With Christmas, comes more ‘stuff’! And with all the new presents, decorations and kids toys, it can mean your home ends up at bursting point.
Once the festivities are over and you want to put the house back together, this is a great time to have a good clear out and prepare to store all the items you don’t need day to day.
Our guide will help you make a plan for a proper clear out and what to do with your belongings once you’ve been through them all. A self-storage unit could be the answer to keeping your home clutter free and we’ll give you tips on how best to use it.
Make a plan
Normally when you embark on a mass clear out project, things get worse before they get better. So we suggest you have a bit of a plan in place as to how you’re going to tackle each area so things don’t get too chaotic.
Think about what you want to achieve, for example do you want to clear the spare room so guests can stay, do you need to declutter the kids’ bedrooms of all their old toys to make room for the new ones, or maybe the garage needs a good sort out to fit in the new bikes or to get the car in to avoid it being frosted up each morning.
Get a pad and paper and work out the key jobs and when you plan on doing them – you might want to dedicate a couple of the days between Christmas and new year.
Think about what you’re going to do with the items you either want to bin, send to charity or keep (but don’t need regular access to). If you’re going to bin things, consider where the items will be disposed off eg. the tip (check out the opening times) or you might want to hire a skip or skip bag.
In preparation, we recommend you buy some storage boxes, vacuum pack bags or baskets ready for the clear out.
Room by room
In case you don’t get round to everything you want to do, work on the most important area or room first. That way you will at least feel you’ve achieved the most important objective.
Go in prepared! We suggest you have 3 piles or bags at the ready. Bin, donate and store.
Go through the room in a logical order and if you need approval from anyone on whether to throw or keep items, make sure they’re around to decide, or put them in a different pile.
While you’re having a clear out, take this chance to organise the items that are staying in that room – maybe get a little storage unit for toys in kids rooms, get some under bed drawers for shoes or jumpers, baskets for bedding and towels in the airing cupboard etc.
Clothes storage is always a challenge! We’d recommend only keeping the items you will be wearing for that season in your bedroom. For example, in the autumn, bag up all your summer clothes and consider putting them into storage until you need them again. There’s no point in them taking up valuable space when you won’t need them for 9 months. If you are thinking about doing this, take a read of our last article on how to safely store clothes in a self storage unit.
If you’re looking to put any items in self-storage units, make sure they’re packaged well and that you label any boxes with what’s inside. It’s also worth taking an inventory of what you put in storage so you know what’s in there when you go to collect anything.
Hire a skip or skip bag
If you anticipate having a lot of rubbish or big items to dispose of, it might be best to hire a skip. If you want this during the festive period, it’s probably a good idea to book this in advance. Make sure you fill the skip effectively to get maximum use out of it. You might want to consider sharing a skip with your neighbour if they’re planning on a Christmas sort out too!
Get help!
This doesn’t have to be a solo job! We recommend giving everyone in the household their own jobs. Involve the kids in sorting their own toys and belongings out. You could even consider doing a car boot sale in the new year where they could sell their old toys for some pocket money.
Consider self storage
Using a self-storage unit can be the ideal way to keep your home clutter free. There are so many items we have in our homes that we may only need once or twice a year so why have them taking up valuable space? For example, consider using self-storage for things such as Christmas decorations, seasonal clothes, seasonal sports equipment such as paddleboards, watersports items or skiing kit.
At Hogleaze storage we offer our customers a choice of sizes of self storage units, depending on how much space you need. All of our storage units in Dorchester can be rented on a short-term or long-term basis. We also have self storage in Weymouth for individuals and businesses.
Why choose Hogleaze
At Hogleaze, we fully understand the responsibility we have of looking after your precious belongings. That’s why we have ensured that our self storage units are clean, secure and that we offer some of the most affordable storage solutions in Dorset.
Our security measures include number plate recognition, maximum security cameras, alarms and regular staff inspections.
We offer 24-hour access at our Dorchester site. You will receive a personal key fob that allows you access to your storage at any time.
Offering storage in Weymouth and Dorchester, we are able to provide you with a quote on our units and as we don’t require a deposit, you can start storing today!
To check availability of our self storage units in Dorchester, contact us on 01305 889777, or our self storage units in Weymouth, call 01305 830000.
Alternatively, fill out the form on our contact page and we will get in touch with you.