Five Ways to Organize Your Locker

The secret to stress-free living in a condo unit is efficient organization, but this can be a difficult task when dealing with limited closets and small storage areas. Most condos come with a storage locker, but few condo dwellers know how to make this small space work for them. “A lot of people see the storage locker area as the place they least want to come to and deal with, but it’s such an important space and it really should be functional,” says Toronto ‘organizing guru’ Brenda Borenstein of Organized Zone Inc. (www.organizedzone.com). Here are some storage locker organization tips and tricks from a true expert!

1. Look Up: “The first thing I do when organizing a storage locker is tell my clients that it’s really important, when thinking of base storage, to think vertically rather than horizontally,” says Borenstein. This means lining the perimeter of the locker with storage items, and using up the entire height of the unit rather than covering the floor first. Vertically stacked items are much easier to access and allow for more room to move around, which is a must in a cramped space.
   
   
2. Shelve It: “I always like to advise clients to bring in a tall storage shelving unit. These are easy to assemble, don’t require tools and can hold up to 750 pounds.” Line the border of the storage locker with one of these shelving units, and use it to store everything from luggage to tools. The shelves can also be lined with banker’s boxes, which Borenstein says are easy to store, access and label. Incorporating these key elements will ensure each trip to the locker is a straightforward and successful errand!
   
   
3. Have a Plan: “When people move into new places, they set up upstairs before they set up downstairs, but it really has to be done at the same time,” says Borenstein. She recommends ‘zoning’ the locker during the move-in phase, and designating specific areas for seasonal items, luggage, taxes, important documents, keepsakes and more.
   
   
4. Use it or Lose it: “Usually when I haul everything out of a locker, 40 percent of it is junk,” says Borenstein. “People tend to store items they just don’t want to deal with, but that’s not a good idea.” Instead, Borenstein asks her clients to be realistic about what they have and what they need. “Are you going to use it, will you use it, are you sentimental about it – all these questions need to be asked, and then the stuff needs to be dealt with.” A major storage locker space waster? Old paint. “It doesn’t last forever, and is definitely something that could go.”
   
   
5. Light it Up: Finally, says Borenstein, invest in a good flash light, and keep it in an easy-to-access spot in your locker. “Most storage areas don’t have good lighting, so if you always have a flashlight on hand, you have no excuses not to leave the unit as functional and efficient as you found it.”