How to get rid of stuff and make more storage space at home?
When we spend some time in one place, it’s going to get crowded with stuff after a while. People tend to gather things that they don’t really need and often get carried away when shopping. The result is – having too much unnecessary and old stuff around and not enough room for the things that matter.
Luckily, if you have decided to make some changes to your home, these couple of tips will be truly helpful.
Declutter your home first
First, you need to let your home breathe by getting rid of the clutter. And to do that, you will have to resort to certain tricks and methods to do it successfully.
- One by one – It’s best to focus on each room individually and don’t move on to the next one until you’re completely done with the first one. This will also give you a sense of achievement and build your confidence every time you declutter a room.
- Make a list – Create a list of areas you want to declutter and always begin with the easiest one on the list. When you’re done with decluttering it, simply stop. How difficult it will be will depend on you.
- The 12-12-12 challenge – Make it fun! Choose 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate and 12 items to return to their actual home. It can easily become a competition between you and the family member who’s decluttering the home with you.
- The closet hanger trick – To determine which pieces of clothes you should throw out, hang the clothes by putting the hangers in the reverse direction. Each time you wear a certain item, return the item to the closet but place the hanger in the right direction. After six months, take a look at your closet – it will help you decide which clothes you don’t really need. Of course, you can use this method for other items in your home, like toys, linens or bags.
- Use your imagination – If it’s difficult to get rid of a certain item, try asking yourself this question: “How much I would pay for this if I was buying it right now?”. It could really help you in realizing it’s time to remove something from your home.
Create more storage
As time passes by, you will probably need more space in your home because you are expanding your family, you want to have a home office or there are simply more things you need when you get older. When creating additional storage, follow the example of Australian people – they often move and search for ways to improve the comfort in their homes and add more space. That’s why many of them use professional services from Sydney and Brisbane removals and storage to make the process of reorganizing their stuff easier. Here’s what else you can do to get more space storage:
- Go vertical – A great way to make the best of a small household is to use the up-and-down surfaces. Install slim wire baskets to place narrow items there that otherwise make a mess very quickly.
- Out-in-the-Open Storage – Many of us think that proper storage is the one with closed drawers and door. Actually, you can put same-size items together in a cute storage piece on the outer side of a cupboard or a closet and get more storage space.
- Use the windows – They could be great storage spots. You can use windows in the kitchen, for example, to put a mid-height shelf in front of it. Hang a couple of short bowls on it and then use the hanging rack above it to hang pots and pans.
- The right products for specific space – Always triple measure all of your storage spaces before you buy racks, trays and bins. Otherwise, you could get frustrated when realizing the racks you bought can’t fit your closet. Storage products must fit your items. So, always carry a piece of paper with your storage space measurements in your wallet.
- Consider your prime real estate – this area includes the space between your shoulders and your knees and it’s the one to pay attention to. In other words, keeping stuff at the height of your prime real estate means keeping them where it’s the easiest for you to reach them. You need to identify the items you need on a daily basis and storage them in the prime real estate storage space. Everything else is stuff you need from time to time, meaning they can be stored higher or lower.
- Plastic containers – clear containers will allow you to see what’s inside without having to pull it out and open it. It will save you a lot of time when you need a certain item. You can choose decorative baskets for the living room and kitchen. It’s even easier to find an item if you label it, especially if you keep some containers in the attic or in the basement.
- If the previous ideas won’t suffice it’s probably worth considering a self storage unit. 1 in 10 households use self storage in America. And in some cases,
they’re used as a functional space for people to work or workout in. You can see how using a self storage unit would be of use for many things but you will
need to consider a few details such as logistics, size, storage price and any other features for your particular requirements for the objects you plan
to store. So make sure to iron out those details before you sign anything or part with cash.
When you start decluttering your home and creating more storage, the most important thing is to be patient. It will take some time, but it will pay off in the end – you will get a bigger, cleaner home.
Author BIO
Jessie is a passionate blogger and home designer. She loves writing about tips and tricks that make every home a better place, inside and outside. Besides this, she loves sports, outdoor activities and spending time with her close ones.
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