They have become a defining characteristic of the roadside, wedged in among the malls and fast-food franchises — barracks-like rows of buildings with small garage doors, surrounded by a fence. A gated enclave for excess stuff.
There are 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space in America, or more than 7 square feet for every, man, woman and child in the country. It's now "physically possible that every American could stand — all at the same time — under the total canopy of self-storage roofing," boasts the Self Storage Association.
There are about 51,000 storage facilities in the country — more than four times the number of McDonald's.
The storage shed is a symptom of our cluttered lives. Clutter is the cholesterol of the home; it's clogging the hearth.
The "Clean Sweep" team from the television show of that name usually hauls away about half a ton of trash from each house that it rescues from clutter. (Which may explain why 23 percent of Americans admit to paying bills late because they can't find them, and why 25 percent of people with two-car garages have to park their cars outside.)
"We have too much. We're overhoused, overclothed, overfed and overentertained," said Don Aslett, getting right to the point.
Aslett would know; he's been poking around houses for 50 years. In college, Aslett started what has become one of the country's largest cleaning companies, and his books on clutter helped to establish the genre.
People call Aslett, saying, "We don't know how all this stuff got here." Think of it as a whodunit. He solves the mystery and gently interrogates the guilty. Ask yourself: "Does this item enhance your life?" If not, get rid of it.
