Clutter: ‘a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not necessary or are not being used; a lack of order’ – Oxford Learner Dictionary 2021
Even the most minimalist among us know that sometimes clutter can build up. Recent examples could include that thing you got for Christmas that wasn’t quite to your liking, or that ornament that looked good online but when it arrived it looked nothing like it did on the website. There comes a time when we begin to realise that we are surrounded by things that we don’t need, want, or indeed actually like. If you’re at that stage, you’re in the right place; here are our top 3 signs you need to declutter, and how to start organising.
Getting the drawers closed is a daily battle.
A classic. This is when the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ ethos goes too far and suddenly the magic drawer of miscellaneous things (we all have one!) just says no. You may try pulling it out, hoping there’s something stuck down the back that’s stopping it from closing, but alas, it’s just too full. Unfortunately, that means it’s time to pull everything out the drawer and sort it out.
When this is just happening with the miscellaneous drawer, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do a mega declutter, but when it starts to spread to other drawers that’s when you know there’s an issue. For example, shoving clothes down to make them fit, and then having to pull and pull at the drawer to get it open, only for it to give way all at once and send you flying; that’s a strong sign it’s time for the sorting to begin.
You can’t find things.
Imagine the scene: You’ve got an important meeting at work this morning and you are brushing your hair to try and at least look vaguely presentable (you couldn’t find the straighteners), when the phone rings. You put the brush down to answer the phone but where is that ringing coming from! You finally dig the phone out from its hiding spot only to realise you’ve missed the call because you didn’t find it in time. You try to go back to brushing your hair, but the brush is most definitely not where you left it. Actually, where did you leave it. The phone starts to ring again and it’s in your pocket… no it’s not. You must have put it down again. You start looking around frantically but it honestly could be anywhere. The ringing stops before you find it and now, you’re left with no phone, hair that looks like you were pulled out of a hedge backwards, and you are late for the meeting.
If this sounds remotely familiar, it may be a sign you need to declutter. Being able to find the things you need is key to keeping your life in order, and if excess clutter in your home is putting roadblocks on your life it’s definitely time to do something about it. In another world you had the phone nicely on the clear side, answered it the first time it rang, straightened your hair to perfection while you chatted, and waltzed into that meeting 10 minutes early. With a bit of work, that world can be a reality!
Your guest room is in hiding.
In non-Covid times it is always lovely to have friends and family round to stay, but if your guest room has disguised itself as a pile of junk, it’s time to make a change. You may be thinking, “it’s obvious that we pop our unwanted things into the guest room, I mean, it’s literally called the spare room, right?” Wrong. For any guests who come and stay it can be quite the nightmare, and we can’t imagine you feel particularly proud of it.
So how do you fix it? If you’ve put that thing into the spare room and it hasn’t been touched in months, you need to ask yourself “Do I still need it? Will I ever use that again?”. If the answer is verging on a no, maybe it could go to someone who would use it more, or maybe it’s just ready for the bin.
Now you’ve had a declutter, how do you keep it that way? The easiest way to stop it building up in the first place is simple. The next time you go to stash something in there, consider what you, in three months, would say to that question. It won’t always work, but it will stop a fair number of things ending up as part of the mess. Oh, and don’t leave the decluttering questions for the day before your guests arrive; we suggest you check that the clutter isn’t growing every 6 months or so.
Being in your home is stressful.
This is probably the most important one. When the mess begins to stress you out it can make you really uncomfortable in your own home, and in a time when the majority of us are doubling our houses up as offices, that’s not ideal. Cluttered environments make us feel like there’s too much going on which leads to distraction and a lack of focus, not to mention making us generally upset with ourselves for letting it get like that. The only real cure is to crack on, start the decluttering process and try your best not to let it build up again.
The secret of how to declutter is to think about which items bring you joy. It sounds cheesy but bear with us. You’ll likely find that a lot of the items causing the clutter and mess are actually just there out of habit and memory, and actually don’t make us particularly happy to have around. Lots of the little things we buy spontaneously these days bring us joy for perhaps the first week, but after that can leave us thinking ‘why on earth did we waste our money on that’. If you go through your room and find lots of items like this then it may be time to revaluate what you buy, stop the clutter building up in the first place, and save yourself money along the way.
How can we help?
It could also be that you have a lot of treasured items, and simply not enough space to store them. That’s where we come in. At Go Store York we provide safe, clean, dry storage units of all shapes, sizes and budgets which are perfect to stash your much-loved items and memories that just don’t fit right now. You can rest assured that we take security very seriously with our 24-hour CCTV surveillance, monitored burglar alarms and state of the are smartphone entry systems, all housed within a secure fenced compound.
So, once you’ve managed to get organised and have sorted your junk from your treasures, check out our Go Store York secure storage units, available in a range of shapes and sizes to suit your budget. Get in contact with the team to have a chat about your needs and get the ball rolling on a clutter-free life.
Don’t be among the 80% of people who break their new year resolutions within the first six weeks of the year!
Make that move to your dream home
If 2020 is the year that you’ve decided you’re going to make that move, a self storage room can help you along the way! Start by decluttering your existing home to make it appear more spacious, and therefore valuable, to buyers. Secondly, you can use self storage to store all your furniture whilst you redecorate and renovate your new home. With plenty of private storage rooms available at Go Store we’re sure to be able to keep your precious things safe and sound whilst you get your new dream home ready to move-in to.
Get fit & healthy
Health and wellbeing resolutions will often appear near the top of peoples resolutions, especially following a little over-indulgence over the festive period. Going to cheap (or expensive) gyms and fitness classes often don’t make it beyond the end of January, as it’s a hassle to get there after a long day at work. Why not exercise from the comfort of your own home at a time of day that suits you? Clear out the spare room or make extra space in the garage. Some of our most popular cost effective small storage units can be a great option for storing excess furniture and boxes out of the way, so you can create space for that exercise bike, rowing machine or weights rack.
Take up a new hobby
Start paddleboarding on the River Ouse, Ripon Canal, or on lake Semerwater. Play golf at one of the plethora of courses around York, or take up cycling in the Yorkshire Dales – get out and about in 2020. Don’t let your lack of cupboards or garage space limit your ability to take up a new hobby, self storage can be an ideal solution for storing your leisure equipment or for keeping other items cluttering space around your home safe and secure.
Go travelling abroad
If you’ve spent years wanting to travel to the East coast of Australia, interrail around Europe or trek through the Andes, 2020 could be the year for you. Rest assured your personal effects and precious items can be kept safe and secure in a small private storage room or locker at Go Store in Monks Cross, York.
Start a home business
More and more people are starting their own home businesses. Often the biggest obstacle to getting stated or growing to the next level is a fear of having to take a long lease in a workspace, office or warehouse. This is where self storage can help, renting a flexible storage space at Go Store, together with utilising their receipt & dispatch service and preparing orders in the business lounge may mean you can start to grow your business at a more comfortable pace, whilst starting the move away from home. If your business needs room to grow, or if you need a safe and secure location to store your stock or product self storage could be the answer like it has been for many start-up businesses over the years, we hope it’s yours in 2020!
If you would like to find out more about how self storage can help you implement your 2020 resolutions contact us in Monks Cross, York. Tel: 01904 215 990.
What’s the best way to protect furniture whilst in self storage? Make sure you take the time to store it correctly.
With these top storage tips, you’ll be able to protect all your furniture, whether they are priceless family heirlooms, excess furniture waiting to be gifted to family or brought back to your home after your extension.
- Investigate the storage options available to you.
Do you keep your furniture for the long term or do you sell it and buy new when the time comes to move into your new home? In lots of cases, opting to store furniture makes sense if you’re in the middle of a move or going through a life event.
When storing furniture, protection from the elements is paramount. Consider all of your options before choosing a storage space. If you’re serious about maintaining this furniture in storage over the longer term, you’ll want to make sure your storage environment is perfect. Storing in cheaper external shipping containers that are susceptible to damp or condensation will probably not be the right choice – a purpose built indoor storage facility is probably a much more sensible decision.
- Clean everything thoroughly.
Protect furniture in storage by ensuring everything is clean. Unclean furniture can have offensive odours which may travel to nearby units or into your other furniture, cleaning will also reduce the chance of dust in your storage space.
Some tips for cleaning furniture before putting into storage:
> With wooden or plastic furniture, use a baby wet wipe to clean visible dust and marks.
> Clean fabric items like sofas and seat cushions with fabric or upholstery cleaner. Check that everything is completely dry before you start packing it up and make sure you vacuum the internal pouches that gather items like coins, crumbs and wrappers over time.
> Polish any metal sections with a polishing cloth and metal cleaner. This step will help remove any existing oxidation and delay the build-up of tarnish.
- Take everything apart.
Before moving items from each room, take apart everything you can — this includes desks, bookshelves, wardrobes and more. This extra step will make your packing up the removal van and self storage unit far easier. And it will also reduce the likelihood of breaking or scratching anything.
Put all screws, bolts, allen keys, and other small items in a labelled food bag, and tape to the furniture piece to which it belongs.
- Wrap furniture for long-term storage.
Make sure everything is well covered and protected, wrap picture frames in bubblewrap, mattresses and sofas in protective covers, fragile items in strong boxes.
Try not to put furniture into your self storage unit which is unprotected. Use dust sheets or plastic wrap to cover the pieces and protect them from dust, elements whilst moving and to protect in transit and in store. Antique furniture and wooden items are better protected with dust sheets as it allows it to breathe.
- Protect glass items.
Mirrors, Pictures and Glass tabletops require some extra precautions. Use bubblewrap and corner protectors. Don’t stick tape directly to the glass, as it will leave a nasty residue for you to clean later.
Smaller glass picture frames can be placed in boxes for some extra security. Use doubled walled boxes so they are strong enough to be stacked.
- Don’t ever try to store food or perishable items.
Whether you’re storing furniture long term or for a few months, never leave anything perishable in your storage room that may attract bugs or unwanted mould.
- Don’t cram too much inside.
The best way to store furniture in a storage unit is by not overdoing it – whilst we may all be secret Tetris enthusiasts! A sure-fire way to break something valuable is by cramming too much stuff into your self storage unit. Take time to think about what you might need – leave those items to last and store near the doors. Pack furniture methodically by starting with the largest pieces and placing boxes and small items under legs or in cupboards.
Always try to leave a central aisle to access the rear of the storage room. Try to keep your storage space clean and decluttered in order to protect furniture and fragile items. If you try to cram in more and more stuff, you risk breaking things or causing damage.
Storing furniture in a storage unit doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. At Go Store Self Storage our friendly team are always on hand to help advise which unit will be most appropriate for your storage needs.
Many companies now operate by allowing or insisting employees to work a day or two per week from home, which can be a great perk as it allows you to escape the office, get your head down and get your work done with fewer interruptions, so long as you have the right working environment.
Perhaps you even work from home because you have set up your own home business.
Whether you are able to work from home as part of your job or you have a home business, we at Go Store have compiled these 5 tips to help you get the most of your space.
1. Try to keep your home life and work life apart
If working from home on a regular basis, you should consider creating a dedicated work space, the kitchen table or TV room can become too much of a distraction. We often have rooms and landings at home where space could be easily converted, so whether it’s an outdoor shed, a spare bedroom or the awkward area under the stairs, there’s usually plenty of options, big or small, where you could create your perfect home office.
2. Good lighting can change even the drabbest of spaces
Bad lighting can put a strain on your eyes which effects your productivity, especially if you spend all day in front of the computer. Whilst having a window for day light is important as it helps you see better, it also helps to you maintain concentration and ultimately your ability to get things done. Try to place your workstation or desk next to a window to really utilise the light when you work. If natural day light is scarce, investing in high quality lighting and painting the walls bright white will help maximise light. Equally positioning a mirror between a window and your workstation can help reflect more light into your work area giving the feeling of more natural light.
3. Chose practicality over style
Sitting at a low desk or in a chair that doesn’t offer proper support can be bad for your back. Don’t be too tempted to buy that desk that matches the console, or chair that’s ‘in vogue’, instead focus on purchasing decent quality furniture that will give you the right support and space to work.
4. Take a Break
Working from home or running a business from home can be great, but remember to schedule your (short 15 minute) breaks and make sure you take them, so you don’t find yourself stuck between the same four walls for hours on end.
During the days where we schedule and actually take breaks regularly, we are often so much more productive. We might not have as much work time as when we don’t take breaks but during the time we are in “work mode” we can work so much more efficiently.
5. Keep it organised and fun
Whether your workspace is in the hall, landing or up in the loft room, try to keep it neat and tidy with clever storage. People work much better if papers and files are organised and stored away rather than in a heap on the floor or over the desk. Low cost shelving is an easy and effective instant solution and will help you feel like you have more space, under counter filing cabinets can be really useful and not as unsightly as the metal cabinets you might have at work to keep files organised.
There are lots cost-effective and simple ways to create a fun and inspirational home office. Even green plants can boost productivity and reduce stress levels, pictures and prints will also help increase creativity and keep us focused.
Find your space and love it. If you need a help with where to keep excess clutter or furniture when you create your home office; remember Go Store offer cost effective storage solutions.