- Part Three - Practical Tips and Suggestions - Organizing a utility room for functionality and storage space

In this last, of our three post series, I offer you some practical tips to help you make the most out of your project.

Priority Shelving

Take special care when deciding on the placement of each item. Heavier and frequently used items need to be easy to retrieve or replace.

Create a priority zone by taking into account your flexibility, strength and height.

Therefore, if you cannot bend down, leave priority items on higher levels and if you cannot stretch upwards, place these same items at the mid or low levels of your storage space.

Safety precautions

Make sure that you properly secure storage items in place. Proper measures will prevent objects from tipping, falling or collapsing.

Also...

• Level all your stacked boxes and shelves, to make sure there is no danger of tipping.
• Do not exceed the prescribed weight restrictions on any piece of furniture, shelves, bins or boxes.
• Secure furniture against walls. (Use a stud finder to secure hooks to wall joints)
• Placing the heaviest items on the bottom of any pile or shelf will reduce the chance of injury during an earthquake.

Emergency Kits

Utility rooms are a great place to store emergency kits, because it is a central location and the use of open shelving makes it easy to spot the kit during a crisis.

Some other things to consider when storing your emergency kit:

• Keep the kit close to the door.
• Make it easy to spot with florescent tape.
• Store it with your camping equipment
• Place all the critical items in a backpack.

· All important documents, pictures, videos and jewelry need to be next to the emergency or camping equipment. A central location allows you to grab everything you need during an evacuation in one trip.

Taking the time to sort

Now is the time to donate, throw out or recycle items that you no longer need.

If possible, leave room for future items that may need seasonal storage or temporary placement.

Labeling

Take the time to label every inch of the room. Using labels saves time, energy, and possible injuries. You want to walk into the room and know exactly where everything is stored.

Each bin, shelf, and area should have an easy to read label. While printed labels look great, using wide masking tape and a black sharpie will save you time and money.

In addition, masking tape allows you to print large letters and the strips are less likely to fall off. If you prefer typed labels, I recommend placing a strip of clear storage tape over the label to keep it from wear and tear.

I hope you enjoyed the last three posts and I hope it helps you design a room that fits your particular needs and style.

If you have any questions or require some general guidance, please send me an email through the contact form on the right sidebar.