Best practices to move and keep your items while in storage.
Storing your personal items and possessions can be a little nerve wracking. From just knowing that your valuable items are in a different location to ensuring they are easy to retrieve when needed, more goes into moving and keeping your stuff in a storage facility than meets the eye.
But renting a storage unit from a high quality, secure facility ran by storage experts can help alleviate a bulk of that stress. And following a few good practices can help make the process a lot easier on you from moving day forward.
Know the Size of the Storage Unit Needed
Storage units can range from an extra-large garage sized units (10 x 30 and total 300 square feet), to standard closet-sized units (5 x 5 and total 25 square feet).
Take inventory of all the items you want to store in order to find out the size storage unit you will need. Think about the larger pieces of furniture and the room you will need to fit them as well as keep everything organized. Remember, you are still going to want to have space to move around a little and not have to unload a bunch of boxes to get to the center of the room. Big Tex moving specialists can help you when deciding the storage unit size you need. Our Storage Unit Guide can also give you an idea of what types of items can fit in different units.
Prioritize Your Items for Storage
Figure out which items you may need to access to on short notice and which ones you are unlikely to need for a longer period of time.
Prioritizing this way will help you decide where to place items within the unit. Consider marking numbers or symbols on the boxes that you will need easy access to. You will then want to load them into your transportation first, in order to put them into storage last in an easily accessible space. Buying labels to include descriptions of the contents of each box can be helpful as well. This way you can save yourself the trouble and some time each trip as you don’t have to dig through piles of boxes to find them.
Organize Your Layout
Have a strategy of where everything will go: make a plan and have a placement layout in mind. Boxes should be labeled as they are packed with what’s inside and which room they might eventually be unpacked in. Try to avoid too many “misc. boxes” with an assortment of random items. Make sure each box has a purpose and a place it could belong. Try to at least organize by room or theme. Getting boxes of various sizes to pack items categorically can also help in the organization process. That way you can still pack similar items together without wasting space and won’t have to mix them up.
Then look at the layout of your storage unit and organize what needs to go where. If you need to take two loads, make sure the longer term storage items are loaded on the first trip, that way you can place them in the back of the unit. If renting a large storage unit, consider a “double-door” unit where there is a roll-up door on both ends of the space, allowing you to organize your storage space to maximize access to items you will need most often.
Packing for Storage
When packing for storage, you’ll want to make sure that your items are not only protected and organized, but that you maximize the space you have rented. Here area few key things to remember:
- Break down bulky items such as bed frames, tables, and large furniture, and don’t forget to keep all parts (screws and smaller items) together by taping them to the item.
- Don’t forget to use valuable space inside drawers and larger appliances, such as stoves and refrigerators, to store small items: towels, linens, toys, etc. Use your suitcases, laundry baskets and other bins strategically, filling them with your belongings before you purchase boxes.
- When storing business files, leave a walkway down the center of your unit to make accessing items easier.
- Pack books flat to prevent damage to the spines. Place in small boxes so they don’t weight too much to lift.
- Plates are less likely to break if packed vertically like records; consider packing fine china and glassware in specialized “dish-packs” and “glass-packs” that individually protect and compartmentalize each piece.
- Take a picture of any electronic hook ups to help you remember which cords go where.
At Big Tex Storage we know there is more to storage unit rental than meets the eye. We strive to meet all your storage needs in the most efficient way possible. Contact us with any questions or to learn more about our storage solutions.