Tips

Clever Ways to Preserve and Store Your Favorite Items

April 30, 2020
Happy couple organizing

Living an exciting life filled with love and adventure probably means you’ve amassed a collection of beloved items, and as you begin the next chapter of your life you should continue to enjoy your keepsakes by properly preserving them. At SpringHouse Village, Fairway Villas, and The Reserve, you’ll find spacious floorplans with ample storage space — read on to learn creative tips and tricks to keep your cherished belongings organized.

Clothing

To properly store everything from your Fleetwood Mac concert shirt to your lucky hockey jersey, start by cleaning the fabric according to the washing instructions. Clean clothes will keep better than those with dribbles of stadium nacho cheese — no shame, it happens to the best of us. Rather than hanging each of your items in the closet, consider placing them in clean cardboard boxes for temporary storage. Folding your laundered clothes can help avoid misshapen pieces — when packing them, place heavier items on the bottom with lighter ones on top. Although mothballs are a tried-and-true bug repellant, consider replacing them with cedar planks that don’t contain as many chemicals. Your home at SpringHouse Village includes generous storage space, so remember to put your clothing somewhere with the right conditions — cool, clean, dark, and dry.

Shoes

Footwear can easily pile up and get in the way. To clear your floor space and preserve your favorite kicks, incorporate storage-friendly furniture — like a shoe-storage ottoman or a hidden organizer that slips over your boxspring and under your bedskirt. Upcycle old wine crates or pegged coat racks to store muddy boots, or install corner shelving in your garage to hold golf shoes or ski boots. For shoes worth keeping — like your grandkids’ baby shoes — opt for clean, dry plastic bins with dryer sheets or scented pouches for freshness.

Family Memories

Protect against accidents by tucking away postcards, photos, and documents in airtight albums or folders atop your linen cabinet — avoid using tape, staples, or plastic bins that can instantly damage your treasures. The professionals suggest sticking to the #1 rule — sort the keepers from the non-keepers. We all have photos of beautiful scenery from camping trips, but your memories may be meaningless to future generations unless they’re organized and connected to a specific contextual reason. With tons of closet space, your one-of-a-kind home boasts nooks and crannies perfect for your keepsakes.

Jewelry

Family heirlooms deserve proper storage no matter whether they hold monetary or sentimental value. As with clothes, consider having your jewelry professionally cleaned before you tuck it away. Place your silver pieces in cloth bags specifically made to prevent tarnishing — you’ll thank us later. Acid-free storage boxes and archival tissue will protect your jewels when stored separately from photos, documents, and fabric. Don’t underestimate the strength of diamonds — because they’re literally the hardest stone, they can easily scratch softer ones — so be sure to keep them separate from all other items. When you’re ready to give your heirlooms to your grandkids, you’ll have pristine and sparkling gems to gift.

Keepsakes

Start by determining what’s worth keeping and what you can toss — it can help to recall the story attached to your item and think about how you’d like to preserve the memories. In your downtime, type and print the story so you remember why you kept each keepsake, then attach it directly to the trinket for easy reference when you revisit the items. You can snap a few photos of larger items you wish to stow long-term — flipping through your photos rather than hauling each large box will save you both time and energy. Labeling your boxes and individual pieces of memorabilia will help you stay organized while remembering the delightful stories that accompany your treasures.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll easily store and preserve your most cherished items.  OakwoodLife communities are designed for the active 55+ lifestyle. You’ll find storage-friendly floorplans that encourage you to gather your friends and family to relive your favorite memories — while creating more together.