If your house is anything like mine, you have a room, a place where all the things without a real ‘home’ go to gather dust. In my house, that room is the bonus room. In theory the bonus room is supposed to be a craft and computer room on a daily basis and an as-needed guest room. In reality it is a scary place with piles of miscellaneous items that threaten to topple over with the slightest provocation or at the very least endanger your toes as you try to gingerly walk through the mess.
We muddle through most of the time, taking care not to break anything (ourselves or the piles) when we need to get in there. The impending arrival of company necessitates a day or days long cleaning spree. To the say the least, it is a frustrating situation. The worst part is that the room won’t stay company ready much after our guests have departed. It takes days (sometimes less) for the piles to start accumulating again. Why is this?
The items that end up in our bonus room aren’t junk. They are things that we actually need and use. Unfortunately, they are also items that don’t have a specific storage place when they aren’t in use. Each time we clean the bonus room we have to find places for the clutter, which we manage to do so that we can clear the floor. The problem is those storage spots are only temporary. They are not logical, good spaces to store and use those items. They are simply a quick fix to allow the room to function as we need it to at that time.
Does any of this sound familiar? If yes, keep reading for some tips to help you beat the bonus room blues.
- Shop smarter. Before you make a purchase ask yourself ‘Where am I going to put this when I get it home?’ If you can’t answer that question, you might be better off forgoing the purchase. We know it’s not easy. The stores are full of great items and they are very good at enticing you to buy them. The challenge is that few of us live in homes as large as the typical department store. That gorgeous platter looks great on the shelf but unless your kitchen comes equipped with large, open display areas you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a place to store it.
- Invest in storage. Storage containers aren’t sexy. They aren’t fun or cute. They are, however, very practical. If you have stuff you should have storage containers to keep it in. Don’t scrimp on storage either. Yes, plastic bins are economical but they can be unsightly. If you can, invest in decorative storage. This way you can keep items close at hand without them being on full display or detracting from the ambiance of your space.
- Take time to organize. Yes, organizing your items will take time, but it will save you so much more in the long run. Grouping like items together, developing a system so that things that you use together are actually stored near one another, applying logic to your cleaning system - all of these will provide benefits for years to come. Find a time and commit to solving the problem once and for all rather than just hiding it until the next time.
- Keep records. Even the best system will fail if you can’t remember where you put things. Often reorganizing is tricky because things end up in new places that may make sense at the time, but don’t come to mind quickly the next time we’re looking for something. Recording locations will make it easy to locate items and eliminate some of the out of sight, out of mind fear that often deters organization projects.
Take Control of Your Junk Room with Our Quick Online Inventory System
Stockpile is the best way to keep track of the items you own and their locations. Entering records is quick and easy. Our system is fully customizable so you can adapt it to fit your needs. You can include numerous details within each record. You can even include a picture of the idea to aid with identification down the road. Once your stuff is catalogued in Stockpile it’s easy to search for items. You can even run reports if you want to see the big picture. Plus, Stockpile quick online inventory system is mobile compatible. This ensures that you can check your personal inventory even when you’re away from home. Beat the bonus room blues for good - get Stockpile today!
