Unless you recently missed a payment because your invoice got buried in your mail pile or lost track of an invitation to your cousin’s birthday party, you probably haven’t given much thought to the way you sort, keep, and organize your mail. But that doesn’t mean you should wait for a mishap to occur to finally find an appropriate mail storage solution. Today’s the day you should tackle that mound of mail on your countertop!
In our guide below, we’ll help you learn how to organize mail and find a good place to keep it. We offer some handy mail storage ideas to help you have a better handle on what’s coming and going through your mailbox.
Have you ever misplaced an important piece of mail? Or is your mail always cluttering up your countertop space? If you don’t have a mail storage solution, then it’s no wonder you’re always losing bills and dealing with the clutter of random envelopes and junk mail.
When you put a storage system into place, you’ll have a much easier time keeping track of your important mail and maintaining an organized space in your home. If you’re not sure how to store mail in an orderly way, don’t worry. We’ve got all the tips you’ll need!
Ready to start experimenting with the best mail organization ideas? Check out our list of mail storage ideas for inspiration.
If you’re wondering where to store mail, we recommend choosing a place that’s conveniently located near a recycling bin and a shredder. This way, you can immediately get rid of junk mail and anything with personal details instead of letting it pile up.
You can also place a mail receptacle like a basket or bin right by your front door where you can easily drop your mail until you have time to organize it or open each envelope. Then when you’re ready to deal with your mail, you can easily take your mail bin or basket over to your mail storage solution and start sorting through it.
We get it; you don’t always have the time (or patience!) to open every envelope and properly address each piece of correspondence the moment you receive it. When that’s the case, categorizing your mail comes in handy. This lets you quickly sort through your mail and place each item in the appropriate section until you’re ready to open it.
For example, you can have categories like “to toss,” “to file,” “to pay,” and “to address later,” or “junk mail,” “personal mail,” “outgoing mail,” and “bills.” This lets you quickly throw each piece of mail in its corresponding category so you’ll have organized stacks to go through later instead of an overwhelming pile cluttering your space.
Mail dividers are one of the most convenient mail organizing ideas, especially if you’re categorizing your mail as we previously suggested. These dividers offer a variety of slots, making it easy to place each envelope in the appropriate slot. For instance, you might have a slot designated for bills and another for coupons.
There are many different kinds of mail dividers to choose from, including ones made from wood, wire, metal, plastic, and more. You can even find artsy dividers that match your decor or ones with drawers that you can set on a shelf or countertop.
Incoming mail isn’t the only thing you need to tackle—you also have to create a system for your outgoing mail. After all, if you’re not organized, you could wind up forgetting to send your RSVP to your friend’s wedding or misplacing your envelope with your electricity payment. To help keep you on top of your outgoing mail, we suggest designating a spot for the mail you need to put in your mailbox.
You could place a magnetic mail holder on the side of your fridge, hang a basket next to your front door, set a container on the side of your desk, or put a tray on the table in your foyer. When deciding on a good place, just be sure to choose an area that you pass by often so you don’t overlook it.
Once you’ve decided on a place to store your incoming and outgoing mail, we recommend gathering all your mail-centric supplies there, too. For example, you can keep your envelope knife, stamps, thank you cards, and extra envelopes all together, so everything is in one convenient place, and you know exactly where they are when you need them.
Organizing your space and finding proper storage solutions go hand-in-hand. Stor-It is the oldest and largest storage company in Idaho, so we know storage inside and out. Want to know how to store things in a storage unit? Or are you looking for a storage facility near you? We’ve got you covered. Contact us today to learn more!