When to Store and When to Donate

At EZ Storage® in St. Louis, we’re always ready to help you find the perfect self-storage unit. We’ve helped many people find the right space for their belongings, and with our monthly storage rentals, you can keep your things safe for as long as you need. In our many years in the storage business, we’ve seen people store things for a few months, and we’ve seen those who store things for a few years. We’ve also seen those people who store things and then decide that it’s better to donate them rather than hold onto them for any longer.

Which Items Are Still Usable?

The first step in deciding whether or not to keep something or to donate it is to determine if it’s still usable. If it’s a piece of furniture, then check to see if it’s still holding together and if anything is coming loose, such as the arms of a chair or the coverings on a couch or chair. Hopefully, if the furniture has been stored correctly, everything will still be in good shape.

If you’ve been keeping tools or appliances in your storage unit, then take them out and see if they still work. Most hand tools will be usable for many years, but if you have older items, it may be better to donate them to a worthy cause and buy yourself some new items. With appliances, you may not need them in your house any more, but you’ll want to be sure that a fridge still works or that a microwave still runs before you donate them to a local nonprofit. Overall, you’ll want to check items for usability and functionality before you donate anything.

What Do You Want to Keep?

Items such as family heirlooms are things that you’ll hold onto for several years, but there may be items in your storage unit that you’re okay with donating. You may have packed up boxes of toys a few years ago, and as time passed, your kids forgot about these things, or you forgot that they were even in your storage unit. As you pull boxes and tubs out of storage, go through them with your family and have everyone pick a few things that they want to keep, and then set everything else aside for donation. This is especially beneficial with those items that may not be worth much anymore, but that someone could get some joy and use out of, such as a toy or a piece of clothing.

When you put things in storage, you may not be sure how long you’re going to keep them there. You may simply want to get them out of the house and out of the way, but you don’t have plans to keep certain items for several years. At EZ Storage®, we have four locations in the greater St. Louis area, and each one can provide the self-storage unit that will keep your belongings safe and sound. When you decide that you want to donate certain things, you can stop by your storage space, pick up those items, and take them to the charity of your choice.

We look forward to seeing you soon!