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Likely there’s one just a stone’s throw from your neighborhood. Every community, even the most affluent, in every city seems to sport a business designed just to hold stuff - and more stuff.
These tips are designed to help you tackle organizing, downsizing or just plain getting rid of that storage unit you rent or that might even be in your backyard.
1) Do you have a legitimate reason for having a storage unit? Perhaps you are deployed overseas and must store your belongings for a year or more. Are you building a new home or in the middle of a move and things are in progress? Do you use it for a business warehouse – to keep work supplies from cluttering up your home?
I’ve had a storage unit when a relative died and it was going to take a few weeks to find buyers for things. The unit was used 90 days. I had another when we moved and a child was living in a dorm for the rest of the semester before moving into an apartment. We had that one for 120 days.
Ask yourself if this is a temporary situation and there is an end in sight or has this become a permanent situation?
Ask yourself if this is a temporary situation and there is an end in sight or has this become a permanent situation.
2) Begin your sorting process by taking an inventory of your unit. Do you even remember what is in there? Clear enough items so that you have a path into the room. Grab a pad of paper and make a list of what the unit contains. You’ll use this list to make good decisions on what to keep and what to let go of.
3) For each item, ask yourself:
- Can I use it now in my home or apartment? If so, take it home. But, only take home those things that you can picture where you will put them and how you will use them.
- Is it a duplicate? Do you already have one of these or something you can use instead of this? Ask “What would I use instead of this?” Then let it go.
- Can it be replaced? Suppose I got rid of it but then needed it, what would I do? If it can be easily borrowed, rented or replaced, then let it go.
- Is it unique? If it is rare and unique, why is it in some storage unit? Sell it or use it.
- Is it a memory? Are you keeping things because they were belongings of someone you loved and lost? Remember that keeping items in a box in a storage unit does not honor anyone’s memory. Take one or two things and put them in a place of honor in your home. Sell the rest of it and use the money in a way the person you lost would appreciate. Donate it to a worthy cause in their name. That is much more of an honor that warehousing things in a shed.
- Is this item still useful to someone? You might not watch VCR tapes anymore but someone will. If you can’t use it, set it aside to donate.
4) To motivate yourself, remember that the funds you save from paying rental fees can go toward purchasing new items if you were to need them – or even better, go into your emergency fund or for something you really desire.
5) Keep in mind that charity pick-up trucks will meet you at your storage unit. If you have a lot of stuff to donate, arrange for a pick-up.
6) If you have a lot of things you’d like to sell, call a consignment shop and have them give you a price to take the whole lot at once. The sooner you get rid of things, the faster you save.
7) If you have a legitimate reason for using a storage building, make the most of the space. Buy some inexpensive snap-together plastic shelving as plastic doesn’t rust. Store like items together so that you can really find and use what you’ve stored.
8) Finally, take inventory every so often to see if you really need the unit. At some point, life may change. When that happens, let go of the storage as fast as you can.
Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s organizing advice has appeared in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. Her team of professional organizers, at 
