Trashin’ Regular Storage Containers

Here’s a mistake I will never repeat if I am lucky enough to ever go house-hunting again: remember to evaluate storage space.

How many closets are there? How big are they? Are there places to accommodate additional storage or where more closets could be built such as an attic or basement? What about outside? Is there a garage, shed, or both?

But that’s only the first part of the evaluation process. The second is to visualize all of the areas that you currently have for storage. How do the ones in the home you’re looking at measure up?

Are you sure?

It may sound like a bunch of elementary questions but I know firsthand that it’s too easy to get caught up in looking at room sizes and features and location issues to have something as mundane and simple as a closet blow right on past you. And the loss of even a single storage space can make more of a difference than you think. So, while you're comparing square footage info, make sure you factor in how much of this is storage space -- or could be.

At This D*mn House, there are three closets upstairs. However, most people have kitchen cabinets larger than any one of the three! So, we rely a lot on the basement and the storage shed to hold things. That’s why around this time last year, Lawrence and I built a closet in the family room. The mother managed to fill it with (mostly) her clothes over a weekend and I get to keep my scrapbooking stuff in a small corner. We have another walk-in closet in the laundry room and that brings me to something we do where you have room to stack but want to spare some floor space.

(Not that we have any floor space in there, but only because we’ve been adding those long, clear, horizontal storage boxes and some of what I call the “coffin-sized” blue plastic ones in recent years. These hold seasonal decorations, off-season clothing, and old curtains and rugs.)

We use a combination of trash cans, too, many of which look like these. I line them with bags and then fill them. Once full, I put another trash bag (folded) over the top and stuff it down over the sides before putting the lid in place. It seems to keep things in pretty good shape. The square-shaped ones are great. They hold a lot and, if you have the ceiling height, let you set a round one safely on top of it.

What’s fun is you can even color-code these. Green for Christmas. Orange for fall or Halloween. Black for clothing. And you thought they were just for trash!

Where Do I Start?

Clearly, being intimidated by a tiny linen closet shows that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed in the projects department. And I feel so guilty. Just yesterday Ann was hailing me as "a Ninja warrior, but with cute shoes and at Home Depot with a credit card."

But, I've concluded that the linen closet will still be there. I'll come back to it. Breathe. Move on.

KayO was kind enough to share this article from the St. Petersburg Times about decluttering. It's given me a few good ideas and a sense of direction. KayO also shared her own attachment to an aged iron. As for my personal attachment to my now departed water heater, it was the only thing in the history of This D*mn House to be brought in, set up, and work everyday without incident for almost exactly 20 years. Wouldn't it be great if everything worked like that?

Vicki asked if a pair of shoes counts as one or two items in the 100 Thing Challenge. I think the pair is counted as one, but, much like Dave Bruno, I think we can all make rules for ourselves. (I think my pens count as one, even though just at work I have at least 50. Yes, it's an obsession. Deal. I also think each of my respective scrapbooking containers should count collectively as one, but I'll be generous and say four.) I don't think I'll even try to hit 100. I don't think it's possible. But, I do expect to scale back and get organized.

I remember watching an Oprah show sometime back during which the message was if you haven't used it, seen it, worn it or thought about it in at least three years, you don't need it. This article from O Magazine is helpful, too, as it offers some great "baby steps" to take. In fact, this article says it's not good to go at it all at once. Whew!

One suggestion in particular resonates with me: Once you've decided to toss it, and it's not worth donating, dump it in a public trash can. That way, you're not likely to go back and fish it out again!

DE-Stuff: The Epilogue

I came home, ate dinner, and with much trepidation, opened the linen closet.

I emptied the first shelf. I looked down at the stack of linens that needed to go in. I looked up at the stack of stuff that was already there, even with one open shelf.

And I closed the door and walked away.

Feeling Closed In? DE-Stuff Your Life

You have to move this stuff, to get to that stuff. And you have to move that stuff, in order to get to the stuff that you're really after. Sound familiar?

Welcome to life at This D*mn House. After all, as George Carlin so eloquently puts it, your house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.

In fairness to us, this house is incredibly light on closet space. That becomes abundantly clear to me as I prepare to clean out the linen closet. "Closet" is probably too strong a word to describe this limited storage area that is likely smaller than the broom closet most people have in their kitchens. The already cramped space becomes even more limited when my mother starts throwing random things in it. Boxes of duster refills. The new bath mat. Heating pads. All that takes away from space to put in what needs to go there, namely sheets and towels.

Where did we ever get all this stuff?

And that reminds me of something I saw on Time.com last week: "How to Live With Just 100 Things." The article was about Dave Bruno, an online entrepreneur, and the "100 Thing Challenge" he created last summer. He has vowed that by the time he turns 37 in November, he will have just 100 personal possessions. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?

Do some mental inventory. Do physical inventory and I guarantee you'll be stunned by how quickly you hit 100.

He's down to one pen. (To me, that's outright blasphemy, even if it is a really nice pen. Unless I could count my pens collectively as one item, I'd be done already.) And he got rid of his iPod. Huh?! That would be one of the 100 things I'd stand firm on. Take the cell phone. Leave the iPod. But I digress.

I think our problem is a combination of too much stuff and not enough space. I can't do much about the latter. I can't do all that much about the former either, but I'm willing to give it a try. I'm going to start with this linen closet. It's out of control.

Then, as I need to make the switch from winter to summer clothing, I'm going to tackle my closet. I usually end up with a bagful to donate every year anyway. I was very harsh last year, relenting a bit with things that almost fit. This year, I'll be ruthless. At the risk of sounding like the late Johnnie Cochran: "If it doesn't fit, get rid of it."

But first, I've got to start with the Linen Closet From Hell. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, I may need assistance. Please send help.