We all try our best to live in a society where we limit the amount of paperwork that we have around us. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as there are some documents that you need to keep and store away in case they are needed.

These can be documents such as banking documents, contracts, leases, bills, receipts and guarantees. All of these documents require being stored away for a number of years in case you need to refer back to them.

In order to easily locate what you are looking for, it is best that you keep all of the documents in a paper storage system. There is a selection of different paper storage units; it really depends on your personal preference and the quantity of documents that you have to store.

There are storage cabinets with shelves; these have doors on the cabinet which means that they can be locked so that documents are secure. There are also racking units and shelves.

There are file holders that can be placed onto the shelves of the various units, and they are especially designed to support a number of folders and keep them safe and organised. You can put a different category of paperwork into each file and add your paperwork each month.

Once you have finished with the paperwork that you have stored away, you should try your best to reduce your carbon footprint that you put onto the world by recycling the paperwork accordingly.

In your garage, greenhouse or garden shed you will probably keep all manner of expensive tools, gardening implements, electrical lawn mowers and so on. It is a good idea therefore to invest in sturdy metal storage cabinets fitted with a heavy duty padlock for the tools and implements. A Passive Infra Red (PIR) light outside the house will also act as a deterrent for a potential thief. It is probably a better idea to use the shed or garage for items such as strimmers and lawn mowers.

The keys for the out-buildings can be stored in a purpose built steel safe which has the advantage of a digital lock. You will need to use a four digit number that you can easily remember. Please do not use family birth dates or any other numbers that a thief may know if they have accessed your personal details. Although this is an obvious point, it still happens, do not write the number down and leave it lying about the house.

If you are planning to build a garden shed and plan to make it into a garden office or studio with storage or shelving areas and therefore a habitable building, you may or may not need planning permission. It might be possible to build your studio or office space under Permitted Development laws which permit the householder to make small additions to his home that will not need full planning approval, but these laws vary across the country so be sure to check first.

Storage cabinets can be used to store a wide variety of items. Their location will affect their size, shape and appearance.

For example, a bathroom storage cabinet, especially a medicine one is probably better kept locked if small children are in the home. Try and make sure that medicine bottles have child-proof lids all the same. It is only too easy to forget to lock something away. Some people prefer two storage cabinets in the bathroom, one for medicines and the other to store shampoo, shaving foam, after shave and other items. A cabinet with a mirrored door is extremely useful for shaving and checking appearance before leaving the bathroom.

In the garage or garden shed, a storage cabinet or cupboard is useful for keeping various substances out of harm’s way. Weed killer, surgical spirit, adhesive, paint thinner and the like should be stored in a lockable cabinet. Do not, under any circumstances, pour something harmful into what could be mistaken for a drinks container, very young children cannot read. However, still make sure the container is clearly.

Despite the legislation in our country now, shotguns are still permitted. Please make sure you have a license for them however. Also ensure that the shotgun and ammunition are locked away in steel storage cabinets that are kept locked with the use of a sturdy padlock. Do not leave the padlock key lying around, close to the cabinet or just hanging from a hook in the kitchen – keep it with you at all times.