Are you out of storage space for in-home school and work? Before you add to the piles of papers and bounty of books, take a look at how you can use an off-site self-storage unit to de-clutter your family's school-from-home and work-from-home areas.
Sort, Separate, and Store Paper Products
Old assignments, exams, files, child-made artwork, and anything else you printed onto paper in the last year needs a new space. If your desk is filled with old notes you took during video conference calls or your child's school space has tests on it that were taken last November, it's time to start sorting.
To effectively sort, separate, and store school and work papers:
- Choose what you don't and won't need. Do you have digital copies of important papers? Are the paper tests you've stored at home last year's work? If you are sure you don't need the paper and won't need it in the future, place it in a to-go pile.
- Separate what you will need. Some work notes, assignments, files, folders, and other documents are papers to keep. If you'll use the item again or it's important for work/school, place it in a separate to-keep pile or file.
- Recycle what you don't need. When possible, recycle old papers. Important or sensitive documents need to go into the shredder instead of the recycling bin.
- Select what to store. Do you want to save an important document but you're sure you won't need it right now? Do you need to save paper copies of some documents? These are items to store in an off-site rental.
After you choose which paper products to store, place the items into folders or a file-folder box. Store fragile paper products, such as photos, between pieces of acid-free archival paper. Place the documents/paper items into ventilated cardboard boxes, seal the containers with packing tape, and label each box. To organize everything effectively, place each family member's papers into separate containers.
Select, Separate, and Store Office Furniture
The school year is nearing its end or over. Will your child return to full-time in-person instruction in the fall? If your child's days of homeschooling are over, you will go back to the office (and stop working from home) soon, or your family is taking an extended school or work break over the summer, you can use extra space in your home.
If you need to empty some in-home areas, remove school or office furniture temporarily. Even though you may not need every desk, chair, and bookshelf right now, it's possible that you'll need to set up a home school or office again in the near future. Instead of selling or giving away these items, store them. Before you remove or store these items:
- Decide what you might use again. If your child outgrew their desk and chair or you have a new job that no longer requires you to use a file cabinet or desk, you can donate or sell these items. If your family may use the furniture again, store it in a rental unit.
- Disassemble what you can. Some items are easier to move and store in smaller pieces. Follow the manufacturer's directions for disassembly of the office furniture.
- Keep hardware and accents with each item. The screws, drawer pulls, and other pieces of hardware or accents should stay with each item. Place these smaller parts into a plastic baggie and label it with the items' names and the piece of furniture it belongs to. Tape or place the baggie onto the furniture for storage.
After you've disassembled and packed your home office furniture for storage, it's time to bring it to the rental facility. If you plan to use the homeschooling items or work-from-home furniture again in a few months, keep these pieces in an easy-to-access part of the storage unit.
Do you need to rent a storage unit? Contact
Tysons Self Storage for more information.
