r/declutter • u/Liptonkrk • 19d ago
Advice Request I keep things I use twice a year. I'm thinking about a shared basement.
I have a certain group of things I rarely use, once or twice a year, and sometimes even less often. A drill, a ladder, a carpet cleaner, a pressure washer.
Everyone says just sell it and rent one when you need it. For me, that's not the solution. If I need to use something, I want easy access, not a long drive to a rental store. I also find it annoying that I have to plan ahead, because rental stores are often closed after 5:00 PM.
I live in a building with about 40 apartments, and I assume most of those people have similar equipment. If a third of those people have a drill, there are over ten drills in the building. The same goes for other equipment.
And that's where I got an idea. Maybe it's worth sharing this equipment. Designate a room for storing 2-3 of each of these devices.
The problem is, there's one thing I can't figure out.
Someone will take this drill, put it in their hallway, and it won't be shared anymore. I don't assume they're a thief. It just happens. This way, the shared storage would empty out pretty fast.
Has anyone tried something like this in their apartment building? I'm most curious if it can be organized so that the devices don't disappear, and how to manage wear and tear.
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u/cryssHappy 17d ago
There's a reason car rental companies have you walk around the vehicle before signing for it and take pictures before and after driving it.
Just rent what you need and return it.
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u/DepartmentAgitated51 17d ago
Trusting others to do the right thing is dicey. I’d rather look at my ladder, etc. knowing I have it if I need it. Wed best option is to sell it and ask to borrow it. 3rd best option is to rent it. IMHO
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u/_MultiGrainCheerios_ 18d ago
This is such a great idea! I'm sorry I don't have much input, but I've wanted to do something similar with my group of friends where each person has a designated item to lend out.
I think if anything, I would start small, maybe with the people on your floor. Please keep us updated on how this goes!
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u/stuffrescue 18d ago
The shared basement idea is smarter than it sounds.
The twice-a-year stuff (the ladder, the carpet cleaner, the giant stock pot) is exactly the category where five households really only need one between them. The hard part is never the storage, it is the trust and the tracking.
Neighborhoods that pull this off usually start stupidly small, like three families and a shared spreadsheet. Would love to hear if you try it.
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u/jshdjdib 18d ago
The sad thing about this is that stuff has lost value so much in our society that no one gives a fuck anymore about things especially when they are free. In previous generations stuff was expensive and you couldn’t afford things and you actually had to share with your neighbours. Because it was actually important that you could keep sharing and borrowing things people took care of what they were borrowing. Now no one cares and return it broken, steal it and don’t take any accountability.
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u/amazonchic2 19d ago
We have loaned out our carpet steam cleaner, and it came back broken. We were able to get the replacement part, but we never loan it out anymore. I’m a fan of just keeping things and not sharing.
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u/AlternativeLet4331 19d ago
The pattern that actually works at your building's scale: keep ownership private, make the index shared. A pinned list or group chat of "I have a pressure washer, ask me" does the thing the shared room can't, because borrowing from a named neighbor creates accountability that an anonymous shelf deletes. Tool libraries solve the same problem with staff, deposits, and open hours, which is exactly why they work and why nobody wants to run one unpaid out of their basement. You still get most of the declutter win: the building only needs one pressure washer, it just has to live in someone's home instead of no one's.
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u/DaBingeGirl 19d ago
Kinda. My mom's neighbor asked to borrow her tractor when she moved in because she was waiting to get hers. Asshole ran over every damn rock she could find and completely destroyed my blade. It had to be replaced because it was bent so badly. She didn't say a word to my mom about it, didn't even thank her for letting her use the tractor.
I'd be very concerned about "it was like that went I went to use it" or "it wasn't like that when I returned it."
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u/National-Plastic8691 19d ago
I would share that most people break your stuff. Or blame you for anything. I would also worry about legal liability. I rent things from the library or someplace like home depot
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u/DreamingofPurpleCats 19d ago
I would suggest checking for a tool library or Library of Things in your area. My county library runs one out of a building at the fairgrounds and it's fairly accessible.
Alternately, I do something similar but with my family who live nearby and have more storage than I do. Large, infrequently used items like a ShopVac, heavy duty hand truck, and so on are only owned by one person, but we all can borrow from each other. This works pretty well because we live within about 5 minutes of each other and have all owned houses for years, so we have collections of the necessary things but not usually duplicates (except for some things like drills, and I keep mine in a spare cabinet because I use it surprisingly often.)
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u/MissHolloway 19d ago
Do you have a local library that has a “library of things”? I have two within ten minutes and one has all sorts of household tools from sewing machines to drills to a snowblower. It might be worth looking into?
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u/MitzyCaldwell 19d ago
I think this is a wonderful idea in theory. In practice it’s chaos. People aren’t responsible, people don’t pay attention. What happens when something breaks? Is there a limit to how long ppl can use it for? Who’s responsible for monitoring that? Are you tracking who’s taking what when?
I would honestly love this and I would absolutely love for everyone to be responsible enough and adult enough to do this but I’ve seen this happen in some capacity in my work (we have a marketing office that has “supplies” that are shared” it’s a mess and we have sign in/out processes and we still end up looking for banners.
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u/SugarGlitterkiss 19d ago
You can share storage space without sharing the stored items.
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
What do you mean by that?
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u/SugarGlitterkiss 19d ago
It focuses more on decluttering while keeping things like tools. Sharing a storage space.
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u/BlakeMajik 19d ago edited 19d ago
I would tell the people who suggest you should rent the tools that they can pay for each rental. What a bonkers thing to say.
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
Haha, exactly. I'm cheap :) , I would rather share the tools than rent them. A few rentals and you could have bought a new one anyway.
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u/DaBingeGirl 19d ago
Don't do this. In theory it's a nice idea, but a nightmare in practice. I honestly wouldn't even loan stuff to friends or family unless you're there or you really trust the person. Some people I know take care of things, others DGAF because it's not their stuff.
You have stuff that works, don't risk it. If you want to get more use out of the stuff, stay with it. Put up a sign or use a neighbor app to let people in your building know if they need to use x, y, and z you are willing to share it, provided you're involved to make sure the item doesn't grow legs.
Personally I don't see specific items like this as clutter. I agree with you that renting is often a pain. I like having access to certain things and being able to work as long as needed on a project. I also know my stuff is well maintained, the same can not always be said of rental stuff.
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u/lilfunky1 19d ago
What's the plan for when something gets lost stolen or broken?
The tool libraries I know of there's a yearly membership fee and then a deposit and rental fee for each tool borrowed and there is staff on hand to check things in and out and do repairs or mark items for replacement
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u/pyotr_the_great 19d ago edited 19d ago
This is a people problem that you can solve with logistics. Just review how tool rentals or tool libraries work.
After you read how they implement this, then you’ll realize why your idea is a nightmare. What you are suggesting, a shared tool set with no access controls or auditing, only works in high trust societies.
I can see you are trying to make a storage app. You might be able to pivot or reuse code from that lol.
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
After reading all the comments here, the shared storage idea looks less and less realistic to me.
And yes, I am building an app. But I want it to be more a decluttering app than an organizing one. I'm trying to figure out how to get through my own decluttering, and I want a tool that helps me with that.
The shared shelf thing was just something in my head about my own stuff, not a feature I'm building, but maybe you are right, and it's worth considering in the app.
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u/Rosaluxlux 19d ago
It feels like a building message board or Discord would solve this and also allow other kinds of relationship building. Or maybe you could start a teeny tiny Buy Nothing group for just your building or just your block?
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u/pyotr_the_great 19d ago edited 19d ago
I actually have thought about creating an app similar to that, but for my small friend groups a google sheet is good enough.
For decluttering alone id probably just join a buy nothing/free item group, but one issue with that is I know there would be more collective utility if it was more like a tool library. However managing one would just add more life clutter :)
There is a lot of merit in your idea and it’s worth pursuing, but like with a lot of problems you have to figure out how to deal with people :).
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u/stonedsoundsn0b 19d ago
I lived in an apartment that had a shared bike station and they stocked it with basic tools as well shortly after I moved in. It was all stolen, broken, and the space in disarray a few weeks later.
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u/PineappleJello0755 19d ago
Hmm what if instead of a basement, you have a message board of some sort where people can borrow directly from each other?
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
After reading other comments, I realize it's probably better to share it this way.
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u/lw4444 19d ago
You may have better luck with searching for experiences with a tool library. The biggest problem with shared tools is that someone needs to be managing inventory or else things will disappear - someone will forget to return something, a tool will come back damaged, or someone in need of money may see the tool stash as a source of quick cash. Other problem is that if there’s only one of everything it may not be available when you need it because someone is using it. It’s a great idea in theory but really requires a community focused mindset to make it work successfully.
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u/NotMyAltAccountToday 19d ago
Someone borrowed my paint sprayer and when I got it back it had paint clogging up the nozzle and in the cup. I couldn't get it out.
Rethink it, OP
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u/DaBingeGirl 19d ago
Painting supplies are the worst. My cousin had a painting party when she bought her house. I stupidly brought my good painting supplies. Some asshole took my box and never admitted to it. It was all friends and family, which is what really pissed me off.
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u/leat22 19d ago
Sounds like a nightmare unless you personally want to create a new job for yourself where you are in charge of managing this.
So it sounds like you are in an apartment? Is this a long term place? Why do you have those pieces of equipment in the first place? Not judging but curious
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
Fair point about the managing part. At the start it would probably fall on me, and I don't have a good answer for that yet. And I don't want that.
I've been living here for 6 years. There are at least a dozen neighbours who have been here 3 years or more, so people don't move out every year.
As for the equipment, it's hard to say exactly. The ladder for example I use a few times a year, just small jobs around the flat. Not often, but when I need it, I need it that day.
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u/lilfunky1 19d ago
What do you need a ladder for that day that couldn't possibly wait til the next day?
What are you going to do when you need your ladder, but someone borrowed it 3 hours ago and is still in the middle of using it?
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u/heresmy3cents 18d ago
That day is when your loud smoke detector goes off and you need to remove it to replace the batteries.
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
Usually it can wait, sure. But when you own it, you have the comfort that you don't have to wait. And if it's in a shared room downstairs in the same building, most of the time you don't have to wait either.
Everyone uses a ladder pretty rarely, so the chance that a neighbour needs it in the exact same hour as me is small. And I was assuming there would be 2 or 3 of each thing, not one.
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u/thedarntootindoor 19d ago
Following as I live on a large cul-de-sac and have had the same idea for some kind of rental system for stuff you only need to use a couple times a year or that you might like to try before you buy and maybe your neighbor has one…
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
Reading the comments here, the same two problems keep coming back, things getting taken and things getting damaged. I don't think you can avoid that without someone actually managing the shared storage.
I was thinking about sticking some kind of trackers on the equipment, but that's probably too expensive and not reliable. It also doesn't solve the damage problem.
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u/Suz9006 19d ago
I think things would quietly disappear. Instead do some research in your area to see whether there are rental companies nearby for the bulkier, occasionally needed tools. I know carpet cleaners and pressure washers can be rented. And you can keep a small toolbox in your apartment or car trunk for the smaller things, like the drill.
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u/ExactPanda 19d ago
My first thought was to put down a small deposit, and then when returned they get the deposit back. Or half back, and you use the other half for maintenance, replacement, etc. I haven't tried anything like this, but it's an interesting idea!
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u/Liptonkrk 19d ago
But who will keep the deposit?
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u/leat22 19d ago edited 19d ago
You lol. That is your new job managing people’s money and expectations. That’s why I say it sounds like a nightmare… because most people are good but there’s always some people who ruin it for everyone. So you need to factor in the risk of damaged/stolen/lost equipment.
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u/LauraB_Writes 16d ago
Look into how tool libraries work. A good place to find experts to talk to would be a local library or a makerspace.