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Though smaller than any other storage unit, lockers are an indispensible item for every home. And, why should it only be for the residential dwellings? Don’t we see lockers in our schools, offices, gyms and certain other public places as well? They help to store away our personal belongings including certain valuables.
Due to its strength and durability, steel is traditionally used for manufacturing a locker. You will see metal lockers in banks, many public places as well as modern homes. Steel lockers in use for general purposes are less than a centimetre thick. A more heavy duty locker design needs thicker walls for the security reasons. Steel lockers must be made duly rust proof.
Dimensions vary widely according to the user’s requirements. The safes you see at the airport terminal are large enough to accommodate your backpacks and suitcases. The same is not applicable for a domestic locker used for storing precious pieces of jewellery. The size of a domestic locker is generally pre-defined by the manufacturer with options of customisation.
Metal lockers are not the sole available option. They can be made of wood, plastic and phenolic. All of these are highly customisable, available in a range of colours and suited for a variety of purposes including the storing of the items of value. Some safes like these are also made cylindrical which adds a kind of variation in the interiors.
You can also build a bicycle locker in your garden and laundry locker in the utility room. This type of a locker is very suitable for those living in multifamily or multigenerational buildings.
Your teenage children may like to have a locker of their own to store away those small items which they consider to be priceless. Since almost all these facilities come with a sophisticated locking system, they can be helpful for creating a private niche of their own.
Make sure they learn to use it responsibly. Moreover, help your kids to decorate it in style or share with them some of your tips. Your respect their privacy will also teach them how to use their lockers responsibly.
Small lockers are generally mounted inside a wardrobe, on the wall or some other place considered to be safe. You can choose to invest in a locker cabinet designed with latest locking system. This will be a useful item for your home office as well. You will safely be able to store away many important pieces of paper.
For those staying in rented apartments, locker cabinets tend to be a practical solution both for storing away the precious items and keeping the interiors organised. This is another benefit of having locker cabinets at home. You can sort out the important objects of your home and neatly store them away in a place which you know to be safe and secure.
Every space requires organisation and your small locker is no exception. Remove things that you have no intentions to use any longer and declutter the space effectively. Throw away those empty bottles of nail polish, junk jewelleries and faded scarf that would be not in use again. This is a locker that you are maintaining and not a trashcan.
Keep an organiser or a cotton bag to store the smaller pieces neatly. You can keep separate zipped pouches for pens and pencils, earrings, lipsticks and so on. Mark each one of them with individual labels so that you can easily identify them.
File away important pieces of paper, communications and memos if you use this space to store away your documents. Books and notepads etc should be kept separate from the others. Place a portable file cabinet for the important documents and a separate rack for the books. If your cabinet has a shelving system inside then you will have less of a difficulty to organise your important items.
In case this space is meant for storing away your gemstones and jewelleries, make sure those items are kept organised as well. The jewellery safes tend to be quite small so you may need to use cotton pouches instead of a formal organiser. Keeping your rings and tops separate from the other pieces would be necessary. Otherwise, you will have quite a difficulty in finding these tiny items.
Some people use cabinet lockers to store valuable items of clothing and accessories. These cabinets tend to resemble an armoire in size. A few of your dresses are perhaps best kept folded. Sort them out from the others which can be suspended from the hangers. Preferably, keep them in separate compartments. If your cabinet is short on hooks you can use suction hooks to hold additional items. But this would only work in case of steel lockers.
Try to maintain separate cabinets for your woollens and leather items. It will be easier to spot everything this way. Leather and woollen goods also need added care for keeping them moisture free which would be easier to handle when stored separately.
A personalised locker is a proud possession of many. Try to decorate yours in style too. You can buy custom made locker rugs to spread on its floor. Recycling one of your old rugs no longer in use or a thick shawl would serve the purpose as well. You may also spread a cork mat or white board on the floor as well.
Now begin decorating its walls. Use small pieces of wallpaper or fabric to cover the walls. For a more striking effect, you may use canvas paintings or photographs to cover the walls. Instead of glue, utilise magnetic buttons to put up the wallpaper. However, this will only work for a steel locker. Consider installing a big mirror at the far end which would make your small locker look expansive.
Your kids may like to decorate their lockers with colourful buttons, ribbons or glittering magnetic pins. Encourage them to stylise the space according to their tastes. Locker chandeliers are also available in the market nowadays. Decorative pieces like these add pizzazz in the small confinement of a locker.
Those with panache for needlework can put their skills in the use. Consider crafting cushions and curtains for this miniature world of yours. Use frills or beaded garland to decorate the fringes. Just make sure they do not create any obstruction while closing the door. You can handcraft the organisers from stray boxes or stitch small bags to store your precious items as well. Small activities like these will make sure you personalise this space to perfection.
There is something more you need to do for keeping your locker fresh, free of any dampness and pest attack. Regular decluttering will help to keep it clean and tidy. Periodically remove the wallpaper, locker rug etc and clean up any residual dust or stains. It will also prevent accumulation of dust. To prevent insect attacks, keep a few mothballs here.
A lavender or rosemary pouch, small sandal wood billets or a cotton ball soaked in eucalyptus oil would help to avoid any possible pest infestation. What’s more, any of these will create an interior that smells fresh all the time. Keeping a moisture absorbing chemical pouch like silica gel sachet would be highly useful for those safes storing clothing items and leather products. These steps will also ensure that your favourite items enjoy a shelf life like no other.
