Is your machsan an oversized garbage can? Do you cringe every time you have to go down there ?– or even worse- never go down there?
How many useful belongings do you have down there that are unaccessible? Do you even know?
How much garbage do you have down there wasting your precious space?
Are you still waiting for your kids to take their boxes out of there or are you still hoping they are going to take Bubby’s old china set?
Do you go out and buy what you need, even though it’s probably buried somewhere in the machsan?
We don’t have all the storage space here in Israel like we had in the States – but we still have all the stuff!!!
It’s a shame that the storage space that we do have is so dysfunctional.
Here are some ideas to get your machsan under control once and for all.
Before you put a new item into storage, I beg you – ask yourself these three questions.
1. What would happen is I got rid of this? (nothing?)
2. How difficult or expensive would it be to replace this item if I would ever actually need it?
3. Will I be able to locate this item when I’m looking for it?
There are so many ways to make a machsan more functional. Here are the popular ones:
- Install adjustable long shelves along the entire length of each wall to maximize the space. Stay away from free standing shelving units. They limit the size of the object you can store there.
- Use narrow shelves for high-up storage to make them more accessible.
- Never stack more than 2 boxes high, it will be too hard to access the box on the bottom.
- Use clear containers or clear oversized storage bags to see what is there, without having to even open the box!
- Items of sentimental value shouldn’t be buried in the machsan collecting dust- they should be stored in a way they can be enjoyed (on display or in an album)
- Create an index / map on the door to the machasan so you can identify quickly where everything is
Turn your machsan into a user friendly functional space. Your home will thank you!
