There was a time not so long ago that the utility/store room in my townhouse was so full that you couldn't see the floor. Over time, coin collections (a gift from my dad), toilet paper, random boxes, paper towels, a steamer vac, a stepping stool, and many other random items cluttered the once organized room.
When the townhouse was built, my dad was nice enough to install 2 storage shelves in the utility room. Those shelves are usefull for things like the dog crates, ice cream maker attachment, cleaning supplies, rarely used dishes, oversized tupperware, etc. When they got full, the floor was the next natural resting place.
Then one day I decided I had had enough, so I emptied the entire thing out. Every shelf, including those of the bookcase that sits below the wall shelves, was emptied. Each of the 4 drawers of the rolling set were also emptied. I cleaned the floor, which was covered in a mixture of dust, dogfood, spiderwebs and the like. I felt better already.
Next I organized the big things back into the wall shelves. Back up went the dog crate and the ice cream maker and everything else. Organizing the book shelf was a little more difficult. I decided that I was never going to use the "fake plastic water" that was meant to hold artificial flower arrangments in place, so that was tossed. Also tossed were any items that were no longer needed. A few things went into the thrift store pile. All of the tools that had been stored in various places were corralled into a single plastic basket that makes them easy to find and easy to put away. The nails, screws, and other items were loaded into my too tiny to function as a real toolbox toolbox. The light bulbs were arranged on the bookshelf, and so were the paper products. The drawers were organized--painting supplies and furniture fixing supplies each got their own drawer. All of the appliance literature was taken to the file cabinet, where it should have lived all along.
Before I knew it, I could see the floor again. The coin collection still lives there, but I can live with that.
