Where do you store your 18+ items? Storing them in a tiny house or with housemates
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
The storage location is just as much a choice as the item itself. Where in the house, in what, and how you keep it lockable and organized.
Most people, when making an 18+ purchase, think about the product itself, and only the next day about where to store it. That's usually the bathroom cabinet or a bedroom drawer — two places that are poorly suited for it. In a small apartment, a student room, or a house with children or guests, the storage location is as much a choice as the item itself. This guide is about that: where in the house, in what, and how to keep it organized.
Why the bathroom is a bad place
A bathroom is warm, humid, and experiences large temperature fluctuations. This is not a favorable environment for materials like silicone, TPE, and faux leather, and batteries and charging contacts also prefer a dry cabinet. Additionally, in a bathroom, you rarely have a drawer that you can truly lock.
What you're looking for is a place that meets four criteria: dry, dark, at room temperature, and out of sight. A bedroom closet at eye level or higher, a drawer unit, or a shelf with boxes in a walk-in closet usually suffice. Avoid the windowsill, the cabinet above the heater, and a shed that drops below ten degrees in winter.
Never loose in a drawer
Storing items loosely is the most common mistake. Dust, textile lint, and hairs adhere to silicone and soft materials, and different materials can react with each other or discolor with prolonged contact. The practical rule: each item separately, in a bag or a box, and only put it back in the cabinet when it is completely dry.
What to store in: bag, small box, or box
You actually need two layers. An inner packaging per item, and an outer container where those packages are stored together.
For the inner layer, resealable bags are the simplest and cheapest. The zip-lock bags (10 pieces) with transparent back cost €9.95, and the 12 x 12 cm zip-lock bags (10 pieces) €14.95. The advantage of transparent: you can see what's inside without opening everything. The disadvantage: that also applies to others, so in a shared cabinet, you'll want those bags in something opaque.
The outer container can be simple. A cardboard shipping box of 15 x 15 x 15 cm for €1.99 is neutral, stackable, and costs almost nothing. It's better not to use the original packaging with a window and product photo: it's designed to stand out on a shelf, and it will do the same in your cabinet.
Making it lockable without buying a safe
If you live with housemates, have children visiting, or regularly have family staying over, 'out of sight' is not the same as 'inaccessible'. A simple solution is a box or bag with a zipper and a small padlock. Padlocks with key (12 pieces in 3 sizes) cost €14.95 — enough for multiple boxes, suitcases, and cabinets, and you'll have spare keys. For one box, the set of love padlocks, 2 pieces with 1 key for €8.95 is sufficient.
Another route is discretion instead of a lock. The fake book with storage space of 26.7 x 17 x 4.2 cm (€24.00, 8 models) simply sits on a bookshelf and goes unnoticed. With an inner size slightly smaller than the outer size, this is especially suitable for flat, small items — so measure before ordering.
Clean storage saves half the hassle
The most important step happens before storage. Clean, allow to air dry completely, and only then put it in the bag. An item that is still damp and immediately placed in a sealed bag is the reason people find a musty bag two months later.
A cleaner specifically designed for this works easier than soap, because you don't have to rinse in a sink with housemates present. The toy cleaner spray of 150 ml costs €8.95 and there is an odorless toy cleaner of 120 ml for €7.95 — the latter is practical if you don't want a scent in your cabinet or are sensitive to perfume. If you want to take a small amount with you or keep it handy, you can pour it into a refillable foam pump bottle of 50 ml (€2.99) or a refillable bottle of 120 ml (€2.99). Label it with a waterproof marker to indicate what's inside.
Batteries and accumulators
Remove loose batteries if something is not used for a long time; empty or leaking batteries are the most common cause of an item no longer working after six months. Items with a built-in battery should preferably not be stored completely empty, and recharge them a few times a year. Store the corresponding cable in the same bag or box, otherwise you'll lose it.
A system you can maintain
Organize it clearly into three groups, each in its own box or compartment: I use regularly, occasionally, and care and accessories (cleaners, lubricant, cables, batteries). Place the third group at the front, as you will access it most often. Go through the boxes twice a year: check if anything is sticky, discolored, or damaged, and discard empty bottles. If you move or have a long-term guest, you move one box instead of thirty loose items — that's precisely why this system pays off.
What you need, all together
Cleaners can be found under Toycleaners and Intimate Hygiene, bags under Zip-lock bags, and boxes and boxes-with-lids can be found under Storage and Boxes. If you're unsure which size box fits what you have, or are looking for something lockable and inconspicuous, feel free to email info@verpakkingdeals.nl with the dimensions of what you want to store, and we'll help you find a suitable combination.
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