Organize Your Storage Room

We all seem to accumulate more and more things every year. Our lives become so cluttered with stuff it becomes a burden, source of stress, frustration and saps our energy and resources managing it ultimately reducing our enjoyment of life. Learning to balance the inflow and outflow may not come naturally. A key area is to have a properly organized storage room. It is all part of the feng shui of getting your life in balance, being efficient, and successful.


We often end up with ridiculous things in our storage rooms such crates of tupper ware lids, dried up cans of paint, or boxes of bent clothes hangers. If they cannot be used or you do not anticipate using them yourself anytime soon it is best to let go and get rid of it Cardboard boxes get stacked up to the ceiling with the ones on the bottom completely crushed and inaccessible. If it is about time you got your storage room in order here are some ideas to get you going.


Spend a few minutes thinking about and planning what you would like to achieve. What kinds of items do you need to store? One minute planning can save you five minutes of work. Often this is a stage where you might decide to purchase the shelving systems and storage hangers you will need to have an operational storage room. Consider which items you will use the most and plan for those to be in the most accessible areas.

Once you have an idea of what you would like to accomplish, clear out the area and begin categorizing and cleaning everything. Have a separate pile for things that are going for donations. Piling items next to a “FREE” sign at your curb is sometimes the easiest way to cut back. Keep a list of what you are going to keep and update it throughout the process.


When the area is clear you can clean, paint, prep and install any shelving, hangers, and brackets. Make sure your design allows for accessibility to all areas. If you cannot get to something easily you will most likely never use it. Hang up clothes for storage instead of boxing them up, as this will keep them from permanently developing creases or musty odors. Closet poles for clothes hangers come in all sizes and are easy to put up.


Use like sized or modular storage bins instead of boxes. Most home stores carry a large range of clear plastic storage containers. Clear storage bins are the quickest and easiest way to find what you need. If you are using boxes take a picture of the contents with a Polaroid or label them specifically item by item.




Special measures should be taken when storing things in a garage or basement to prevent moisture from damaging items. Some items should not be stored in these areas, such as photographs or a wedding dress.


Have fun with the process and enjoy yourself. Get the family or some friends together and spend the afternoon working on it. All it takes is a few good solid efforts. Order some pizzas or celebrate and go out for dinner afterwards. In the end after all the planning your not sure where to start just begin anyways and you will find the process take shape as you go. Keep moving forward and do not be afraid to make changes as you go, but do not get too caught up trying to make it perfect.


About the Author: Ron Maier is the President of the Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online provider of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.closethangerfactory.com.