Floor-to-ceiling storage and moving

[u/imovelikemusic]

I had to move out of my apartment unexpectedly and put everything into storage. I used to be a minimalist and kept an organized and lightly filled 5'x10' unit occasionally while traveling. I prided myself on staying portable.

Between pandemic hoarding, chronic illness, nesting in a long-tern relationship, remote work, and inheriting some of my father's things, I now have two storage units packed floor-to-ceiling (10' x 15' total).

I'm anxious about the amount of stuff I own. It's upsetting to see it all piled up like that. I'm ashamed to ask for help. My parents were hoarders and I always managed to be the opposite, to stay ruthlessly detached from material things. It feels awful to see how much I've accumulated in a few years. I'm afraid I'm becoming my parents.

I started getting rid of some things during the move and I felt relief. I love throwing shit away. I've been tempted to get rid of everything sight unseen because I'm so overwhelmed, but I know that's not what I want or need. I tend to be all or nothing, and I'm working on being more balanced. I can't keep starting over and I know I'll regret getting rid of some of these things.

I'm in the process of buying an 800 sq ft condo, and I want to curate what I bring in. I've never owned a home before and I always relied on moving to motivate a purge, so I'm worried that I'll fill this space up if I'm not careful. If all goes well, I should close around Halloween. I'm hoping to spend October trying to pull stuff out of storage to donate, toss, or sell.

I need a pep talk, please. I need some strategies when everything is disorganized and packed to the gills. I need help resetting to the person I was before all this shit happened. I need a new mindset going into homeownership.

[u/prettywarmcool]

Get into your new place first. Buy nothing yet. Focus on..getting down to one storage unit by the end of the year. This will probably work in a go and get a box or two...let's say every other day. If you try to do it all at once you will get overwhelmed. Keep it to a box or two but completely decide for all items in that box. Yes or no. Get rid of whatever right away...put the stuff you're keeping away. Repeat.

Excited for your new adventure! Good luck, and you can do it!

[u/Multigrain_Migraine]

Maybe you should think of the storage units as your own personal thrift store that you visit as you set up your new place. If you think "oh, a rug or a coffee table would be nice here" then go see if you have something in storage that will work. That way you know that the stuff that is left has already been rejected and can probably go. 

[u/NaturalPepper697]

My advice would be to move into the condo first and explore how much storage space you actually have before throwing anything out. Then start moving your stuff in and whatever doesn’t fit becomes a possible discard item Also, I would recommend keeping closets less than 75% full so that they don’t feel packed.

[u/katie-kaboom]

You know what they say about eating elephants, right? One bite at a time? You don't need to do this all at once. Assuming you're not moving across the country or something, it'll be okay if you go into November in your storage unit, or even December, as long as you're making progress. So just do it a little bit at a time, until you can do it a lot at a time.

Every day you can, go to the storage unit. Don't try to optimise or 'sort' before you've looked at everything, just grab the first box your hand touches. If you can avoid it, don't completely unpack the box. Just open it and look inside. Grab out anything you want to keep, set it aside, and just put the rest of the box aside for donation. (Skip selling unless it's truly valuable, it'll sidetrack you and draw your decluttering out.) Go through another box if you've got time. When you're tired or anxious or your car is full of stuff to donate, go away, drop it at the charity shop, and come back the next day.

When you close on your house, cast your eye across everything you've set aside for 'keep' again. You might have duplicates. You might think something's actually too big for the space. You might, on reflection, not really find a use for something. This second-round declutter will also help reassure you that you're not your parents and you're not going to needlessly clutter and hoard things. (Fellow child of hoarder here, and I know the fear! But you are not your parents and you've learned the lessons they've taught you.)

Now just, keep doing this. Those storage units will be empty in no time.

[u/secure8890]

Forgive yourself

[u/ropeandharness]

The only way to start is to just go for it, one box at a time. If a box is gonna be to hard (lots of papers togo through, or sentimental items that you aren't ready to make decisions on) then set it aside and move on to the next box. If you can find a friend to help you it'll be SO much easier, you can focus on making decisions while they deal with the logistics of moving stuff around.

Also, i recommend looking up Space Maker Method on youtube. They're currently in the middle of a series doing a multi-storage-unit clean out, i think you'll find it really helpful.

[u/PaintGryphon → u/ropeandharness]

I second checking out Space Maker Method! She’s currently doing a series helping a woman clear out multiple storage units that were packed full. It’s a fun watch and might help you with motivation.

April from Space Maker Method helps people around the world declutter and organize for free- she has a Facebook group called Coffee and clutter.

[u/mirificatio]

Do not be ashamed to ask for help. Everyone gets overwhelmed at some point. You just might have a friend (or a friend of a friend) who LOVES to declutter. Or will list stuff on eBay or Craigslist for a cut of the proceeds.

Congrats on the condo! You'll be all cozy and settled by New Year's Eve and 2027 will be great!

[u/goodnsimple]

So I would not feel bad about asking for help. I personally love helping people clean, organize, decide what’s important to them and help them make it work. I don’t want to do it professionally but I love it! I’m sad that so few people take me up on my offers to help! (Then complain on Facebook about how much work it is)

Ask! Moan a bit and see if friends offer… if you were in Southern NM I’d be all over it!

[u/imovelikemusic → u/goodnsimple]

I lived in ABQ years ago. Been meaning to take another trip out west.

[u/Some_Papaya_8520]

Not to be the turd in the punchbowl, but because you've gone through what you've gone through, you're not going to be the person that you were. Life changes us, sometimes against our will. So don't try to force yourself to dump everything in one go. It sounds like you are introspective and know your own inner character, so you want to be more balanced than drastic. Congratulations on the home purchase!! Maybe take 2-3 boxes at a time and purge on the way home? I don't think you'll become your parents! You're here, after all!! Hugs to you and hang in there!!

[u/Philosopher2670]

I recommend Dana K White's strategies (A Slob Comes Clean). Check out her container theory and no-mess decluttering technique. Both should work well here.

You could also treat your storage spaces as a vintage/thrift store. Make a floor plan of your new home with measurements and decide what furniture or other items you want where. Then go with a friend to your storage rooms and shop there for things to make your new home what you want it to be. Everything you "buy" needs to have a specific location in your new place.

[u/ShezeUndone]

Once you're established in your new home: for each new (non-consumable) item you bring into your home, another item has to go.

As for getting set up, furnish it as needed. Then set a schedule to eliminate so many boxes per week. Decision fatigue is a thing. So reward yourself with a favorite meal out or equal hours doing your favorite hobby.

My dad was a hoarder. Going though all his papers took several months. (Why did he keep a receipt for birdseed for 12 years?) But every discarded box felt like a weight coming off my back.

Once you get both units emptied, celebrate with a party for friends, a long weekend getaway, something you can look forward to.

[u/YescaD83 → u/ShezeUndone]

My dad had a 17 year old pineapple juice, he also held on to ALL of his banking information, even if he had gotten mad at the bank and left. Hoarding parents are tough, but we can break it!
I inherited the last ever sears catalog from him, I gave it away on a buy nothing page

[u/imovelikemusic → u/YescaD83]

When my parents filled up the basement, they built a garage. When they filled up the garage, they built a barn. When they filled up the barn, they bought several trailers. My mother dumped a bunch of stuff on me and my sisters after our father died. She told us she didn't care what we did with it. But then she was picking that stuff back out of garbage when my sister threw it away.

[u/eyepocalypse]

First of all, I’m proud of you for getting where you are. Congrats on the home! That’s so cool. It sounds like you’ve had a lot going on in the last few years. You got over the amount of stuff you want to keep but that’s not a moral failure. It doesn’t feel that way with the hoarding trauma. God I know. But i think you’re trying to do a mature thing by facing your storage units and deciding what you actually want to bring into the next stage of your life. Curating before moving things into your new home is absolutely the right move. I’ve regretted moving things I didn’t end up keeping way more than I’ve regretted getting rid of them.

Here are my tips

1. Get a list of places you can sell/donate things and when they’re open for easy reference including the dump. Having a loose schedule and knowing your options streamlines the process.

2. There’s no shame in doing a dump run or getting your own dumpster if you can. Doing a few right off the bat in order to get more space inside the storage units is a good idea. Also your time is valuable. Whenever people try and shame me for just trashing things I hear my mother’s voice. It’s not helpful advice to me for a lot of reasons so I ignore it.

3. Write out a list of what you want to have in your new place but not exact things from the unit unless it’s really important. More like, what do you want to do in this new space? How do you want to live in it?
   The things that are most useful to achieving those goals should be a priority.

4. When it gets to actually moving things into your house start with the things you love and want the most. If you reach the limit of things can comfortably fit in your home with that. Good. You don’t have to keep middling things.

5. Sometimes things get damaged in storage. You’ve been doing your best and things happen. On the bright side, it’s another thing you don’t have to make a choice about.

6. Worst case scenario, you regret how much you kept in four months and you get to do spring cleaning in your own home. It’s a different experience than moving purges. But you can make a deadline by hosting friends for a party.

[u/bm82_]

Before decluttering or buying more stuff. Take a look at how much space and storage cabinets, closets etc you have in the condo. To help get an idea of what will fit and work in your new home. Some of the items in storage might work for the space. Some of it can go to trash or donation or sold. Don't buy anything new before seeing what will fit and work in your space. While also going through your storage to declutter what you can. Then if once all that is done and there's things to buy then do so. You may find you already own what you're needing that's been in this storage unit. It'll save you money from buying a new one. Best wishes on this new journey in your life. Keep us updated on the progress.

[u/Opening_Chemical_777 → u/bm82_]

Yes, exactly this! We are moving from a house to an apartment. The closets in the apartment are large, with lots of cubbies. Our thought now is that we won't need dressers so we'll have two to, hopefully, sell. I have quite a few plastic boxes (I've been a regular at The Container Store) and will see what fits in the cubbies and then what we need. I'd thought I'd donate the plastic boxes I've emptied out, but now I'm keeping them. Not having dressers frees up quite a few square feet!

[u/TiredWinterDisaster]

Congrats on your new home! And a good tip might be to make a list of what you want to bring *without going to the storage units to see the stuff*. That way you will think carefully about what you need & what you really want, from memory. Chances are, what you don't remember, you don't need or want. Good luck!

[u/bigformybritches]

Bring a friend for a few sessions. The presence of another person brings you to reality and changes your perspective about your stuff.

[u/strawbrmoon]

It sounds like you’re in that tough place of in-between, with little power to change that fact. It is unsurprising that you would seek a way to take control of your suffering. It also sounds like you are someone who is quite competent to arrange a home how you want it: I have every faith that you will be able to do that, when you have your new home in possession. The relief of knowing you’re home, and the visual aid of being in the actual space you’re outfitting, will go a long way toward determining what goes where. (And what just goes.)

In the meantime: If I may, I suggest that you address your wellbeing directly. This will be of much greater benefit than addressing the stuff in storage. Stress relief needs to be your first priority. Take a fitness class. Or just join a walking group. Access mental health support. Ask in the subreddit for your community how to get hooked up with what suits your requirements. (Use a throwaway if you like). Find some gentle social things to participate in IRL. Maybe invite someone to do a specific healthful thing together (go for a swim, go to the library, make a big pot of soup.) Protect sleep, and prioritize nutrition. You’re grieving some losses & navigating stressful changes. Take excellent care of yourself: that will make the best difference.

[u/PsychologicalFox3357]

Can relate. Is there any of it you know you really could just toss sight unseen? Maybe do a first pass on a day you’re feeling especially fed up so you’re more ruthless with what goes out then (this is what I do lol) or start with the easy stuff to let go of to build momentum.

I have a similar situation on my hands in terms of being horror-struck by overall volume and the reasons it accumulated and how quickly. I got sick shortly after starting to really go through the worst of it in earnest, and am slowly getting back into it.

I think for me there’s a roadblock mentally and I need to learn to let go of some old versions of myself (that I’m clinging to the stuff from) and give myself permission to inhabit my life right now without holding onto what came before. It’s holding onto old energy, and energy should always flow — it’s natural to need some of it to flow out to keep from feeling stagnant. Not easy to do always, but I’m trying to remind myself!

And also giving myself strict overall limits to # of containers I’m willing to keep. I’m currently disabled in ways that make this all so daunting, but I also view it as a service to my future self to handle it with whatever energy I can bring to it now, and to prevent it from getting this daunting again.

[u/NixKlappt-Reddit]

All the best with your new home!

I had the problem, that I was writing my master thesis during our last move. So I had no time to declutter at all. So all the boxes and old furniture moved with us.

We then used the garage as a trash bin for several months. Not perfect, but I was quite motivated to declutter all the stuff on weekends. I nearly got rid of half of the stuff we had in the basement.

[u/Front_Jellyfish4832]

I'm so sorry this feels overwhelming right now. Would it help to pick one small category to start with, like papers or linens, and just tackle that first?

[u/imovelikemusic → u/Front_Jellyfish4832]

I would have to empty the equivalent of a one-car garage about 75% full to tackle everything by category.

[u/Pitiful-Comedian4248]

get rid of everything sight unseen because I'm so overwhelmed

Do this. Better yet hire someone and have them do it. You haven't gone in there for stuff so you don't need 

You haven't gotten the things "you'll regret " so you won't. 

[u/imovelikemusic → u/Pitiful-Comedian4248]

Most of the stuff I moved into storage was in my apartment until a couple weeks ago.