Dealing with the Storage Unit, Once and for All

June 25, 2017 7:56 AM

My mother is coming to visit next weekend. For three days we will be working on clearing out my storage unit. For large items, I have a sense of how to deal with them: if they're coming with me, we move them. If they're not, I arrange for a donation pickup. What I don't have a handle on is the best strategy for dealing with boxes whose contents are only vaguely known. (They're pretty much all labeled with the room they came from when I moved two years ago, but they don't often have more information than that.) Help me come up with a game plan.

Here's what I don't want to happen: I don't want all the boxes to come to my apartment to be dealt with there. I only want to bring back the things I truly need or that I love.

Before my move, the apartment I shared with my then boyfriend was always overstuffed, filled to the brim. Over the past few months, since I moved to a one bedroom from a studio, I've really been luxuriating in living in a space that has less stuff rather than more. I never want to have an overstuffed apartment ever again.

I know there are things I need in there (it would be nice to have more than two spoons, for example), so I do need to actually go through boxes and find those things; I can't just chuck it all wholesale. But I need a plan so this can get done quickly and efficiently, and not be overwhelming.

posted by ocherdraco to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

The most efficient way is to decide in advance what categories of things you will be keeping. It could be "things you have identified a need for already" (like say 6 more spoons) and "things it would break your heart to throw away" (your childhood photo albums, &c) and "things you know you will need to replace if you don't keep" (an extra blanket for winter, say.)

Pull those things out when you see them into the "keep" pile. That's priority 1.

The rest, it doesn't matter so much. If you have energy to sort them into donatable/not donatable, then do it. If not, dumpster.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:03 AM on June 25, 2017 [4 favorites]

Bring 3 extra boxes so you have something to sort into. One box at a time, quickly sort things into keep, trash, donate (or sell if there's valuable stuff). One you finish a box, designate that box as an additional sorting box and move on to the next one. Make at least twice as many donate as keep boxes.

If you're worried about your ability to make good decisions, bring an ally. This is someone who will say "you don't need it, just get rid of it" over and over. Your mom may be able to fill this role, you'll need to decide based on your experience with her. I'm great at being this person - find a friend who is too.
posted by brainmouse at 8:04 AM on June 25, 2017 [7 favorites]

I think the key to dealing with this problem is having some space to work. Once you clear off a large table or other flat surface, empty one box onto the table. Have three empty boxes available: one for items you decide you're definitely keeping, one for items you're definitely not keeping, and one for iffy items. Once you clear all the items from the first box off the table, go on to the next box. When you've gone through all the boxes, then repeat the process for the iffy items. If you're so inclined, the "definitely not keeping" items can be further sorted into those that can be donated and those that should be put into the trash.
posted by DrGail at 8:06 AM on June 25, 2017

If you haven't opened those boxes in the two years since you've last moved them, you don't need them. Assuming there's no super sentimental stuff in those boxes (in which case I'd assume you'd have already retrieved it!), just do a quick cursory open, rifle through for 15 seconds, and then just toss/donate/get rid of it. If you need spoons, buy some cheap spoons at Walmart or a thrift store. It'll save you the stress of sorting though everything, and will still be cheaper than paying for storage for another month.
posted by cgg at 8:06 AM on June 25, 2017 [3 favorites]

You need a process, something like a table you place box on and stuff that comes out of the box goes left or right, depending if you keep/discard. Your mum repacks the discard, you the keep on the assmption that the keep pile is much smaller. You probably need an additional two empty boxes to start you off but after that you can just recycle the boxes you've been through.

Before you start, make a list of things you need and love that should be in the stored boxes. If there are 5 boxes left unopened and you've found all the stuff you were after just don't open these and move them to the discard boxes. If you can't remember an item/it didn't make the list there is a good chance you didn't love it enough to give it space in your new, uncluttered home.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:09 AM on June 25, 2017

Two suggestions – one, read through Marie Kondo's book on the "life-changing magic of tidying up." The most valuable suggestion that I found was the ritual to thank an item for its service to you and then let it go. It sounds hokey but I feel it works in a number of situations. Think about this spoon or two spoons you want from your boxes, or a set of spoons! I mean, what if you had to buy a new spoon. How much is it worth it to you to lay eyes on these items and then end up with so much stuff back at your new place? When you could set these items free into the world and they could be useful to someone else's life who also needs a spoon?

I guess I would be way more aggressive about donating and taking a tax write-off come tax time. If you must open these boxes, see if you can organize into categories so that you can see exactly how many spoons you have and only take away the one that makes you really happy. This is another Kondo thing and it works really well. I'd also try to do it without your mother unless she is great about getting rid of things. We often try to convince other people to keep things that have "value" and that's detrimental to your purge.

Then when she shows up, be clear about the labor you're looking for which is making trips to the donation center, the family or women's shelter, etc..
posted by amanda at 8:09 AM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Can you, over the next week, make a list of everything you know that is in there that you absolutely cannot bear to lose? That might help you go in with the mentality of "I'm shopping in a free store that past ocherdraco curated for me" rather than "I have to look at every single item." Just find the stuff you remember and have listed.

Part of going through old things for me is that I end up walking down memory lane a lot and I find that really hard and a bit depressing. Try to make sure you take care of yourself as you go through this: have plenty of water, snacks, and take breaks. Be kind to yourself. This is hard work.
posted by sockermom at 8:18 AM on June 25, 2017 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: (I should clarify that the places I was living for the past two years supplied some household items, which is part of why I have a storage unit--I knew I would eventually need to supply those things again for myself.)
posted by ocherdraco at 8:21 AM on June 25, 2017

I'm the mother of a twenty-something, and I'm really out of shape, so my utility that day would be doubled if you brought a folding chair I could sit on from time to time. When I get tired I tend to get crabby.

You might want some guidelines with your mom, if you have any concern she might push you to keep stuff. At least, family stuff that you want to toss, she is allowed to take home and slide under her bed, but she is not allowed to make you take anything. Another guideline is that your vote counts more than hers, but she gets a couple of vetoes. (If she finds it painful to toss stuff that is either sentimental or valuable.) (Make your own guidelines and get agreement from your mom in advance.)

I like Julie Morgenstern's approach to decluttering to be pretty good. She takes a non shaming approach. You go through what you have so that you have better access to what is important to you. But the only "tip" I really remember is the three box sorting system already mentioned.
posted by puddledork at 8:22 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

i find having a digital camera (not my phone) helps. I take pictures of things i want to remember, but don't physically need anymore, and that allows me to let go of things i instinctively want to keep but need to get rid of.
posted by ApathyGirl at 8:53 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Take two chairs. Make sure you label the three boxes. Depending on your mom's health and stamina, take turns with one sitting and sorting while the other brings boxes, moves the bigger stuff, cleans up as you go, empties the trash and moves the boxes. Bring trash bags, a marker, tape, and paper to make labels. Work one hour and take a 15 minute break, repeat. Pack a cooler with drinks and snacks for your breaks, I promise you can work MUCH longer, maybe even pack lunch. Bring a notebook and pen to take notes as you go. When your mom is sorting, she picks up one thing and calls out the name and you say whether to keep. Let her decide on the rest what goes to trash or donate. Label the larger pieces so you can easily load up later. Move the keep to one side of the unit, donate to the other, and trash goes out in front.
posted by raisingsand at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2017

I agree with everything amanda said!

I hope you are planning on using a folding table and not the floor for sorting. You can rent one. Fans would be a good idea. Bring wet wipes.

I would look at Kondo's category list, and get lidded bankers boxes, not bags, label them as to categories, and sort into them. Sort only, don't assess, unless it is undeniable trash.

(Boxes stay open, unlike bags, and you can put the lid on and tape them up when done. They look soothingly cohesive and neat. [That is not unimportant.] But definitely not bags.)

When done sorting, then assess whether you need and/or love it.

Then you decide whether the things not falling into those categories are to be sold or donated, and you put the lids on the boxes, tape them up, fold up your table, and away you go for food and drink!

If you haven't read TLCMOTU, it's a good idea. It has indeed changed my life. It's short and the last third of the book is the best.

And do bring Mom a chair!
posted by jgirl at 9:20 AM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]

Between now and then, acquire or clear out a good amount of storage space in your apartment. Make sure it's attractive, durable, and blends in with the rest of your life -- that will keep the storage space itself from contributing to a feeling of clutter. Then, you'll be able to store whatever you do keep without getting that "overstuffed" feeling.

So, plastic tubs are not that great. They become a thing that then needs to be stored somewhere, and they don't hold up over time. A good wooden cabinet will serve you well, though, and it will always look good -- you'll never have to think about it again, and it will contain and conceal whatever you want.
posted by amtho at 12:28 PM on June 25, 2017

My only extra thought is that depending on how easy it is for you to be ruthless about the keep category, it might help to have a "not sure" box so you can set aside the things that you can't bear to toss even though you don't NEED them. Then at the end, when you see how much keep stuff you have, you can rummage through the maybe boxes, pull out the few things that you really do need to keep and then let go of the rest. The idea is that it will speed up the sorting process if you don't have to make a firm decision on the stuff that makes you hesitate. On the other hand, if you are in a strong decluttering mood and can be decisive it is better not to touch stuff twice.

My other thought is that your mother might not know what you need to keep. Maybe you create "not keep" boxes and then she separates them into their specific destination. When I make my kids do this in their rooms, the "not keep" box includes things that belong to other family members, things Mom isn't ready to get rid of, things to donate and things for the trash. They just decide "not in my room" and then I sort and organize the rest.
posted by metahawk at 1:28 PM on June 25, 2017 [3 favorites]

You could listen to a few episodes of "The Minimalists" podcast before then, to help get in the decluttering mindset.
posted by areaperson at 2:46 PM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]

Re: sorting into "keep" "trash" "donate" "sell": unless we are talking stuff that is very valuable and/or you're quite strapped for cash, consider not having "sell" as a category. I have found it is rarely worth it and now, more and more, things I would have considered selling go straight to "donate" instead.

The things I really love and are particularly nice (that I nevertheless plan to donate), I take to a local women's shelter that has a free store for their clients. That way I know it's going directly to people who need it, at no cost to them, without a for-profit corporate thrift store chain like Value Village taking their cut.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:47 PM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]