Keeping a storage room is difficult for most people. It’s a slippery slope to what’s actually just a junk room. If you don’t have enough storage space in other rooms and closets, we understand. But, as the organization experts of Toronto, Keystone Home Products wants to give you some tips so that you can have a truly effective storage room.
1. Sort Before You Store
The most important tip we can give you is to always sort through things before you commit them to storage. A lot of times, when people move a box into storage, they just take a peak inside, determine it’s a storage box, and then store it. Don’t do this.
Before any box goes into the storage room, it should be looked through in its entirety. You may see some old home movies on the top that you want to keep, but the entire bottom half of the box’s contents might be old junk that you don’t want anymore. If you aren’t certain of the contents of a box, go through it. Do this with every box you want to put in storage. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting storage space on things you don’t even need.
2. Avoid Pests
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when storing things is storing them badly. Yes, we’re talking about those beat-up, old, cardboard boxes that you don’t know the contents of. This is a great way to get pests.
A lot of people associate bugs with food only. The thing is, what is food to bugs is not always the same as what’s food to you and me. For instance, moths and carpet beetles enjoy eating fabric. If even one or two of these bugs find a way into that old, cardboard box of baby clothes from 1970, the next time you open it, all you’re going to find is larvae sheddings and more bugs. Not to mention, if they find a place to nest, they can spread to the rest of your house.
To avoid bugs and the mice that would love to nest in your cardboard boxes, store things nicely. The first thing is to use plastic bins over cardboard boxes. Square, easy-to-stack, plastic bins are only about 5 bucks each. Invest in some of them and use them for storage. These bins will keep out bugs, mice, mold, and dust.
For those things that don’t get stored in bins, you’ll want to store them on wire shelving. Keystone Home Products has all kinds of wire shelving available to choose from. The reason wire shelving is so important in storage rooms is that it’s harder for pests to navigate and also allows air flow. Having enough air flow in your storage room prevents musty smells, dust buildup, and mold growth.
More Tips
If you’re just getting started and are ready for more tips, check out our next article. You can also give us a call if you have questions. Sorting and pest prevention are only the first two steps to an effective storage room.
