Declutter Your Home With Self Storage

After what’s been an unexpectedly long time spent staying at home, most of us are probably thinking it’s time for a clear out, but what’s the best way to declutter your house? Well, at Burlington Storage Barn we’re pretty good at organizing and saving space, so we have some great tips!

Our Guide To Decluttering Your Home With Self Storage!

Even though it may seem tempting to try to do everything in a day, it’s usually a much better idea to take things room by room. This way you’ll be able to keep track of what you are clearing, and give yourself a tidy room to escape to if you need a break! A good tip is to completely finish one room before you move on to the next. When you’re decluttering we’d recommend sorting everything into five categories:

1. Keep:Clean and put aside everything you’ll want to be keeping in a safe space so that it doesn’t get mixed up with items you might be getting rid of.
2. Throw Away:Designate a clear place for anything you want to go straight to the trash or recycling so that it doesn’t get mixed up with the rest of your things.
3. Fix/Repair:Set aside a box of things that you need to give a bit of attention to, like a coat you love but need to stitch some buttons on to.
4. Donate:If you have any household items you no longer need but someone else could really use, put together a donation box ready to take to a local charity.
5. Store:Any items you don’t want to get rid of, but don’t have space to keep are perfect candidates for storage. This could be anything from furniture you don’t want to part with but don’t have space for, seasonal leisure equipment like kayaks and camping gear, winter clothes, or generally any items you want to keep but don’t have the room for.

Now you’re ready with a plan, here’s our room by room guide to decluttering and clearing out your home in time for summer!

Kitchen

The kitchen is always a great place to start as it can be quite difficult to keep free of mess and clutter. Start by emptying out larger storage areas like your pantry and any cabinets you tend not to use as much. Then move on to the more used cabinets and then your worktops. Sort everything into one of the five categories we’ve mentioned above. Are there food items that are still good but you’re not going to use? Donate them to a foodbank. Out of date produce sitting at the back of your pantry? You’ll want to get rid of that! Is there any china, cookware or tableware you never use, but can’t bear to give away? Items like these are the perfect candidate for self storage, make sure you safely wrap them up and set aside before you put everything back.

Living Room

As it is generally the focal point of all activity in the house, the living room can be a real challenge to keep tidy! This is why it’s a great idea to tackle it early, plus, you’ll be needing a nice relaxing space to chill out after a hard day's work! Start with any surfaces around the edge of the room and move inwards. When you empty your bookcases, clear your coffee table and any cabinets you have, think; am I using this? If the answer is no, then make sure you sort it into one of the five categories we mentioned earlier. Remember, the key to successfully decluttering is being as honest and practical about what you want in your home as you can be.

Bathroom

It’s so easy to forget exactly what you’ve got in your bathroom! Start by emptying any bathroom cabinets and get rid of any out of date makeup or medicine. Then do the same with items around your bath/shower, under the sink and on any shelves. Put the items you’re most likely to use at the front of any cabinets, preferably at eye level. It shouldn't take too long to sort items in your bathroom into the five categories, and you can clean up everything else and put it back in a suitable spot.

Bedroom

The easiest way to start clearing your bedroom is by tidying any laundry you have out of the way and into a laundry basket, then make your bed. Now that you don’t have any dirty clothes around the room or an unmade bed to look at you’ll be able to concentrate on getting to that clutter. Start with anywhere random items are likely to build up like bedside cabinets or the top of chests of drawers. Tidy away any books you’re finished reading, look for anything you no longer use that is just gathering dust and decide if you’re going to; keep, throw away, recycle, fix, donate, or store. Go through your drawers and find any clothing you might want to donate. A good rule for this is: if you’ve not worn it in over six months, you’re probably not going to miss it.

Closets

There are so many ways to organize and declutter a closet, and it can seem like a daunting task. The key is to keep things simple, start by pulling out anything that shouldn’t be there. At this time of year, it’s probably a good idea to take out any winter coats and boots that are taking up space on your rail or shoe rack and pack them away for the season. The same applies for any seasonal items that are taking up space, whether it’s that Christmas sweater or Halloween accessory that’ll be sitting there without being used for a while. Next, find anything that is in need of cleaning or repair and set it aside. Now you should be able to work through everything else in your closet bit by bit. Do this by grouping things together so you’re sorting all your jeans or shirts or sweaters at the same time. This will make it far easier to spot anything you don’t want to be hanging on to!

Safely Storing Your Things

Once you’ve finished all of your rooms it’s time to relax and probably enjoy a well earned rest! Then, you’ll want to start thinking about places to donate your unwanted things, and where to get any of your broken or damaged items repaired. You’re also going to need to think about what you’re going to do with all of that stuff you want to keep but don’t have any space for! This is where a storage unit comes in handy. You can safely store any of your household items in a secure, climate controlled unit. At Burlington Storage Barn we have storage units to fit every kind of need, we can even help you out with boxes, bubble wrap and other moving supplies that are great for storage if you have delicate items. Take a look at our storage unit size guide for an idea of what you can fit in a particular unit. Ready to take the step and pack away that clutter from your home? Reserve your storage unit right now online.