With the past week bringing 85 degree weather, I think it is safe to say that winter is probably over in Florida. We do get a little winter weather every year, so I have to store long pants, jackets, and a few sweaters for the two days it gets below 50 degrees here. We don’t need those items all year, so I try to pack away and store seasonal clothing.
My favorite method of storing is the large totes. The clothes seem to hold up well in the totes and even when our garage flooded years ago, the clothing wasn’t damaged.
Depending on where I have lived, storing the totes has been either pretty simple or a real challenge.
When I lived in Maryland and had a large basement, we built shelves with wood and cinderblocks and I was able to store all the totes in an easy to access location. I’ve also used under the stair storage (in one house we actually punched out the wall in the coat closet to get to that space), attic, and the garage (my least favorite).
If you are tight on space I always suggest going up. I use high shelves in closets, and even installed them in the laundry room to store the totes. When I put the high shelves in my laundry room I measured the tallest tote and then made shelves so the totes fit perfectly, almost touching the ceiling.
Don’t forget about the space under beds, couches, dressers, and other furniture. I’ve even heard of people storing items on the top shelf of their pantry.
The key is looking for extra space in your home and then utilize every inch.
For two years our family of eight lived in a 1200 square foot apartment, so I know it can be done.
If nothing else, limited space should encourage you to to pare down what you have so everything stays manageable.
Remember to work for fifteen minutes on a spring cleaning project today! I’m still working on my closet, slow and steady, I’m hoping to be done by the end of the weekend.
Closet before
Closet after day one.
Closet Day 2
For more ideas to help you simplify and organize one day at a time, visit the Organized in 365 Archives.
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