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Is it pretty safe to assume most of us know that storage units can sometimes take the shape of an old hoarder’s garage? Try not to visualize that last bit if you’re the sensitive type. Anyway, sometimes it seems storage units have a life of their own when there’s no one to see what’s happening inside them. Maybe we can borrow the observer’s effect from physics and… Okay, let’s stick to the topic. Guess you need some practical advice on how to keep your storage unit neatly organized? You’re at the right address. Here we’ll show you what kind of packing materials you will need to keep your unit neat and tidy. We’ll also include some general storage organization tips. Stay tuned for some helpful info that we’ve put together in collaboration with the self storage experts at London Storage.
First things first – obtain cardboard boxes
Who would’ve thought we’d mention cardboard boxes first? Well, just about everyone would. It’s not so hard to imagine what most folks first think about when someone mentions packing material. Also, it’s not so hard to find cardboard boxes for a nominal price or even for free. One thing you could do is to kindly ask your local shopkeeper if they have any. If that doesn’t work out, which is, by the way, something that probably won’t happen, you can always find cheap boxes online.
Ask your local shopkeeper for some free cardboard boxes. With a bit of luck, you won’t have to pay a dime for ’em!
Use a thick sheet of plastic to cover the floor
We should’ve mentioned this first, but you know how they say: the past is the past. Anyway, a thick sheet of plastic will come in handy before you load the stuff you’ve planned to put inside your storage room. It’s the best way to ensure the bottom of your boxes stays protected from condensation. Also, it can protect your storage room from harsh weather conditions or sudden temperature changes. Unless you plan to rent a climate-controlled type of storage, that is.
A quick tip on how to keep your storage unit neatly organized (that doesn’t involve packing materials)
We’ll try to be quick here. Best way to ensure you’ll always know what’s where is to keep an inventory, along with creating a map of your storage space. Putting everything down on paper (or an MS Excel sheet) will do you wonders in the long run.
By keeping an inventory of all the things you’ve stored, you’re bound never to get lost inside your storage unit.
Avoid covering the furniture in plastic
Although you’ll need some plastic to do other things (like the one we mentioned in one of the upper paragraphs), you don’t want to cover your furniture in plastic. Pieces of furniture are one of the most popular items that you’ll find in storage units throughout the country, among many other things that often end up here (such as Christmas decorations, grandma’s magazine collections, and long-forgotten musical instruments). Okay, we moved a bit off-topic. So, if not plastic, what can we use to cover furniture? Any type of cloth (for example, dated sheets or quilts) will do the trick. See what you can find inside your home; you’ll probably stumble upon things you wouldn’t expect to be a part of your home’s inventory. And another thing: if you can disassemble the furniture, that will make things a bit easier.
Another quick tip on how to keep your storage unit neatly organized (that doesn’t involve packing materials)
Now here’s a suggestion: Go vertical! Have you noticed that we always seem to lack free storage space? We’ll introduce a simple philosophy: instead of filling the floor space with items so much that you’ll severely decrease the chances of you moving around the place, try to vertically fill out the free space along the walls of your storage room. Put heavier items/boxes on the bottom, lighter ones on the top.
How to pack clothes? (avoid vacuum sealing)
To safely store your pieces of clothing in a storage unit, you’re going to need plastic containers, the ones that have a clip-on lid. If you’re worried that’s not enough, you can put an extra piece of cloth to cover the inside of the container. The main thing, though, is that you should avoid vacuum sealing the clothes. Even though it may sound surprising (because you’ll save a lot of space by doing just that), the lack of air might cause some damage to your stuff throughout a couple of months. The fibers will compress, altering the shape of your stored apparel.
Even though it may seem a bit surprising, vacuum sealing your clothes can ruin their quality.
Handling your antiques and art
To safely store your antique items or pieces of your art collection, you’ll need a lot of bubble wrap and blankets. Nowadays, it’s pretty easy and cheap to find bubble wrap on the online market, so you probably won’t have a problem with those. Blankets, or other pieces of soft cloth, you probably have stored somewhere in your home, as we’ve already mentioned. Also, if you plan on storing mirrors or paintings, there are boxes specially designed to handle delicate items such as these. Avoid putting anything on top of these, as they’ll be safer somewhere on the side. They can easily get damaged under some weight, and you don’t want that to happen.
The last little tip: Label everything!
We don’t need to elaborate more on this one, right? Even though you’ll have a clear view of what you’ve stored where after making a map and writing and inventory, it’s best to still label all the boxes or bins.
Final words
These were some tips on how to keep your storage unit neatly organized and why you should use or avoid certain types of packing material. Also just a quick reminder to compare the prices and services available at various local self-storage facilities before agreeing to rent one. There’s a huge difference in prices and confusing special offers. This useful self-storage price comparison chart can help you get the best deal.
And, hopefully, by following these simple suggestions, you’ll get a tidy storage room. Also, you won’t have to deal with figuring out where an item you’re looking for could possibly be. Remember: being well-organized is the key to success! So, start being organized by dealing with your soon-to-be-tidy storage unit first!