Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with storage

5-day gap between apartment leases

RUPure — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:38:05 -0800

My current lease ends on June 30, but my new lease does not begin until July 5. We've talked with both current and new landlords, but neither are able to help us out by allowing us to stay late/move in early. What are some creative solutions to this problem? I'm sure this is a common problem, but I will have a 5 day gap between my current lease and my new lease. If I go the traditional route, I have to pay for movers twice, and for storage. These seems like I will be spending a lot of money for only 5 days, so I'm hoping to figure out another solution. I've looked into Pods and ABF Relocubes because I've used them in the past, but they are not allowed in the city of Chicago, where I live. I'm not too concerned about where I will stay because I can stay with family or friends, but I do have a decent amount of furniture and will have many boxes, so my stuff cannot come with me to crash with friends/family.

Any thoughts?

I know that this question addressed a similar situation, but it was only an overnight gap, and in NYC, whereas it will be 5 days for me, and in Chicago. I figure there might be different responses given these differences.

Thanks for your help!!

Which 32GB flash drive?

bluecore — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:07:30 -0800

I need a recommendation for a 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive, please. I'm confused about the price spread in this product category. For example: is this $59 Lexar drive really worth almost twice as much as this $36 Patriot drive?

I want reliable and fast, but the USB 3.0 is really a future proofing thing for me since my current computer (due to be replaced) doesn't have it yet, so going for this (apparently) ultra fast Kingston drive probably doesn't make sense (as well as it only being available in 64GB or higher.)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you make.

Thinking inside the large heart-shaped candy box?

tel3path — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:19:27 -0800

I have two large, satin-covered, heart-shaped candy boxes that I've saved for storage. The question is, what can I store in them? I'm thinking jewelry (if rings, how to anchor them in place, ditto necklaces)? Rolled-up scarves?

If you had two boxes like these, what would you put in them?

I am literally going to clean all the things.

lunasol — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:26:46 -0800

I would like to do a massive clean/organization of my apartment over the next few weeks. Help me figure out a game plan. tl;dr version: Help me figure out a game plan for both organizing and cleaning my two-bedroom apartment over a period of 2-3 days.

I've been in my apartment for a year, but I've been traveling for about half of that, plus organization and home decor are not my strong suits, so about half my stuff is either still in boxes or is just shoved haphazardly into drawers or closets. I'd like to take a day this weekend and then most of Memorial Day weekend (in two weeks) to really get my apartment in order. I'd also like to do a deep-clean. I know what I want to do, but it's all a bit overwhelming and I'd love some help formulating a game plan.

What I'm starting with: I have an apartment with a lot of space but not much storage. I have two main rooms (a kitchen and a living room) which are both large but somewhat awkwardly long and narrow. I also have two bedrooms, one of which should be a spare room, but is where the boxes live. The only closets are in the bedrooms, though the kitchen has a lot of cupboards and drawers.

Kitchen: Somehow, though this room has the most storage, it also seems to have the most clutter, so much so that I often find myself not wanting to cook there, which is a problem. I would love some tips for how to manage all the stuff (pantry items, dishes, cookware, junk drawer stuff) so that it's organized and easy to find/put away.

Bedroom: I still don't have a dresser, mainly because I've never been able to successfully keep my clothes in a dresser, so it seems like a bit of a waste of money. But that means that right now, most of my clothes live in hampers, on the floor or (rarely!) on hangers. Does anyone have non-dresser ideas for storing clothes?

Spare room: Boxlandia. I would love to be able to pare down what I have in my boxes so that it all fits in the closet, leaving the rest of the room available to be a proper guest room (I've also thought of eventually turning it into a TV room/den so that my living room is a TV-free space).

The living room is actually OK - mainly just need to properly clean the floors and the upholstered furniture and straighten up some of the dog stuff I have lying around. Eventually, I'd like to turn one end into an office/work area, but that's the next step. One thing I would like to do is set up a better way of distinguishing the entrance from the outside - it opens right into my living room, which means 1. stuff gets thrown just anywhere in the room when I get home and 2. dirt gets tracked in really easily by me and my dog.

Beyond the organization stuff, I haven't done a deep-clean in 6 months. I sweep the floors and wipe down all the surfaces every week or two and vacuum once a month or so - what are a few things that I could do in, say, 3-4 hours to make my place feel really, really clean? (Baring in mind I have a mix of hardwood, carpeted, tile and linoleum floors).

One limitation: I'd like to avoid buying too much additional furniture unless I know I need it, because I'm on a somewhat tight budget right now and I want to avoid additional clutter. So I'd like to make the best use of what I have now before I start buying more shelves or other storage furniture. What I have now is a lot of cupboard space in the kitchen and bathroom, several small end tables with drawers, a small drawer set I use as a TV stand and several tubs/hampers.

Oh, and bonus question: I have a 5-month old puppy who follows me everywhere I go and is curious about everything I touch. He also protests mightily if I leave him in his kennel while I'm home (he's fine if I do so when I'm out). Any ideas about what to do with him during all of this? Thinking about sending him to doggie day care for at least one of the days.

Note: I know about Unfuck Your Habitat and will be using it a lot for inspiration/ideas.

Best way of storing green tea

yankeefog — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:51:52 -0800

I've noticed that my favorite jasmine green tea tastes a lot better when I first buy it than it does a few weeks later. I'm currently storing it in a double-lid tea container, much like this one. Can anybody suggest a better storage method? What works for you?

Where to store luggage near the Farmer's Market in San Francisco?

turtlefu — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:33:53 -0800

I am flying into SFO tomorrow morning but unable to access the condo I am staying at until the late afternoon. I'd like to go to the farmer's market but I do not want wheel my luggage around. Where would be a good place to store it for the day?

Lego organization strategies

k8t — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:14:48 -0800

Prompted by an unfortunate knee + Lego incident this morning, I was curious what sort of strategies you all use to keep Legos contained. My 4.5 year old has graduated from Duplos (which we kept in 2 big tupperwares) to regular Lego bricks.

We get a box, we build the thing (ship or car or whatever), and then we put it on the fireplace mantle. Kid likes to play with the constructed thing. He doesn't take it apart again, although inevitably pieces fall off and he gets annoyed.

(He also likes to keep the boxes for reference.)

As we've acquired more, I'm quickly realizing the mantle is filling up. We now have about 10 small vehicles.

A big tupperware is probably going to result in a pile of Lego bricks.

We keep a lot of other toys in fabric cubes, but that might be a similar problem.

Any other suggestions?

Also, while we're at it -- should I try to sell the 2 tupperwares of Duplos yet? He hasn't touched them in a few months and he's in school/daycare fulltime, so it isn't like he is home playing with them a lot.

How can I best obscure this storage shelving?

Asherah — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:23:20 -0800

So I'm utilizing this finished basement area as a bedroom and would like to use the built in shelving pictured as possible clothing or linen storage. Measured as one space they are 98" L x 48" W. The shelves themselves are a fiberboard type material. After scouring images on the web, still can't picture how best to obscure this space or otherwise make it more aesthetically pleasing if remaining open. I've considered making a simple fabric panel on a a rod, but would some type of wooden shutter also be possible? Specific ideas or qualified vendors that could be contacted for these types of things equally appreciated.

On the cheap and during the weekend...DIY home decor!

Kitteh — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:48:20 -0800

Aside from a few major professional-only renovations for our house, what we can do to make our home the way we would like? (Bonus points for simplicity!) Inspired by my copy of The Bust Guide to Life and things like this, I would like to find fairly simple but really cool ways to spruce up our house.

We've got some big renovations planned for the future--new front windows, renovated kitchen, new deck, renovated guest bathroom--but what is some neat things we can do now? My husband is pretty decent with woodworking and basic construction; I'm fairly eager to learn to how to make and do new things.

I'm specifically thinking in terms of decoration and storage. Our house is old and fairly cozy. (For example, we have a tiny bedroom and a tinier closet.)

What cool things have you done to your homes you would recommend?

Best organizing/storage items for a small bedroom

packfan88c — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:52:56 -0800

So I'm trying to change my constantly messy room (which is small) and I've realized that besides daily cleaning, part of what needs to be done is changing the things I use to help store/organize my room. I've done some purging, and will need to do some more, but feel that I'm not getting the most out of what I'm using now (a bookcase, clothes drawer, small desk, small reach closet). I want to use my space more efficiently and be able to organize more of my things in the small space I have! So I'm looking for the best furniture/containers/DIY/storage options that you guys have. Also any websites that show options/ways of doing this would be great too. Don't have a price limit/low budget, but if it's $150+, please note why it's worth the money/time. Thanks!

How do I build a shed under my deck?

Thrillhouse — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:52:05 -0800

I want to enclose underneath my deck but need to deal with frost pushing up on the walls. I have a deck off my house that overhangs my driveway. It's about 8' off the ground and the driveway is paved right under it. I'm in the process of replacing all the flooring and railings on the deck and plan to install an under-deck waterproofing system. I'd also like to add walls and a door so I can use it as storage.
I know how to frame a wall. My concern is about where the bottom of the wall meets the pavement. Is it unwise to attach the baseboard to the pavement? I'm concerned about winter heaving pushing up on the wall and ultimately up on the deck. I don't want to dig up the pavement and pour a footing for the whole thing.
Anybody have any thoughts?
I'm considering just raising the baseboard a few inches and leaving a gap at the bottom but then the floor will get wet when it rains.

Wanted: bombproof, redundant, fast, accessible data storage

googly — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:46:45 -0800

I have tens of thousands of photo, video and music files. I want to store them in a way that is reliable and rapidly accessible. More details inside. What I have: Tens of thousands of image, video, and music files, many of them quite large. I am an amateur photographer, so most of my images files are in in RAW format; I like to have my music files in lossless format; and I am a musician, so I have a lot of large sound files (.wavs) that I use for recording. They are currently spread across several 1 TB drives and the hard drive on my 4-year-old macbook. i will be upgrading my computer (brand new MacBook Pro or desktop), and want to upgrade my storage options while I'm at it.

What I want: I want to be able to store all these files in one place, in such a way that they can be accessed as quickly as possible (e.g. by Ableton when playing back an audio composition, or when editing large photos in photoshop, without watching spinning beach balls all the time). Ideally, I would like to be able to access them from multiple computers over a home network (e.g. so that my partner can down- and upload photos on her own). I'd like the storage format to be as reliable as possible. Yes, I know that hard drives fail (been there, done that) and I will back up using Backblaze, but I'd also like the hardware itself to be dependable.

I'd like to buy one piece of hardware that will get this done, and will last for years (e.g. might be capable of upgrading as more space is needed). Price is not an issue. I assume that NAS is the way to go here (maybe something like this?), but I'm not sure. I'm computer literate and willing to learn something new, but not an expert, and somewhat overwhelmed by the options out there. What am I looking for?

Explain NAS and file servers to me like I'm five years old. And dim.

DirtyOldTown — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

I currently have a tangle of external drives hooked to my HTPC. Serving that stuff via UPnP is okay, but I'd like to move my files to a separate device that would then be able to make them available to a motley assortment of devices. Thing is, I'm woefully ignorant about networking and file sharing, having never so much as set up a shared Windows folder. I need help coming up with a game plan. Is an NAS device what I am looking for? Or would I be better off with a file server? I honestly don't know what precisely the former is (except that people keep suggesting it) and I have a vague concept of the latter, but not in any practical, knowing where to start kind of way.

And what the hell does Samba mean? What does sexy Latin dancing have to do with network file sharing?

What are the various options for a person who wants to put all of their files onto one networked device accessible throughout the house? Pros and cons? Caveats?

My HTPC is running Win7 with XBMC. I also have a Raspberry Pi running OpenELEC, a WD TV Live, and a smart tv that can play DLNA/UPNP stuff, with some limitations. There are a mess of other tablets, smart phones, netbooks, etc. in the house, too, but it's mostly the HTPC, the pi, and the WD TV that actually matter, with bonus points if I can include the smart tv. (Though I'd be willing to spring for another Pi for that one, if need be.)

Long-term Storage in Brooklyn, NY

traveltheworld — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:17:10 -0800

As I said in my last post, I'm packing up and hitting the road to travel the world for a year. I have a one bedroom apartment full of stuff in Brooklyn Heights, NY that I need to store. I'm going to try to pare down as much as possible, but I have nice furniture that I paid a good amount of money for and like, as well as art and books, much of which I want to keep. Having done some quick searching online, it definitely appears to make sense to store much of my furniture from my cost/benefit point of view, versus buying all new furniture at similar prices to what I previously spent when I get back. I'm looking for climate controlled storage for a large one bedroom worth of stuff, anywhere in the NYC area. Obviously, the farther from Brooklyn Heights, the more it will cost me to move it into storage, so there's a balance to storing near versus far. I'd like something safe, climate controlled, and a reasonable distance from Brooklyn Heights. I'm willing to prepay for the year if that saves money, and I don't plan to need access to any of the stuff during the year but it would be nice to have the option. Any advice? Recommendations? Things I'm not thinking of? Ways to find the best storage spot other than googling and reading (limited) reviews and looking at website? Thanks in advance!

Likelihood of Dropbox deleting my files?

KateViolet — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:49:50 -0800

I use a free Dropbox account for loads of stuff and I think it's a great service, but I currently only use 70% of my allowance and don't want to fork out for pro. However, I recently read the Ts and Cs of free account and see that they can delete my files whenever they like. Eek! I find it pretty unlikely this would happen, but how big a risk do you think it is? Is it worth paying just for the security, or is it so unlikely that I can continue with free service and peace of mind?

Safe storage of clothing in under-stair cupboard with fuse box

tel3path — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:48:35 -0800

I learned today that it's dangerous to store combustibles such as clothing near the fuse box or electrical intake. I keep my off-season wardrobe under the stairs, and the electrical intake/fuse box is also under the stairs. How far away do I need to keep this stuff? What is a safe distance? Is it feasible to use compact-o-stuff vacuum bags to reduce the crowding in the understair cupboard? I have been storing my out-of-season wardrobe under the stairs. We also have our electrical intake, meter, fuse box, etc. under the stairs. The boxes of clothes come up very close to the fuse box.

I learned today that storing clothes this near the electrical intake is a fire hazard. I need to store them further away, but how far is far enough? An inch? Six inches? A foot away?

Even if it's safe to store them fairly close, the electrical equipment takes up quite a lot of the space along one wall of the understair cupboard, so I'm still looking at getting rid of half my stuff. There is no other suitable storage space anywhere in the house.

I see that most MeFites have had bad experiences with vacuum compact-o-stuff bags. Is it really unfeasible to compact the space the clothing takes up by sealing them into those bags?

Muffin problems

dynamiiiite — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 06:41:35 -0800

What's the best way to store freshly baked muffins for, oh, about a week? I made a batch of these carrot muffins last night. I let them cool down on the counter (mostly...they were still warm but not hot) and then put them in a ziploc and put them in the fridge. This morning, I took one to work and it's tasty, but a little cold, sad, and damp.

What can I do to keep that fresh-baked flavor? I basically made enough to take one to work every morning this week. I don't have time to do anything to it before I leave for work - just grab and go. Should I be storing them out on the counter? Letting them cool 100% and then putting them in the fridge?

Want to use nice new sunglasses more often than a fancy parlor room

availablelight — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:23:42 -0800

I can't believe I'm using a question on this but please school me on something very basic, again. For the first time as an adult, I own sunglasses that did not come from the drugstore and cost $12. Not very expensive, but expensive enough, especially for me, if you know what I mean. (And medically necessary.) I'm too cheap to even want to think about having to replace these in the next few years. They came with a gigantic hardshell case perfect for travel. But what do people do when you take them off at a restaurant, party, store, planetarium, etc? I don't carry a purse. (The case I have is such a tank that it wouldn't fit well into my existing clutches and laptop bags, etc.) I don't wear button downs with front pockets I can dangle them out of like a boss (and my dad in the 70s and 80s). I don't want to not use them because I'm flummoxed about having to carry around this gigantic case, particularly with some upcoming travel in areas where I absolutely need to be wearing them.

Stacking, storing, eating, lidded bowls

SampleSize — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:00:02 -0800

Does this exist? Bowls for eating (like, cerealish size) that stack reasonably well and come with lids (and/or plates made to fit neatly on top of the bowl) so you can use the same bowls to store food - in place of Tupperware?

SAN Solution- what the heck am I looking for??

jmd82 — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:40:26 -0800

What options and features or solutions should we be looking for in a SAN solution that will need to last 7-10 years. We're looking to virtualize (VMware of Hyper V, not sure which yet) our old servers this summer and hosting the VMs on a SAN, along with transitioning all of our user Homes & Shares to the SAN. I've been talking to a few companies and realized a small problem: I have no idea what to even ask or which features I should be looking for in a reliable SAN, or options that 3 years from now I'll be kicking myself for not looking at now. Or recommandations for solutions to look at myself on the side. Of course, all the companies say *their* solution is Epic, but I've learned to be skeptical and I am not partial to any one company.

Basically, we'll have about 10 servers (mix of OSX, Windows Linux) feeding off the SAN with about 500 users (95% OSX, 5% Windows- their home folders all use a Mac Pro Server, which is rapidly running out of space. *sigh* Xsan).

Of course, cost is a concern, but I've also convinced TPTB that based off our experience in IT purchasing, choosing a solution that maybe costs some extra money now is worth the cost of eliminating headaches due to choosing an inferior product today.

CD storage suggestions that have individual CD "slots"

Mr.X — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:04:44 -0800

One of my 17 year old Laserline CD towers broke. The one that broke held 400 CDs and my total collection is somewhere in the 800 range. I need one or more storage towers/racks to hold at least 400, and possibly all of them at some point. Besides being able to store a lot of CDs, the other feature it needs to have is "slots". Most current storage options for large quantities of CDs, are basically empty shelves for you to fill. My CDs are in a particular oder, so if one is out, I want to be able to see the missing CDs at a glance. Any suggestions?

How to store/display 2551 cassette tapes?

semacd — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 09:24:29 -0800

My husband has come into 2551 Grateful Dead tapes. He is over the moon. I am less so because they're currently taking up space in 17 boxes in my finished basement and we have virtually no storage space. We would like to store them and ideally display them so he can see what he has. I would like them to be relatively compact and not look like junk. Any ideas?

DVD/CD Organization Help

MadMadam — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:18:16 -0800

I've never kept my media in anything other than their original cases, but my DVD's take up too much room and I want to put them into some sort of organizer. Any product reccomendations or advice would be appreciated! I have too many DVDs and CD's laying around. The DVD cases take up too much room for my liking so I was thinking about removing them from the cases and putting them into some sort of book or Discgear thing, such as this http://www.amazon.com/CD3-Storage-Systems-Inc-3700-02/dp/B00007DWEA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1357769660&sr=8-4&keywords=discgear But I've never kept my media in anything other than the original cases and I don't want to throw out all the cases and regret it. Any insight into any products that you love or any drawbacks to my plan?

As far as longevity, I'd be happy if my media stayed playable for the next 10 years. This isn't heirloom stuff, just Disney movies and what not.

Stowaway Table

MayNicholas — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:40:52 -0800

We have a wooden dining table that we need to store away until a time undetermined. We have two options: attic or shed. We will, of course, be taking the table apart before storing. We own our home so no issues there.

The attic is of the pull down stairs variety. The chairs should be fairly easy to get up there. I worry about getting the table top up there due to the opening space. Mr. Maynicholas thinks it won't be a problem. The attic is getting pretty full, but there is room.

The shed is a decent size, 16x20(ish), but we also store our lawn mowers in there & occasionally need to bomb it because of black widows. We are worried about the table absorbing the odor of the gas and possible toxins.

The table isn't super fancy, but it isn't press board either. Chances are it will be stored for a few years. We do not want to get rid of it.

Given the aforementioned pros & cons of both, would you recommend attic or shed?

How to store hundreds of magazines?

AzraelBrown — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 07:45:40 -0800

We've got too many magazines -- how to store them for collecting purposes, but also keep them accessible for reading and research? Wifey and I collect a lot of paper stuff, and we're amassing a large number of old magazines, ranging from early 20th century stuff to modern glossy magazines. Problem is, we're pretty much just storing them flat in totes or boxes, which doesn't it very easy to review them, and they're not organized very well. Of course, in a perfect world we'd want acid-free museum-quality storage boxes, but our budget doesn't really afford such elegance. Libraries don't seem to keep many magazines anymore, but when they did they I seem to remember that had magazine files like this, which also seem to "squish" the bottom loose corners of the magazines (which is undesirable), but look like the best option for the cheap-and-effective intersection. I know there's plenty of librarians around MeFi: what's the most effective way to store a large number of magazines, while leaving them available for reading, without requiring a huge budget?