How to Sort Through Items You've Been Hanging On to via Clean Mama

This week and next, our organizing focus for Start Here. is on storage. Depending on your situation, this can mean sorting through a bin or a box that you’ve been putting off going through for awhile. It could mean sorting through all the boxes in your basement. I’m guessing it’s something in between. For me, I have a few (okay a lot of )boxes remaining from when we moved in to our home 5 years ago. And they’re staring at me from the basement. Sure they aren’t hurting anyone or anything, but they’re taking up space and it’s something that just plain bugs me. Seeing as how I haven’t ventured to get anything from these boxes I am guessing that there are quite a few things that can be donated at this point. Maybe it’s just me? Anyone else have stuff in storage or stashed away that you could go through in the next couple weeks? Please tell me I’m not the only one avoiding the bins in the basement….

Here are 4 simple steps to getting through anything that you have in storage (storage can be in a closet, drawer, a box, a bin, a crawlspace, the attic, the basement):

  1. Open storage box/shelf/bin and empty completely.
  2. Sort quickly into 4 piles – relocate (bring out of storage), keep (keep in storage), toss, donate.
  3. Put everything in its place – relocate, keep, toss, or donate.
  4. If something is good enough to go back in storage, label it. Use a label maker, masking tape, or an envelope with an index card taped to the outside to write down the items inside the box or bin.

Challenge yourself to go through a box or bin or closet this week. We’ll be concentrating on this next week too, so you can stretch out your time or maximize it and try to go through everything that’s been in storage for too long. Next week I’ll show you the boxes and boxes that I’ve gone through – oh-so exciting!

Tell me what you’re going to sort through this week – I’d love to hear!

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