Get control of your household inventory: An Interview with Stor.Guru

Do you despise labels? Confession time… I DO!!! Lol. As a professional organizer, most people think that I love all things color-coded and labeled. And while I DO love organization and smart containers, I hate labeling! This is probably one of the reasons why I love clear storage options best. No label required!

However, I am happy to share that I found THE BOMB household inventory and labeling system that even a non-labeler like myself can get excited about. It’s the Stor.Guru QR codes the personal inventory system, and it checks all the boxes.

One of the things that I dislike about labels is that the label only provides a small description of the box. For boxes that are all one item or category type, that works fine. But for mixed boxes, not so much! Stor.Guru’s system allows you to know at a glance exactly what is inside each box without ever having to lift the lid.

The other thing I dislike about traditional labeling systems is that the label only works if you know where the box is. If I have a box of holiday decorations but don’t remember whether I put it in the attic, basement, garage, guest room closet, or under the bed, it really doesn’t help me much! This QR code system syncs with the program on your phone to show you exactly where each box is stored.

Here’s how it works:

1. Items that are being stored each get a small QR code label.
2. Scan the QR code with your phone.
3. Take a couple of pics of each item and add the name, a tag, and a short description.
4. Store all of the QR-coded items in a container with a larger Stor.Guru QR code label on the outside.
5. When you need to find an item, you can actually search for it on your phone and the Stor.Guru system will tell you where the item is located and in which box. Likewise, if you scan the QR code on the outside of any box, the system will tell you exactly what’s inside!

Suppose these steps seem like a lot to remember, Stor.Guru made it easy with a simplified version: Stick-it, Scan-it, Snap-it, Store-it, Search-it.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Stor.Guru, father/son team Bill and Dylan, and got the inside scoop on all of the features of their product. Read on to learn more!

Tell us a little bit about yourselves. Where did the inspiration for Stor.Guru come from? How did you get started?

We are a father and son team that has over 45 years of software development experience. Our homes have a lot of stuff and we needed help…hence Stor.Guru!

This has been a project we have had in mind for the better part of a decade. We have made multiple attempts at creating a storage system, but the tools/technology continued to advance. In September 2018, we decided to pursue this endeavor full time.

Where do you envision Stor.Guru being used?  

Basically, anywhere someone would store their stuff.  Renters of self-storage units would find it useful to track what they have stored without actually being at their storage unit.  Homeowners have a lot of things stored in their basements, garages, sheds, and attics.  Crafters need to track all of their supplies.  Home mechanics need to track the location of their tools.

How does Stor.Guru work? What are the features?

Stor.Guru is a web-based application, meaning that it can run in the browser on your phone or computer.  There is no need to install an app on your phone. Once you are on the website, all of Stor.Guru is ready for you. Affixed to each item is Stor.Guru’s QR code labels to identify it uniquely. Your phone’s camera reads the QR codes to bring up the item in Stor.Guru.  You can add multiple pictures, names, descriptions, and tags that help identify and categorize your item.  The most useful feature is the search, where you can find any item by its name, description, or tag. 

They keep Stor.Guru updated to help you keep track of your items.

How can I get Stor.Guru? How much does it cost?

Simply point your browser to:

Stor.Guru

You start with a 14-day free trial, and we will send you a free starter pack of 132 labels. When you sign up for an account, you can choose from two payment plans.  Either $6 per month or $60 per year will go into effect after the free trial.  Accounts can have many users, and it is free to create a user!

BONUS DISCOUNT: Enter the promo code ClearBoxClearSpace2020 at signup get 50% off their service for LIFE!! That makes it only $3/mo for as long as you continue the subscription. HURRY! Code expires December 10, 2020!

I’m not tech-savvy, is Stor.Guru easy to use? 

Yes, after you have signed up and received labels, it is easy to add your items.  The basic steps are what we refer to as the 5-S of Stor.Guru.  They are:

Stick-it: Stick a Stor.Guru label on an item.

Scan-it: Scan the Stor.Guru label with the camera on your mobile device.

Snap-it: Snap one or more photos of the item. Add a name, description and tags.

Stor-it: Store the item in a container with a Stor.Guru label.

Search-it: You can instantly locate the item!

How many labels do I get and how do I get more?

The free starter pack contains 24 1.5 inch square and 108 .75 inch square labels.

We are building a label shop where additional labels can be purchased.  The label shop may or may not be ready when this is published.  If you don’t see the shop on the site, contact us at info@stor.guru for additional labels.

How many users can I add? Can they have different permissions?

Currently we don’t limit the number of users that can be added to an account.

There are four levels of permissions which range from an owner who has complete control and access of the account, to read only permission which does not allow any changes.

What happens if I want to pause my account while I’m moving or going through a life transition? Will I have to start all over when I resume service?

You can pause or deactivate your account at any time and all of your data will be saved. The account owner will see a section to deactivate the account which stops the payment for the account and changes all user permissions to read only.

When your account is deactivated, you will still be able to scan labels, search, and view all the items you have previously added to your account. But you will not be able to change or update item data or locations, and you will not be able to add new items.
At any point, you can reactivate your account and resume payment which will restore full access to your data.

Where are all my data stored? Is it protected?

Your data is not publicly exposed on the internet and is not accessible by other Stor.Guru users unless they are added to your account. Your data is maintained privately in a commercial database service that is backed up daily. It is our responsibility to keep your data safe and secure.

What makes Stor.Guru different from other QR inventory systems/labels?

1. Stor.Guru is just a website, not an Android or iPhone app. This allows information accessed and modified quickly through your computer or mobile device.
2. Stor.Guru QR code labels are low-priced. Compared to competitors, it gives you bang-for-the-buck!
3. Stor.Guru items are nest-able which better represents items in the real world. The app keeps track of the path when you place the items inside one another. For example, a path could look like, “Metal Shelves > Holiday Tote > Christmas Lights”, which is how items are physically arranged.   
4. An upcoming feature is Offline Mode, which will allow Stor.Guru to work when there is no Internet access. Which makes it great for basements and self-storage units. Once you get Internet access again, it will sync all changes!
5. Stor.Guru allows multiple users to add and update data simultaneously.  Each change is synced in real-time across all devices, which makes organizing a collaborative effort.  Whether it be a family doing their annual Spring cleaning or a team of professional organizers working with a client, Stor.Guru makes it easier to organize together!