How to Organize a Self Storage Unit for Frequent Access
When planning to rent a storage unit, you should know what type and what size of unit you need. Based on the amount of stuff you are going to store and the seasonality of your items, you will choose short-term or long-term storage. Whatever you choose, the same rule applies. Good organization of your storage unit is vital if you want to keep coming back for your stuff. We can help you learn some tricks and tips on how to organize a self-storage unit for frequent access. So read along, and let's discuss this together.
The way you pack your items before transferring them to your storage unit is essential. There are specific rules you should follow if you want to do this first step correctly. If you pack all your boxes perfectly, you will have a much easier job finding specific items when they are in storage. Here is how you pack your boxes:
Make a list of all the items you are putting in storage. Divide your items by type, season, or purpose. This approach will help you categorize your storage.
Use boxes of the same size, and don’t forget to label them. If you store sensitive and breakable items like glassware, remember to put a fragile sticker on the box.
Fill in the boxes until they are full but don’t make them too heavy to handle.
Seal all the boxes with packing tape.
If you pack all your items properly, label the boxes and seal everything, you will be ready for phase two of your storage organization project.
After packing your belongings, identify which boxes you will need the most. If you store some everyday things that usually end up in a unit, like furniture, seasonal items, or something your kids outgrow, you will need a game plan. You want to make some of your things a priority in terms of frequency of use. People also store clothes in storage units, and some like to keep their tools or office documents. You need to classify each of these boxes and make a plan of retrieving them when the time comes. For example, if you know that you will need your Christmas tree when December comes, it's a bad idea to put it to the back of your unit in October. The same logic applies to winter and summer clothing, as both will be rotating at least twice a year.
After packing and labeling your boxes and making a priority plan, you can make a comprehensive list of the whole unit. Use numbering and labels and put everything on a piece of paper. Carry the list with you when you go up to your storage unit to retrieve something. When you have a list in front of you and sort your boxes by frequency of use, you can develop a floor plan for the unit.
Typically, when you pack your storage unit, you should first put your furniture against the back wall. Then you will slowly build around it with boxes leaving a pathway clear in the middle. That way, you will be able to enter your storage unit and browse through your bins. If all of your boxes are not visible, you can turn to your inventory list and check where it is. Finally, put the items you will often use somewhere in the middle, so that you can walk up to them and move them as you like.
To use all the benefits of renting self-storage, try to stack your boxes the right way. By now, you are probably aware that boxes you won't be using are going to the back of the storage. However, you should also load the ones you will need last. Put all the larger boxes on the ground and smaller and lighter boxes on top. Never stack so high that the boxes go over your head. If you have boxes of the same size, put heavier ones first and lighter ones on top. You don't want heavy boxes damaging others with their weight.
When you retrieve something from your unit, be careful how you repack the boxes you have opened. You should try to keep everything organized as much as possible, for as long as possible.
If you follow these easy steps, you will have the skills to neatly pack and organize your storage unit. However, you might still wonder why you invest so much time developing ways to organize a self-storage unit for frequent access. Well, it is pretty simple. There is an old saying that summarizes it pretty well, "don't leave something for tomorrow if you can do it today". And let us assure you, the time to organize your storage unit will come eventually. So, if you don't do it properly now, you will have much more work shortly. Depending, of course, on how frequently you plan to use it.
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Photos used:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/multiethnic-couple-packing-ceramic-belongings-in-parchment-before-relocation-4246193/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-black-leather-boots-sitting-on-brown-cardboard-boxes-4553277/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-man-taping-carrying-box-with-scotch-4246120/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-woman-with-delivered-carton-boxes-6347563/