How To Store Like A Pro

By Dani Messick, House and Home Writer

From living room tech to seasonal decor to garage bins, most homes are full of closets, cabinets and various shelving that offer us places to put our excess stuff. In an ideal world, we’d always have enough space and everything would always have the perfect home. In the real world, homeowners must navigate their storage, seeking out the best and most effective ways to handle home storage in any part of the home.

Deb Kraska, Restyled Furnishings, believes the most important aspects of storage management are keeping only what you actually use and grouping items to your own personal needs.

Start in one storage area and remove everything. Check through bins, on shelves, in cabinets. Put hands on each item you own. “Go through and see what you really don’t need and what you haven’t touched,” Kraska said.

Don’t be afraid to get rid of things you never use. Kraska recounted owning a frozen fruit machine that she and her husband used in the first year of marriage but stopped using and it sat in her closet for years, taking up space.

If you’ve unburdened yourself of unwanted junk, you can then begin to reorganize the room’s collection based on your specific needs. Sorting bins based on category will help to ensure that things that belong together stay together and save you time hunting through the storage areas of your home.

Deb Carpenter, Sweet Water Interiors, takes extra precaution to ensure that she’s always able to find her cherished items. “I like to write down on an index card what is within each container,” she said.

Some containers can simply have index cards or labels directly on them, but for the ones higher up, Carpenter goes to extra lengths. “I tape (the) index cards inside a cabinet door at eye level and then can read what is in each bin above without having to dig through to find what I need.”

Using the right storage in the right areas matters, too, to prevent damage. In outdoor areas, or areas that may be exposed to moisture or pests, specific types of storage may work better.“I find bins to work best in areas of moisture and pests,” Carpenter said.

There are many kinds of storage containers, from plastic bins with airtight lids, food grade canisters or cloth canvas organizers. Using the right type of storage for each area of your home will not only benefit the life of your home’s lessused items, but also save money. Knowing exactly where those items are will save time and energy in the long run. n

RESOURCES:

Restyled Furnishings, Granger, 574-855-3698, www.restyledfurnishings.com Sweet Water Interiors, Goshen, 574-534-3989, www.sweetwaterinteriors.com