The Do’s and Don’ts of Storage

6:00:00 AM

In my previous post I share two tips to keep your home organized. In this post, I will expound further on the storage system. I made a lot of mistakes in this area but I'd learned from it so I want to share with you the lesson learned. Check out the do’s and don’ts of storage below:

Don’t make storage complicated

Number one rule is to not make storing things complicated. Complicated means, color-coded, separated in to subcategories, too much compartments and too much rules. This demotivates us from following the storage system. Putting things into their storage is one chore and having a rule to think of, makes it a dreaded chore.

I once told the family that all chargers must go into a particular drawer, that after using it, they should put the Velcro strap back and put the charger into a particular compartment inside the drawer. The result? Nobody returns the charger into the drawer and so I have to return them by myself. So I change the rule and told them to put the charger in the box inside the drawer (the box has no more compartments this time). Sure it is not as prettier as with the Velcro strap and compartments, but at least they are keeping the charger in the same place and we know where to find it every time we need it.

To me best storage place is the closet, drawers and boxes in its plain form. You don’t need to add divisions inside drawers or boxes. 

Do store stuffs of the same category together

Keeping same items together makes it easier to find when you need them. All our gadgets, tablets, laptops, cameras and the accessories and charges that go with it are stored in the same area in our house. This way, if we are looking for something gadget related, we don’t have to look around the whole house but only in the gadget area. Plus it is also easier for them to remember where to put things back. Paper related, into one magazine stand, so when someone brings in a paper (billings, ads, and magazine) they know where to put it. Books, we put all the books together into a particular bookshelf, and we can only bring one book in our bedroom and the rest are kept in the bookshelf so there will be no books lying around everywhere.

Don’t consider proximity

I used to think that it is wise to put things near to where we use it. Sure it is convenient and within reach when you need them but it causes clutter around. Like books for example, if books are stored in each bedroom in different bookcases, for the reason that it is near the reader, chances are when you have to find a particular book, you will have to search in all thebook shelves available in the house. Same goes, with toys, if we keep bath toys in the bathroom, play toys in the living room and sleeping toys in the bedroom it’s hard to keep up keeping all this toys. Also with papers, if every room has a paper inbox/outbox tray, papers will be everywhere. So don’t consider nearness, rather stick to centralized storage system.

Don’t use the flat surface                                                                          

Flat surfaces are a clutter culprits. Tables, tabletops, flat surfaces tends to attract everything and a favorite storage space for things not sure where to put on. So it’s important to clear flat surfaces and not use it as a storage space. Also its best to limit having flat surfaces.

These are my storage tips. If you have a particular storage question, you can leave them in the comment section below and I will be more happy to help. Hope this encourages you to have an organized life! 

For those who find difficulty in organizing your home, I want to help. Send me an email at info@romanelle.com and let me know your organizing problems and I will give  my best to help you. Talk to you again next time.

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