Adam and Julia had a back porch they didn’t need to use as a living space as its too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. They purchased shelves and set it up as a convenient storage site for item they expected to need regularly. Unfortunately, it was so easy to place a box here and a bagful there that the porch was soon cluttered, with no pathway between the piles of things and no way to reach the shelves. The couple had a hard time finding items when they were needed, and wasted money on replacements for items they had stored and then forgotten about. Their porch wasn’t working for them. So they called me.
Adam and Julia considered some of the things on the porch “his” and others “hers,” and their schedules made it more convenient to set up individual appointments to go through everything. Most people have an easier time deciding whether to keep or toss stored items when they are the only ones responsible for making that call. Both Adam and Julia agreed that working separately was the right strategy for them.
When I met with each person, the first thing we did was to sort through what was on the floor. Stuff that wasn’t relevant to the couple’s current life was given away or packed in a container to place in the basement, for example outgrown baby clothes that they might want to pass along as hand-me downs in the near future. We donated many useable things to Goodwill, and got rid of empty moving boxes to free up some space. We tossed broken appliances and other unusable items that had been saved “just in case,” which freed up even more space.
Our second step was to consolidate. We found a sleeping bag in one corner wrapped in plastic, tent equipment on the other side of the porch and a lantern and anti-bug spray on a shelf. Adam and Julia like to camp in the summer, so we designated two shelves to hold everything related to camping, hiking and other summer activities. As we sorted through the items on the floor, we found the missing sleeping bag cover, making it much easier to fit that item on its shelf.
We selected another shelf space for holiday decorations creating a labeled box for each holiday.
Both Adam and Julia are handy and fix things in their home, so we brought all their tools together on yet another shelf. We labeled everything so they’ll be able to locate their tools and fixit supplies easily. In the past they sometimes had to interrupt a repair job because they couldn’t find supplies. Now they no longer have to worry about running to a hardware store in the middle of a project to pick up nails or a wrench they already own.
We made an effort to store important and frequently-used things on eye-level shelves, leaving the upper and lower shelves and storage bins along the wall of the porch for items that were needed less often. I asked Adam and Julia which things they used the most, and based on that conversation we designated the shelf closet to the entryway for paper towels, other paper goods and extra cooking pans.
Sorting through the items on the floor and consolidating and organizing them into the shelves left Adam and Julia with a wide, clear walkway down the length of the porch. They can reach any of the storage shelves as needed, and are able to see at glance how the shelves are organized. When something is taken out, it will be easy to remember where to put it back because each category of item has its own place.
Everyone’s needs are different but this is an example of one family’s storage solutions. I can help you tackle your space as well.
Side note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To protect client privacy, all names have been changed. Pictures are posted with the permission of the clients.