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when decluttering is getting started. The same applies to all the documents on your desk or the ton of study material for a final exam. What you need to remember is that not everything is important or sentimental. The first step is to identify the belongings that don’t really matter or have significant value. Get rid of these first and then focus on finding space for the stuff that matters. From there, a few simple storage tips will do the trick which we’ll touch on later.
Have An Action Plan In Place
Maximising the space in your home requires a structured and organised approach. A great idea is to create an action plan and set specific goals. This applies regardless of how much junk you have lying around or the number of rooms in your house. Identify all the high traffic areas and rate each one based on the level of traffic.
Clear out one room at a time and start with the ones that generally causes clutter such as the spare room or unused attic. A very important step here is to set completion dates so you can allocate the right amount of time to declutter certain areas.
Develop a Sorting System
Decluttering your home is not an overnight project and we recommend a methodical process. Putting a sorting system in place will really help and while there are several techniques that work for different people, here is a very simple and effective one.
Besides the loads of storage tips out there, when it comes to decluttering it’s all about asking yourself one question. “Do you keep it, throw it away or store it?” For smaller jobs, you can simply label four different boxes; ‘Keep’, ‘Throw out’, ‘Store’ and ‘Donate’. This makes the process far more organised right from the onset and throughout. When taking on bigger items you can use a checklist following the same principle.
Remain Committed and Don’t Be Overwhelmed
People might offer you the ‘best storage tips’ but if you get overwhelmed and give up halfway, you never should have started. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, take on one room at a time starting with the most troublesome. Once you have this under your belt, the rest of the house will be smooth sailing. Always start with the corners first and then the shelves before moving on to the bigger cupboards. You’ll be surprised how quickly a room can become uncluttered.
One of the many reasons decluttering projects fail is because many people don’t follow through. They fall to the hands of temptation to put things in the ‘Throw out’ box only to later decide they should keep it. Commit to tossing the junk once and for all. If something seems too valuable to throw out, simply donate it to a charity organisation of your choice.
Easy Storage Tips When Decluttering
One of the most important storage tips is to categorise all the items in your home according to type. Putting similar items together really helps you organise, pack and unpack like a pro. It allows you to find certain items easier once it’s been packed away. Always correctly and clearly label all the boxes so you can easily find things later instead of scratching through everything making a whole different mess.
Even boxes destined for self storage should have clear labels indicating the contents. Don’t just move things to self storage to clear space at home as you’ll only end up with a disorganised storage unit, filled with potential hazards. The same storage tips apply to your unit as it does your home. Pack everything in an orderly fashion, clearly marking breakables and store heavy items at the bottom. To maximise space and keep everything safe, take a look at our guide on ‘How to pack your storage unit’.
Donating Unwanted Christmas Gifts
A great way to start 2019, especially this time of year, is donating unwanted Christmas presents. Instead of throwing them away, why not consider donating those socks, food items or soap-on-a-rope. You may not want it, but somebody else sure will. It doesn’t even need to be anything expensive or extravagant and, depending on the gift, you could donate it to a shelter.
Charities rely on donations to operate, whether it’s a financial contribution or goods that they can sell in their shops. There are also other places that may not necessarily be charities but could benefit such as local community and playgroups. Donate used or unwanted furniture to Restored Furniture while The Salvation Army clothing bank and The British Heart Foundation will gladly collect clothing from your house.
Decluttering is as much a physical task as it is mental. While we know that it is difficult at times, hopefully these storage tips and decluttering ideas will help get you through it.
If you are looking for flexible storage options to get your home more organised, contact us today. We can help you decide which type of unit will work best for your needs and provide you with expert storage advice. You can also visit any of our branches or take the virtual tour of Gloucester and Stroud.
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