How do you guys organize storage in your house?

[Erik Loza]

... I like the clear containers, but how do you keep from breaking them? The clear containers seem to break if you look at them wrong while the roughneck containers survive about anything.

I'm not sure stuff is as much an issue for me as is the sheer amount of paper in piles. I've been working on a project for six years now where I keep buying parts for the project all the time and generating lots of paper....

Honestly, I have not had much of an issue with the clear tubs breaking but most of the ones I use are the 16qt variety, not the big 32qt ones. I could see heavy stuff breaking the bigger ones but that has not happened to me with the 16qt. styles. Across the board on brands, by the way: Rubbermaid, Sterilite, some other one my wife got at the Container Store. Sure, I use those "ruffneck" totes for stuff like camping gear but 90% of my stuff fits in the 16qt tubs and clear ones are a lifesaver.

Regarding the paper situation, how much actual printed material do you really need to hang onto? Unless it's tax docs, the longest you might need to actually store a printed receipt for is one year, for your tax records, right? My wife and I order a ton of stuff online and just shred all the physical receipts. Ditto on bills, back to one year. Pretty much any place you buy from has a record of the transaction by your cc number or Paypal account, so is the physical receipt really important? You could always scan to pdf, any doc you needed to save. My wife does that. Just saying that physical paper is not really so important these days, when we can archive and store it all, electronically.

Just what works for me. Best,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Brian Elfert]

The project I am working on is converting a used charter bus to a motorhome. Many of the places I get stuff from don't have ways to look up my receipt. I take it to the mechanic once or twice a year and I like to keep the work orders so I know when things were done. There is a lot of paper I will be recycling. As I mentioned earlier I get a lot of paper from several non-profits I work with. I should probably recycle most of it as soon as I get home as I have never looked at any of it ever again.

I was just looking at scanners as a possible way to store scans of paper documents.

[Harold Burrell]

Hey Brian...

I appreciate this thread. And I appreciate your honesty...and transparency.

I can definitely relate. And so can my wife. In fact, this very thing has been the subject of many a "discussion" in my household.

You see, the truth is...I am a pathetically unorganized slob. Messes seem to follow me. It's frustrating to me...and I cannot even imagine how much more so to my wife.

There are times when I would have liked to post pics of things, but...quite honestly...I have been too embarrassed, because my shop is a disaster.

Anyway...I have been following this thread for some ideas. And I've gotten some. But I have also gotten a little "help" as well.

[Todd Burch]

I like Bonnie's idea of having 1 place to "throw" things that still need to be processed, and keep the, for example, dining table clear for eating. Perhaps that one place could be 1 whole bedroom?

From the pictures - you obviously have no place to put stuff you need to keep. Hopefully the file cabinet closer to when you will use it ("process" paperwork) will work - it ought to - it will be right there!

Your garage clean up looks great, but I have a question. Is that a long pipe of some sort on your ceiling that you use for fishing poles and the like? If so, that's a good idea.

There are times my garage/shop is terribly cluttered with 1/2 completed projects, strewn lumber, supplies or tools purchased and not put away (because I'm lazy or truly don't have a place for them). But I always feel so good after investing in the time to find a place and put stuff away.

Todd

[Erik Loza]

I purchased half a dozen of these knock-down racks which are made of chome-plated steel wire. 48" x 15" x maybe 7' tall. Sold at Target, HD, Lowes, et al, about $100 each. Very sturdy when assembled. Bought casters for them as well. In the garage, I was able to store like 5X the stuff, since we could roll the racks around whenever needed. Just a thought.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Ben Hatcher]

My kitchen ends up looking a lot like that. I think moving the file cabinet near the desk will help you. Another item that might help is a simple desk organizer. I have one that I keep on top of my file cabinet with 3 trays to hold items to file, to shred, and to read/pay/ponder/etc. When I have time/motivation/run out of room, I work through the pile. The hard part is forcing myself to always use it. This is made easier by placing it in a convenient location. Mine is actually on a desk in the kitchen. If you want to get fancy, you can build a cabinet to house your files, shredder, printer, and such. When the doors are closed, the mess is gone.

[Rich Konopka]

For the home, office, and workshop I use the sterilite clear plastic boxes that are "shoebox size" and larger for organizing my "STUFF". They are inexpensive at Walmart and versatile. I also use a Brother P-Touch label maker labeling these boxes with everything such as misc computer and electric gadgets, etc.. The Zip Lock bags are also great for organizing manuals, misc parts, cables, etc. A sharpie comes in handy for marking the ziplock bags as well as the card board file folder boxes. Finally, I use the plastic plano shelves to stack these boxes in my office, workshop, and storage. I also use the Sears craftsman mobile tool carts for most of my tools in my workshop. This system came in real handy and was a lifesaver when I recently moved. It made for quick packing and organizing everything so I knew where everything was.

[Belinda Barfield]

Brian, I am transitioning to living alone apparently (long story). I live in a small space with very little storage and closet space. Everything that walks in the front door seems to end up on the kitchen counter. I can completely understand what you are going through. I am a stacker. Last year's resolution was to not keep every magazine, but to tear out what I wanted to keep (recipes, etc). Then I just ended up with stacks of tear outs. This morning I have been organizing my "important" papers (things I need for taxes) that I keep in a clear file folder size box that I stow away in the corner of the bedroom. You might consider one of those basket cubbies for papers you need to hold on to, they look nicer than plastic containers. That's the direction I'm heading once I clear out the space. Unfortunately I am also going to have to deal with a bunch of stuff someone else couldn't seem to live without. I find that if I tackle one stack at a time it makes the job bearable. If I try to clean up the entire room I feel overwhelmed and just give up. It is sort of nice to know I'm not the only person in the world that doesn't have a neatly organized house. So, thanks for sharing!

[Brian Elfert]

My house is two stories with all bedrooms on the second floor. The entire first floor is open with the only closed rooms a walk-in closet and the half bath. It is doubtful I would ever carry stuff all the way upstairs to one of my empty bedrooms. The original plans for the house called for an office on the 1st floor, but the city turned that plan down as too large. (I needed city approval due to substandard lot size.)

I've already filled two boxes with recycling and you can't even tell I have done anything yet. I'm probably going to get some sort of basket for my kitchen counter to help hold things. A desk or table won't really fit anywhere.

[Jeremy Hamaker]

Well, looking at your pictures it seems to me that "stuff" isn't the problem, but like you say: paper. I think some previous suggestions about handling most paper only once may be a great help. Could it be that most of the paper there is ads/meaningless receipts/reply envelopes? Additionally, for actual "stuff" consider some bookshelf cabinets or freestanding cabinet/wardrobe type furniture that you can put up against a wall. There doesn't appear to be much "flat" space in those pictures besides the floor and the table...
And one thing... is that a bag of bags on the table? If so, are you saving too many plastic bags? Or is there maybe a spot in the kitchen you can hang that bag? A small thing, but if that's what it really is, it seems to be taking up about a quarter of your table...
On the whole, cheer up, take heart, carry on!

[Brian Elfert]

And one thing... is that a bag of bags on the table? If so, are you saving too many plastic bags? Or is there maybe a spot in the kitchen you can hang that bag? A small thing, but if that's what it really is, it seems to be taking up about a quarter of your table...

Yes, that is a bag of bags. I'm not saving them. That is a result of picking up all of the bags I had laying around. I'm still collecting all the plastic bags and then they go to recycling.

[Randal Stevenson]

This has been an ongoing issue for a long time. It really has nothing to do with the particular time of year. The mess in my house causes me not to get things done because I feel guilty about the mess and end up watching TV or sitting at the computer instead. I've made a small dent so far this weekend.

Yes, I can clean this up and make it look nice for a few days or weeks, but I really need to figure out places to store things so it doesn't keep happening. My house has so little storage compared to a lot of other houses. My parents have some huge cabinets in their living room that hold a ton of stuff. Of course, more storage can just mean storing more stuff. My parents have hundreds and hundreds of old magazines they may never reference again in their cabinets.

First paragraph, shows a self repeating cycle, as you get depressed, you don't do anything about it, and you continue to see it and be depressed. A lot of it is just get up and go/do. You mentioned your treadmill, get the wiring done and move it, then as your on a woodworking forum, consider some file cabinet lowers, with bookcase or shelves, uppers, in that area. Then start filling and resorting (have I looked at this, etc). Get a scanner and digitize as much as possible. Nothing happens without starting, and your not going to feel like doing it when you start. It is only after you get angry or motivated that stuff will happen.

[Jim Becker]

A good bit of dealing with "clutter" is really about dealing with habit. Yes, sometimes it's a storage problem, but in my observation at home and in other places, it's most often because there is no regular and consistent way of immediately or nearly immediately dealing with things. Like Matt, I work from home (when not traveling) and things like junk mail get sorted out and into the recycling bin as soon as I bring the mail into the house. When I'm away, I often find it in a pile on the kitchen island or on my chair in my office. The difference is that I just deal with it and others don't. It's also quite normal for many of us to just have too much stuff and that's also often accompanied by time lags in disposing of things no longer needed, such as taking them to Goodwill or getting them listed on Craig's List and out the door. (I have that issue right now with a few things and have to deal with them "soon") For things that are truly needed where storage is limited, there has to sometimes be a bit of creativity...

[Brian Elfert]

The treadmill wiring is done and it works. I'm hoping I can get my brother to stop on his way by to move the treadmill as it is heavy! I'm working away on going through piles of stuff and disposing of most of it.

Yes, a large part of my problem is habitual, but places to put things is a problem too. Most days when I get home I have a pile of stuff to recycle from the mail or whatever, but I have no good place to put the recycling. My center island is all large drawers, or I would put a pullout basket for recycling in a cabinet. This is my first house and I didn't notice on the plans the lack of any type of mud room or anything like that between the garage and the kitchen. I will certainly look for a better arrangement if I ever move.

[Matt Meiser]

Brian, we don't have a room between our dining room and garage. We need three steps up and our garage is deep enough that I built a small deck in there. Recycling, the paper shredder, extra dog food, paper towels, etc get stored there. Since its raised moisture isn't an issue. It can get messy out there but at least it's out there!