As you look around your home, you can likely see a lot of items you just haven't used in a while. Clothing that hasn't been worn in months, craft supplies that haven't been opened yet, and even furniture that isn't being used can be found all over your home, and it might be time to reorganize and declutter. Organization often begins with deciding which items you want to keep and which ones you can do without, and then storing your less-used items in a storage unit to create space in your home. Here is a guide to help you determine what items are worth keeping in storage and which ones you should get rid of.

The last time you used it

Go through each individual item you are questioning keeping and determine when the last time was that you actually used or wore it. If it's been more than a few months or it's still in its original packaging, odds are you won't use it in the future and it's not worth the cost of placing the item in storage. Exceptions would be seasonal clothing and outdoor equipment, but that blender gathering dust in your kitchen cupboard is OK to go. If you can't even remember buying an item you are looking at or what you have it for in the first place, put it in your "toss" pile. You won't miss it when it is gone.

Plans for future use

There may be legitimate reasons you haven't set out those bar stools or gotten into your bag of crochet crafts, but you need to be honest with yourself about the actual plans for future use on items you haven't been using. Set these items aside and write down your plans for these belongings so you can see in print whether you have a viable excuse to place them in storage or not. For example, those bar stools you were holding on to for a re-purposing project from a few years ago may realistically never get used, and you need to accept your losses, attempt to sell items you won't realistically use, and put your storage unit space to better use.

As you go through each item to see if it's worth keeping or tossing, revisit your "keep" pile after a few days and go through the process again. You just may find yourself able to live without more things than your originally thought and can use your storage unit space for the important items you will want to treasure forever.

Once you have gone through everything and have a solid "keep" pile, talk with storage facilities in your area, such as King Arthur Self Storage, to get a feel for your storage options. 

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