How to remove clutter and make more room in your house

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Kids old clothes and toys, long since abandoned. A piece of furniture given to you that you don’t really have space for. The stuff your sister left in your house when she moved overseas. It’s all there, cluttering up your home and your life.

That spare room that’s more junk than room, the overflowing cupboards… it all adds up to a messy house. We’ve heard about Marie Kondo removing the things that don’t bring you joy—how about you give your house a facelift, create physical and mental space, and turn that junk room into a guest room again?

Thousands of Kiwis use temporary storage for a variety of reasons, but if you need to de-clutter your life, it could be the perfect solution. Not only do you give yourself space, but after a certain time in storage, it becomes obvious you don’t need it any more and you can sell it.

There’s a range of things that are safe to put in storage, and many Kiwis do so.

1. Use it to put old furniture away for later use

A perennial favourite of storage units is furniture. Some people acquire excess furniture, whether it’s by downsizing a home or being bequeathed someone elses furniture. If you’re going to move into a bigger home or you just can’t bear to part with Grandad’s chairs just yet, there is a solution. From armchairs to full-fledged sofa sets, you can fit everything into a unit if it’s large enough. Be sure to wrap every piece in protective covering to keep the dust off and any moisture out.

Keeping furniture at home means it still gets wear and tear- the sun damages leather and fabric, timber gets knocks and scrapes. Putting it in storage means it’ll still be in immaculate condition when you do decide you want it.

2. They are great when it comes to preserving paperwork

Yes, we often pride ourselves on being an almost paperless society. However, that’s not completely true. Today, it seems that there is more paper than ever before. You will probably have paperwork related to tax returns, receipts, medical bills and a range of other expenses.

The IRD usually recommend retaining these for a minimum of seven years for businesses, in case they are needed again. And it’s not unusual that suddenly you need the receipt for the bed, or records about when you broke your ankle. So it is important to hang onto some paperwork for a few years at least.

But there is absolutely no need to preserve all that in your house. Just stash them into a storage unit, and turn up in a few years and throw the whole lot in a shredder.

3. Clothes are perfect items to store

Maybe you have lost a few kilos, or maybe you have gained a couple. Whatever it may be, you might not want to get rid of all your old clothes. You might want to hold on to those maternity dresses in case you (or your friend) will be needing them again. The kids might have outgrown their onesies, but you want to hang onto things…. Just in case.

There is no need to use up valuable space in your home to store things you won’t be using in the foreseeable future. Pop everything you don’t fit right now into storage—it’s easy to get out later on if you need it.

4. De-cluttering a house overflowing with toys

Finding yourself tripping over a toy car, or a skateboard that was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Granted, the kids love their toys, but that’s no reason for them to be scattered all over the house. If you don’t have enough space inside to store everything, putting them into a storage unit is a logical idea. Give the children a selection and store the rest. Rotate the items occasionally, keeping them interested in the old toys while preventing your house from being overrun by battery-operated cars and noisy musical instruments.

5. A great way to preserve collectibles

Another favourite of storage units are collectibles. People collect all manner of things ranging from prototype submarine cars to rare first-edition comic books. Although serious collectors create dedicated spaces inside their homes to store their treasures, often your budget won’t match your ambitions. Renting a storage unit is far cheaper than building a new addition to your house, and is also hassle-free. If you find your home overflowing with things like antiques, hats, books, rare action figurines, or jukeboxes, it’s time for everything to move into storage. Maybe keep a selection of your favourites in the house—and this gives you more room to buy new items too.

A storage unit has loads of options

If you are wanting to de-clutter, even if it’s just short-term while you sell your house or downsize, a storage unit offers maximum flexibility. If it’s a month or a year, KonMarie your life and feel the freedom.