Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
To Store or Not to Store
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time in storage spaces. Basements in Manhattan, attics in Long Island, long-term storage in Brooklyn, I’ve seen it all. Yet every time, I’ve helped people get rid of a lot of stuff, which makes me wonder if they really needed to keep it in the first place. I’ve also heard some terrible stories: the upholstered chair that was too good for the Salvation Army so it sat in storage and ended up mildewed beyond repair; the floods that destroyed artwork; boxes of papers stored at great expense that never should have been kept at all. I don’t judge—sometimes you can be too stressed to make good executive decisions. Still, it’s painful to realize that all the effort and expense was unnecessary.
The best way to avoid those pitfalls is to understand that storage spaces shouldn’t be used as holding areas for things you don’t want to deal with or don’t know what to do with. Resist the urge to stash unsorted boxes of papers into storage. If you force yourself to sit down and go through them, you’ll likely find there’s a lot you can purge. The same goes for furniture or clothing you can’t bear to part with even if you aren’t using it. Be ruthless: If you can’t make room for that chair now, it may be time to pass it on to someone else. Ditto for clothing.
It’s also good to remember that attics, basements, and most off-site storage spaces are often not temperature controlled, so they’re a risky place to store family mementos and photos. Besides, if they’re in storage, how can anyone look at them? I know it’s hard to let go, but try to make an archive that’s complete and coherent, and that you can actually enjoy with your family and toss the photos and memorabilia that aren’t meaningful.
Still, rented storage is useful, especially in the city, where space is at a premium. The smartest items for paid storage spaces are holiday decorations, sleds and skates, skis and ski clothes, beach chairs and umbrellas, air-conditioners, and old taxes. Maybe you notice the common thread: They’re all seasonal items. They are the things you need only at specific times, so it makes sense to keep them out of the way.
Make sure you set up a system, so when you go get the Halloween decorations you can find them easily. That means not throwing random items you can’t decide about in on top of the well-labeled seasonal stuff you actually use.
They say clutter is deferred decisions, and when you defer those decisions to a storage unit, it can end up costing you a pretty penny. So take a nap or a walk, have a cup of coffee and put that executive function to work. In the end it may be easier than schlepping that stuff to storage.