Simplifying Life through Decluttering: Storage Unit Benefits
Over the decades or even over a few years, many people have been surprised by how much clothing, books, dishes, tools, and various other knick-knacks they have accumulated. Cluttering up closets, garages, attics, spare rooms, and every other conceivable corner of your home, it may seem like the house belongs to your possessions, rather than you! If you find yourself in such a situation, a spirited bout of decluttering is needed to reclaim your home and simplify your life. Of course, if you find yourself wanting to keep some items out of sentimentality or potential for future use, but don’t want to keep them in your home, storage unit benefits are something you should look into!
How Decluttering & Simplifying Your Life Go Hand-In-Hand
Having a living space that is crammed with objects can seem intrusive and claustrophobic. These feelings can cause undue stress in some, and in severe cases, anxiety and depression in others, which is best avoided for one’s physical and mental well-being.
Simplifying your life through decluttering is a deceptively simple process. Simple, in that it requires you to go through your belongings and sell, donate, or throw away items that you are not currently using, that have outlived their usefulness, or for which you see no immediate or tangible future use. Deceptive, in that it requires you to identify what holds sentimental value, and therein lies the difficulty- some people may be too attached to their belongings!
If there are some items you just can’t part with but are not yet ready to consign to the trash heap, it may be a good idea to store them in a storage unit such as the type that Mini-Entrepôts Sauvegarde offers. This way, they are out of your home, but also safely stored at an off-site location.
Storage Unit Benefits
Storage unit benefits are numerous but can play a particularly helpful hand in decluttering your home and simplifying your life. Here are some of the main benefits:
Safekeeping Sentimental Items
Items of a sentimental nature, like old photographs, documents, antiques, family heirlooms, wooden furniture, or even collectibles, are often the hardest to part with and declutter. Although they serve no actual, discernable purpose, the emotional attachment is strong and visceral. Thankfully, one of the great storage unit benefits is that it gives your precious belongings a space to remain safely stored so that it doesn’t clutter up your home. If packed and stored well, they can remain in pristine condition for years to come. Moreover, you can visit them at any time!
Seasonal Storage
Let’s face it, keeping your snowblower or Christmas decorations in your shed or garage during the summer doesn’t make much sense, nor does keeping your barbecue or pool equipment there in the winter. They take up unnecessary space, especially if you are looking to downsize and declutter. Why not simplify your life and store seasonal items in a storage unit during the off-season? Not only can you be assured of their safety and condition, you’ll win more space at home. Of course, another storage unit benefit is easy access- you can visit the unit a few weeks before the season changes or when your items are needed to prepare for the activities that lie ahead!
Moving
If you’re moving from one home to another or looking to safeguard some of your possessions from dirty, dusty, and destructive home renovations, a storage unit solution might be the best thing for you. This way, you can store your items indefinitely until you are ready to move into your new home or until your renovations are complete and your house is clean. Of course, you can always then determine if whatever you stored is necessary to keep, and declutter as you see fit!
Starting a Business or Keeping a Hobby
Starting a small business is an exciting new venture. However, storing stock, business supplies, and office equipment in a spare room, attic, or garage isn’t, especially if you’re looking towards decluttering your home. Why not try simplifying life by moving your small business to a storage unit? This way, you’ll have a private office space with which you can store stock, supplies, and equipment. Also, you can set up a few desks and computers and build yourself a quiet workspace and meeting venue for online appointments!
These magnificent storage unit benefits also extend themselves to hobbies. For collectors of anything from comic books to action figures to antiques and everything in between, storage units offer a safe, home-away-from-home for your belongings. For those who engage in pastimes like painting, photography, or even sports like hockey or skiing, storage units encourage decluttering by giving you the space to store cumbersome equipment!
Tips for Self-Storage Solutions
To fully enjoy storage unit benefits, you need to be proactive with how you pack and store your belongings. Here are a few pro tips to consider as you are decluttering:
Packing
When packing your belongings, consider using plastic bins, rather than cardboard boxes, for storage. This way, you’ll be able to see exactly what is in each container. You should also assiduously label each container, so you can read what the exact contents are. Also, prepare a master list of everything that is in your storage unit, keeping a hard copy both in the unit and at home, and also online.
Storage Organization
As a general rule of thumb, keep items that don’t see much regular use towards the back of the storage unit, with frequently accessed items towards the front. Stack heavier boxes at the bottom of your columns, leaving containers with sensitive or fragile items on the top. Make sure to leave a space between your columns and rows so that you can easily walk between them to access items. Consider putting in shelving along one of the side walls of the storage unit for small boxes and items. Finally, you should place all your items on pallets, in the unfortunate case of flooding or water leakage.
Climate-Controlled Storage Units
If simplifying life is a goal during your decluttering phase, you should strongly consider renting a climate-controlled storage unit. These units maintain an even temperature and humidity level the entire year round, keeping things like books, photos, sensitive documents, wooden furniture, and electronics safe from mold, rust, damage, and corrosion. In terms of storage unit benefits, that’s one you just can’t beat!
For more information on storage unit benefits, how to enjoy simplifying life through decluttering, or to inquire about rates, sizes, and availability of units, contact Mini-Entrepôts Sauvegarde today.