Don't Buy Storage Bins Yet: A 3-Stage Framework for Deciding What You Actually Need

Before buying storage bins, follow a 3-stage framework: purge what you don't need, inventory what remains, and audit existing containers. This process ensures you buy only the exact type and quantity of storage your home genuinely requires, avoiding common organizing mistakes.

Layla Quinn

October 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Before you buy a single storage bin, professional organizers say you should complete three stages: purge what you don't need, inventory what remains, and audit the containers you already own. Skipping straight to the store is the most common organizing mistake, because bins bought before decluttering simply hide clutter more neatly instead of solving it. Follow this framework and you'll end up with a clear "buy" or "don't buy yet" decision, plus the exact type and quantity of storage your home genuinely requires.

Your 3-Stage Pre-Purchase Storage Bin Decision Framework

The framework below synthesizes advice from multiple professional organizers into a sequential diagnostic process. Work through the stages in order, because each one changes what the next stage requires. The output is a documented decision: whether new bins are needed at all, and if so, what size, shape, and quantity.

Three stages to complete before buying storage bins
Stage	Action	Purpose	Key Insight
Stage 1: The Purge	Declutter all items first, categorizing by "like things" and by how you want to find and access them.	Avoid merely containing items you don't actually need, use, or want.	As professional organizer Wendy Trunz recommends, get rid of anything you truly don't need by disposing of it or donating it.
Stage 2: The Inventory	Measure the width, depth, and height of every shelf and drawer, noting adjustable shelves that allow wiggle room.	Accurate measurements prevent ill-fitting containers and define the storage system.	Categorizing everything first helps you determine the exact dimensions of the bins you'll need, which makes shopping easier.
Stage 3: The "Shop at Home" Audit	Assess and use existing containers—shoe boxes, gift boxes, baskets, and empty drawers—before buying new ones.	Freebie containers often work just as well as new ones and reveal what long-term storage you truly need.	Organizers suggest repurposing what you already own first; excess containers themselves become clutter.

Stage 1: The Purge – Declutter Before You Contain

Start by looking at everything you plan to store before storing any of it. "Organizing clutter is not creating a system; it's just containing things that you don't actually need, use or want," says Shannon Littlehale, professional organizer and owner of Make Space NJ. Her point is blunt: until you've gotten rid of what doesn't belong, you can't know what the system should entail or which products fit your space.

Wendy Trunz, partner and head organizer at Jane's Addiction Organization, recommends sorting items into "like things" and grouping them by how you'd like to find and access them later. Then dispose of or donate anything you truly don't need. For tougher judgment calls, you can borrow tested prompts: The Spruce suggests getting rid of clothes you haven't fit into or worn in a year, while Marie Kondo's method asks, item by item, whether each possession sparks joy.

Stage 2: The Inventory – Measure Your Needs, Not Your Wants

Once the purge is done, take inventory of what's left and where it will live. Trunz explains that categorizing everything first helps you determine the depth, width, and length of the bins you'll need, which makes shopping easier. The contents drive the container: "If you are storing pictures, photo albums, framed pictures or holiday decor, the size and shape of the bins will change depending on what you're storing," she says.

Then measure the spaces themselves. The organizing company NEAT Method advises measuring every drawer and shelf where you need products, recording width, depth, and height, and noting any adjustable shelves that allow wiggle room. Keep a running list on your phone for easy reference, and double-check every measurement before adding anything to your cart. This step saves you from bins that don't fit, containers that hang off the edge, or drawers that won't close.

The payoff can be financial, too. Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer of Professional Organizer New Orleans, says that after decluttering, you might find you don't need as many bins as you originally thought—or any at all.