Every so often, I go and visit my things in storage in a neighbour’s attic and just have a rummage around for an old document I suddenly need, or to transfer non-seasonal clothing to a protected environment.

Usually it’s a fight – inevitably I wind up taking out of the locker half of my stuff and methodically opening every suitcase or filing box to find exactly what I need.  Half the time it’s not there, or I don’t plan enough time for the visit and I bump up against the time that my neighbour needs to close up his home and leave.

I thought I had gotten smart – one day I arrived with a stack of pre-printed A4 (approx letter-sized) papers with large 48-point bold Arial writing on them as makeshift labels.  I used heavy duct tape to plaster signs like “Christmas deco’s” or “Air Mattress” or “Tax Records – 2005/06″ on the suitcase, box, or garbage bag I was using to store the item in question.

After a time, I had to bring additional papers to update my records (tax year 05/06 invetitably turned into 06/07, then to 07/08 and so on).  Also old papers get dog-eared, or I use the suitcases and need to replace the labels anyhow.

I finally decided to invest in some better storage boxes, after having woken up in the middle of one night exclaiming “Modular!”  In this way I could solve a number of problems:

• organise my things in decreet groups and categories
• with handles, the plastic boxes are easier to manage than bulky garbage bags or cardboard boxes that can rip
• the boxes are stackable evenly – no more dangerous leaning towers of papers
• the boxes I chose are air-tight and keep ambient smells or damp out
• as the boxes can be stacked, they allow air flow under, over and between them – again minimising any risk of damp

Best of all, they’re transparent – I can see at a glance whether the contents are my winter parka (which may weigh the same as my air mattress), or my tax files ready for the accountant instead of a thousand of my old holiday snaps!

Ordering was easy.  I live in the UK so I went through my British Airways Executive Club membership through to their online shopping service, clicked through to Ebay (doing it this way gets you double BA airmiles!) and selected 7 * 64 Litre boxes and 3 * 80 Litre boxes.   The next business day they arrived. Over the weekend, I did the repacking / distribution.

I can now sleep more soundly at night, knowing that future visits to my beloved storage home will be easier, faster and far more hassle free than ever!

… is another’s treasure – or at least so the saying goes.

There are many reasons why we go through periodic cleanouts.  Moving – be it to a larger place, or smaller – is the usual requirement to sort through our stuff, largely because moving companies charge by weight and volume.

Perhaps we’re in a new relationship and simply don’t need the inevitable two-of-everything that would come from merging the bachelor(ette) pads.  Or, perhaps a life coach has recommend that we simply throw out anything we haven’t used for the last 6 months, and thus go through some sort of “purification” or renewal ceremony.  Or indeed, maybe we’re trying to clean up that extra bedroom in order to list it on StorPod.com to keep someone else’s stuff!

Whetever the reason to reduce the amount of stuff around the home or office, there are some handy tips to keep in mind during the process.

First, go through everything meticulously and take your time.  Remember, when an item is gone, it’s gone for good.  What would happen if your birth certificate were accidently thrown out with last week’s newspapers, or Great-Granny’s priceless heirloom wedding ring were donated along with the torn rugby shirts from grad school?

Got the stuff you want to keep?  Good.  Where are you going to put it all?  Surely not just back in the same place – you’ve gone to all that sorting work, so you might as well do something with it all.  Try not to get distracted reminiscing over old photos or starting up that stamp collection you always wanted.  Instead, consider what you might want to do with your prized possessions and whether space, logistics or time play factors in your decisions.

Perhaps this is a good time to do some DIY or contracting of labour to repaint the back of your closet, fix damaged plaster or rebuild a bookcase?  Maybe you might want to get rid of your exiting shelving and replace it with something more practical, modular, newer or simply more funky?  Perhaps it’s just spending a few bucks and getting better hangers that don’t wreck your shirts, or a DVD rack.

Once you have separated the items you want to dispose of, take another look at them.  What should be thrown out?  Perhaps clothing that can no longer be used because of some horrible and very obvious stain.  Can it be shredded to make cleaning rags?  Maybe  there are some books that got mildewed from when you left them in the garden under the sprinkler one day and never dried them out.  Try to recycle as much as you can, separating the paper from the glass and plastics.  Anything hazardous (old paints and batteries) should be disposed of in proper units.

Note: if you are disposing of papers, make sure you shred them to remove any personal information (such as your name, address, bank details, date of birth, etc).  If you are getting rid of old computers, cell / mobile phones, laptops, memory sticks, USB keys – anything that can hold data – ensure you take the time to back up your important information and reformat (several times) the item you are giving away.  This helps protect your identity and removes any problems you might have with giving away unlicensed software.

Now, turning to the stuff that is usable.  Could there be some intrinsic value to them, or do you have the time to sell them?  You could take them to your neighbourhood garage / car boot sale and maybe get a few dollars back from them, or turn them over to charity to sell on.

If you’re not interested in selling those items (used baby clothes are often difficult to sell even though they may still be in great condition), turn to an organisation like Freecycle.  This is a free email service which uses conventions like WANTED, OFFERED, COLLECTED in email subject lines to help re-home items of good condition that often can’t be sold.

In many cases you might have an item that still has some intrinsic value to it – such as a set of old records in good condition, or a pair of skis you never use.  You should consider selling these on Ebay or some other auction site, doing so at the right time of year (sell the skis when people are gearing up for the winter snow season, for example!)

However, if you do want to sell such items, be prepared to put some time into marketing them – if you want the best price, of course!  You should consider describing the item in detail – size, weight, colour, and other specifications.  Maybe add a short personal anecdote about when you used it and how helpful it was.  Take some photos of it – most mobile phones these days come with good quality cameras and you can easy download photos to your computer.  If it’s easier to describe the item with a video, consider shooting a 30 or 60 second video with your mobile and uploading that to YouTube (you should link your eBay ad to the video link too).  Spending a little time with each of these options could make your item more attractive to buyers and help you provide clearer answers on shipping terms and prices.

If you’re selling an old mobile phone (in the UK, at least) consider using a price comparison site to help you get the best deal.  Remember, consider both working and non-working phones as there is a market for both.

Whew!  Hopefully these tips are giving you a bit of extra elbow room.  Do write us with your ideas of how you cleaned out your home or office, and useful web sites that helped you!

Additional Industry News:

• Cargotecture | 360Digest – According to the Wall Street Journal, there is enough space in rentable self-storage lockers in the U. for each man, woman and child to stand on a spot 2 ½ feet by 2 ½ feet, with room left over. While 40 percent of the total self-storage space is rented by businesses, one in every 11 American households now has a self-storage unit.
• consolidate debt and climb out from underneath your bills – It’s really sad when I get gas for $2.82 a gallon and think, “Gee, that’s cheap!” But when you consider that just a few months ago, I was paying $1 more a gallon, yeah, anything under $3 looks good to me. …
• Midlife Geeky Speaky – Chicago Self Storage Offers Smartbox Storage Syste. Recent Comments. La Stella Blu With the current state of the econo. lida thx man.
• Good self storage blog – Space should not be your only concern when looking for good Saskatoon storage units . Security should also be an important factor to look for when choosing a facility to store your belongings. Today, more and more storing facilities offer improved security measures, which means that you can put a number of different things away without worrying if they will be safe….