Declutter Your Home for Safety – and Securely Store Your Stuff

Keeping a clutter-free home isn’t just about appearances. Excess clutter can pose serious safety hazards and may even impact your ability to get or maintain homeowners insurance. Beyond this, an organized home makes life easier, safer, and more enjoyable. For items you can’t keep at home, off-site storage provides a secure solution. The good news is many of your belongings stored off-site may still be covered under your homeowners insurance policy. In this blog, we’ll explore practical decluttering and storage tips for Florida homeowners to help you maintain a safer living space and protect your belongings.

Decluttering in Your Home

Decluttering your home is a great way to make your living environment safer, reduce stress, and even enhance your home’s insurability. Whether you tackle one room at a time or set aside a weekend to do a full reset, regular decluttering is key to maintaining a functional, hazard-free home. It also allows you to keep track of your belongings, ensuring nothing gets lost in the chaos. With the following steps, you can make decluttering a seamless part of your routine.

1. Declutter Regularly

Decluttering your home isn’t a one-time activity; it’s a continuous process of keeping your home safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. Regularly clearing out unnecessary items reduces the risk of accidents and ensures you can easily access what you need. By making decluttering a habit, you’ll stay on top of clutter before it becomes overwhelming.

Tips for regular decluttering:

• Schedule decluttering sessions monthly or seasonally.
• Use the “three-box method”: one box for items to keep, one for donations, and one for trash.
• Focus on one area at a time, such as a closet or a kitchen drawer.
• Avoid overfilling shelves or closets—leave space for proper airflow and accessibility.
• Keep a donation bin in your home for items you no longer need.

2. Assess What You Truly Need

Take a moment to evaluate your possessions and ask yourself what truly adds value to your life. Holding onto items you don’t need can create unnecessary clutter and make your home feel cramped. Being selective about what you keep can transform your space into a functional and relaxing environment.

Tips for assessing your belongings:

• Ask yourself: Have I used this in the past year?
• Separate sentimental items from practical ones; keep only the most meaningful.
• Discard broken items you’ve been “meaning to fix” but haven’t.
• For every new item you bring home, try to remove an old one.
• Organize a yard sale or donate items to reduce clutter responsibly.

3. Organize What Stays

Decluttering isn’t complete without organizing the items you decide to keep. Effective organization is a crucial part of decluttering and storage tips for Florida homeowners, ensuring essential items are easy to find and hazards are minimized. A well-organized home not only looks great but also prevents safety hazards like tripping over misplaced belongings or struggling to find essential items.

Tips for home organization:

• Use labeled bins or baskets to group similar items.
• Invest in shelving units to maximize vertical space.
• Store hazardous materials, like cleaning supplies or tools, securely and out of reach of children.
• Utilize drawer dividers to keep small items tidy.
• Keep everyday essentials in easily accessible areas to avoid frustration.

4. Eliminate Safety Hazards

A cluttered home can lead to accidents, such as trips, falls, or fires. Removing excess items and keeping spaces clear will not only improve safety but also make your home feel more open and inviting.

Tips for improving safety:

• Clear walkways, stairs, and hallways of any obstacles.
• Secure cords and wires to prevent tripping.
• Dispose of old newspapers, cardboard, or other flammable materials.
• Store heavy or sharp objects at lower levels to avoid injury.
• Replace broken or wobbly furniture posing a danger.

5. Document Valuables Inside Your Home

One of the most overlooked decluttering and storage tips for Florida homeowners is documenting your valuables to ensure they are adequately protected.

Creating a home inventory helps you keep track of your belongings and simplifies the claims process in the event of damage or loss. It’s an essential step to ensure you’re fully protected under your homeowners insurance policy.

Tips for documenting valuables:

• Take photos or videos of each room, focusing on high-value items.
• Keep receipts or appraisals for expensive belongings.
• Use a digital tool or app to organize your inventory.
• Update your inventory regularly as you acquire new items.
• Store a backup copy of your inventory in the cloud or off-site.

Storing Items Off-Site

For items of value you don’t necessarily need to keep in your home, off-site storage is an excellent option. Whether it’s seasonal decor, rarely used furniture, or collectibles, finding a secure place to store these items keeps your home clutter-free while ensuring the items remain protected. But storage solutions aren’t one-size-fits-all. From assessing your storage needs to ensuring adequate insurance coverage, this section provides everything you need to make informed storage decisions for both safety and convenience.

1. Assess Your Storage Needs

Assessing your storage needs is one of the key decluttering and storage tips for Florida homeowners, as it helps determine what items should remain in the home and what can be safely stored off-site. Not everything belongs in your home. Off-site storage can help free up space for everyday living while keeping your rarely used items safe and accessible. Assess what’s worth storing off-site to maximize the use of your storage unit.

Tips for evaluating storage needs:

• Identify items you use seasonally, like holiday decorations, hurricane supplies, and winter wear or patio heaters used for cold spells or travel.
• Separate items you plan to store for the long term from those you may need access to more frequently.
• Avoid storing perishable or hazardous materials off-site.
• Consider how much space you’ll need; don’t pay for more than is necessary.
• Group items by category for easier organization.

2. Check Your Insurance Policy

Did you know many homeowners insurance policies cover belongings stored off-site? However, there may be coverage limits, so it’s essential to review your policy and confirm the specifics with your insurance agent.

Tips for reviewing your insurance coverage:

• Check if your Coverage C includes items in off-site storage.
• Confirm any coverage limits or exclusions for high-value items.
• Ask your agent about additional coverage options if needed.
• Document stored items to streamline the claims process if necessary.
• Verify whether your policy covers disasters like hurricanes and if you also have a separate flood insurance policy.

3. Consider the Value of Stored Items

When deciding what to store, think about the value of the items and whether they warrant extra protection. This step ensures you’re making smart storage choices and adequately protecting your belongings.

Tips for valuing stored items:

• Separate sentimental items from items with monetary value.
• Avoid storing irreplaceable items off-site if they’re not covered.
• Appraise high-value items and consider additional insurance coverage.
• Label boxes with their approximate contents and value.
• Keep a list of what you’re storing off-site and regularly reassess stored items to ensure they remain relevant.

4. Choose a Secure Storage Facility

Not all storage facilities are created equal. Finding a safe, reliable storage option is crucial for protecting your belongings from theft, damage, or Florida’s notorious weather conditions.

Tips for selecting a storage facility:

• Choose a facility with 24/7 security, surveillance, and gated access.
• Opt for climate-controlled units to prevent humidity damage.
• Check for strong structural integrity to withstand storms.
• Read reviews and visit the facility in person before committing.
• Ask about insurance options provided by the facility.

5. Document Your Stored Items

Just like documenting items in your home, creating an inventory of stored belongings is essential. This step ensures you’re prepared in case of theft, loss, or damage.

Tips for documenting stored belongings:

• Photograph and label each item before storing it.
• Keep a digital or physical list of all items and their locations within the unit.
• Note serial numbers for electronics or valuable equipment.
• Store important documents in waterproof, fireproof containers.
• Revisit your storage unit periodically to confirm everything is in order.

Protect Your Space & Your Peace of Mind

Decluttering your home and securely storing your belongings off-site can greatly improve your safety, organization, and peace of mind. Remember items stored off-site are often covered under your homeowners insurance policy – but it’s always a good idea to confirm details with your agent.

For more decluttering and storage tips for Florida homeowners and other helpful home tips, browse the blogs on the Florida Peninsula Insurance Company website. A safer, clutter-free home is just a few steps away.

If you’re not yet insured by Florida Peninsula and interested to explore the benefits of being a policyholder with us, contact a Florida Peninsula agent now or get a quote online.