Declutter Your Home in 3 Simple Steps

Over the years it becomes easy to accumulate more than you need. Garages and basements soon become home to all kinds of unused items. Closets get overfilled and guest bedrooms become improvised storage areas. Clutter can be frustrating and can make tasks like moving, cleaning, and having company over into difficult situations. Luckily there's a very simple way to free up space. In order to reduce clutter, simply spend an afternoon sorting your possessions into three categories: items you can give away, items you can sell, and items that you can store.

Give away
Anything that you don't use and that has little value should be sorted into the “give away” group. Old clothes, books, toys, furniture, and gadgets can all be eliminated. Check with local charities and see if you can donate any of your old goods to them. Other items can be advertised for free on Craigslist. Giving away items is both beneficial to others and can save money by eliminating the need for special garbage pickups. If you do find yourself having to throw out items make sure that all of them are safe to be discarded. Certain products, like television sets and batteries, need to be taken to special recycling facilities.

Sell
If you have any unnecessary items that might be worth money you can sell them. Depending on what you have, it's possible to make quite a bit of money by doing this. There are numerous ways to sell off unwanted possessions. Traditional avenues like garage sales are great for people who like face-to-face interactions. While online marketplaces like eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon can all reach wider audiences. Whether you're selling at a garage sale or online, make sure to do a little research into how much each item is worth. A quick Google search can keep you from selling something valuable for very little.

Store
Items that are necessary but get used infrequently should be grouped together and placed in storage. Seasonal items like barbeque grills, skis, surf boards, camping equipment, and winter jackets should all be boxed up and placed someplace safe. There are plenty of cheap storage facilities that offer all kinds of amenities. Many offer storage services such as climate control, high end security, and various sized units to fit any need. In addition, most facilities offer both long and short term storage. This allows customers to pay low rates even if they are only storing items for a few months.
 
While excessive clutter is frustrating, it can be dealt with easily. By sorting through items a homeowner can reduce unnecessary possessions and create more free space. Eliminating low value and unneeded goods is an easy way to reduce clutter. Selling off more valuable items not only frees up space but can also be quite profitable. While needless goods are easy to get rid of there are certain things which are only used seasonally. These items are great for placing in storage, where they will remain out of the way until you wish to use them again.

Removing Garbage Before you Move

When you move house there is sure to be a lot of unwanted clutter, trashy items and bits and pieces that you don’t want or need to take with you. To remove many years of accumulated stuff from your home it’s likely you’ll need more than just a council garbage bin.

If you have a great deal of cleaning up to do then hiring a skip bin is your easiest option. Then you can simply throw all your rubbish into it and it will be collected when you are done. This is much easier than making trips to the local garbage dump and it doesn’t cost that much either. Hire a larger one than you think you’ll need as it will be more economical than hiring a small skip and later realizing that you actually need another, and it’s actually against the law to overfill a skip.  

If you have lots of things you don't need at your new home but don’t want to get rid of as it’s either of sentimental value or valuable if not necessarily useful, or are not moving into your new place right away, then contacting a self storage facility is usually the easiest and safest option. You can put all your unnecessary items into self storage for as long as you like and pick it up when the time suits. Sell any items that are not 'rubbish' to help fund your move or pay for the storage unit, or simply give them away to a local charity store so they still go to a good home.

Recycling is another option and a practical one that is environmentally-friendly into the bargain. Most things can be recycled, including clothes and shoes, newspapers and books, bags and plastic, metal objects and toys, whatever it is it’s likely it can be salvaged in some way or another.

The best way to deal with a full house is to sort each room into separate piles, a pile for things you want to take with you, a pile of items to be thrown away, and a pile to be given away. Then deal with each pile, take the items to the charity shop or the recycle bins found at most large supermarkets, give friends or neighbours other things you no longer have use for. Throw the broken bits and useless items in the garbage and don’t look back. And for the rest get some strong sturdy boxes and start wrapping and packing.

There are removal and storage services that will come and clean up for you too if you don’t have the time, or the inclination, to do it yourself. This can take a huge load off your mind and ensure that the house is super clean for the new owners, tenants or for landlord inspection.

Starting out with Storage and Removal

If you are a self-storage newbie then choosing your first storage unit can be difficult and complicated. You need to start off by figuring out just how many items you intend to put into storage and whether you will be adding to the contents at a later date. Make sure you are not just storing items that you could throw away or sell as otherwise you are literally throwing money down the drain.

Be ruthless with yourself. If you are unsure whether to keep something then it’s probably time to part with that particular item. Remember, storage is only really good for non-perishable items, as well as medium to large pieces of furniture, office equipment and shop fittings. If you do want to store very large items or perishable goods then you will have to find a specialised storage company.

Before you store any items, ensure you make a comprehensive list of everything as this can be essential for your own peace of mind, but also helpful if you have items stored that you will want to use again at a later date as you can refer to it to remind yourself what’s in the self storage unit.

There are plenty of tips and sound advice on the internet about storage facilities and how they work so it’s worth taking a look before you enter into a contract with a storage service. Some companies also explain it in very easy terms via short videos, or search YouTube as they upload videos there too. These cover a range of storage aspects, from finding a unit near to your location and how to pack efficiently, to choosing the right size unit for your needs and loading a unit to get maximum space.

Most towns and cities have storage facilities so there will never be one too far away from your neighbourhood, if you can then it’s advisable to pay the facility a visit as you want to check it’s clean and tidy and secured. Websites are also a good place to start as they will give all the information you require, any promotions or discounts will be displayed there, and there’ll be all the contact information available here if you require further information or want to book a unit.  

Storage is designed for personal and business use and used by people from all walks of life, including large corporations and small 1-man businesses to home-owners, students, retail outlets and travellers. Everyone needs extra space at some point and a storage unit is ideal for keeping your personal belongings or excess stock in a secure and safe place. Whilst there are those that have the use of a unit all year around and use it when it suits them, there are others that simply want to clear the spare room whilst relatives stay during the summer for instance. Everyone has different reasons, but are after the same thing – security, space, affordability and convenience.

Supercheap Storage for Business Storage Solutions

Our storage service is particularly useful for small and large businesses. We have high levels of security, climate-controlled units, various sized modules, an excellent team, and so much more to offer than traditional storage companies have. Store your extra stock with us, or use us to archive documents and save office space, the benefits are plenty.

At one time it was mainly home-owners that required storage as they moved between properties or rented out their home and needed storage space to put their own effects. Whilst this is still true, now storage options are much broader with customers coming from all walks of life.

Freeing up space at home leads to a better quality of life as there is more room to move around in, the house will instantly feel fresher and brighter, and decluttering actually creates a calm space to work and live in.

Business owners also take advantage of storage facilities for a number of reasons. Typically any business that holds client records is required by law to keep a record of transactions for a set number of years, this can lead to thousands of records in the filing system that never get looked at unless there is a discrepancy that needs to be sorted out. The amount of space these files take up depends on the size of the business but, however big or small, it is a waste of space that could be put to better use.

At Supercheap we have climate-controlled portable storage pods that offer a protected place for classified records and act as an archive, there is no need to pay for extra security in the workplace as the units and the storage facility are protected by video-monitors, perimeter fencing and guard, and the business gets to use the space for something more productive.

Some businesses are reliant on making their money during the high season and require space during the low season to stockpile extra supplies. Moving into larger premises makes no economical sense as it eats into profits, thus storing their goods in a pod can save them money and offers the ideal solution. There’s no need to book a pod as we always have them available and can deliver at very short notice.

Office renovations are sometimes necessary to capitalize on profits and again a storage unit saves the day as they can be facilitated for any short-term projects.  Move everything out whilst the work is going on and move it all back in once it’s completed.

 We train our team to our high standards and only employ experts in moving and storage solutions so you can be assured that your things are always in the best hands, from the moment they get packed and loaded until they are returned to your premises.

Office furniture is padded and loaded carefully into the unit where it’s protected from damp or mould as they’re built from heavy-duty industrial plywood that allows the unit to circulate air throughout. This greatly reduces the risk of moisture build-up which is the reason for mildew problems in the traditional storage pods used by other storage companies.

Cameron Robertson owns and operates Supercheap Storage Northern Beaches, with a facility in Manly, Dee Why, NSW - servicing the Northern Beaches areas with convenient portable storage units at the cheapest rates, including business storage solutions for self storage Brookvale.