Safer Storage – A Beginner’s Guide to Placing Items in Storage

Is your home is becoming cluttered but you don’t want to throw too much away? Maybe you’re moving to a new place and need somewhere to store your stuff temporarily before you move into your new home? Whatever your reasons for putting your belongings into storage, it’s important to ensure that you take the necessary steps so that everything is kept safe and organised.

Renting a storage space is the easy part. However, keeping all of your prized possessions organized and safe from damage takes a little bit of work. If you’re looking for a particular item in a few months’ time, how you go about placing your items in storage now, will make life much easier when the time comes to find things. You can also rest easy, knowing that you have taken the right precautions to ensure that nothing will come out of storage broken or damaged.

 
Continue reading to learn how you can safely place your belongings in storage containers to keep them safe, organised and protected while in storage.

How to Choose a Storage Unit

Choosing a storage unit isn’t as straightforward as you might think. If you need to get to your stored items, like documents, for example, you will want the storage unit to be close to your home. On the other hand, if you want to seasonally rotate items such as summer and winter wardrobes, your storage unit needn’t be that close, as you can probably make the switch in one or two journeys.

However, there are other aspects to consider before deciding on a location. Is anything you are storing sensitive to heat, cold, or dust? If so, it may be wise to choose a storage unit with climate control. Items that need this kind of attention might include documents, computer equipment, and other electronics.

You should also ensure that there is adequate security at the unit. Check to see if there are surveillance cameras or security fences. These are your personal belongings and are often irreplaceable, so you need to ensure they are safe. It’s also a good idea to look into insurance, as even if the site has adequate security, natural disasters, fire and floods can also happen and you could end up losing everything.

What Size Storage Unit Do You Need

The next step is to decide what size storage unit you need. Keep in mind that you might want to store more things there eventually and that you need to move around the unit. Make a list of everything you want to store and go from there. To give you an idea of capacity, a storage unit measuring 3 meters by 9 meters can hold the contents of a 3-bedroom house.

How to Pack
Once you’ve decided what you want to store, you have to decide on how to best pack the items. This can be a daunting task, especially if you are moving a lot of things. The best way to start is by choosing boxes of the same size, as they can be stacked easily. Buy quality storage materials for a longer lifespan and choose different weights for different items. For example, books would need a heavier-constructed container than clothes. Plastic bags are a bad idea as they can breed contamination and can easily tear in transit.

 
Make sure that everything you pack is clean. If you are packing clothes, make sure that there are no stains as these can become worse over time and be impossible to get out when you eventually retrieve your things. If you are packing pots and pans, make sure that these are clean, disinfected, and completely dry. If not, you may be unknowingly inviting rodents and other pests into your space.

Also, more delicate items need to be packed separately. For example, if you have a set of glass bowls, each piece needs its’ own wrapping. Bubble wrap or old newspaper is a good option for wrapping breakables and preventing damage.

Finally, be sure to clearly label each box. You don’t want to be searching and opening lots of boxes when you are just looking for one thing in your storage unit weeks or months down the line.

Take The Time To Place Your Items In Storage Correctly

It might take a little more time than just stuffing everything into bags and throwing them haphazardly into your storage unit but it will be worth it. Be sure to spend some time finding the right space and make an effort to pack all of your belongings in a neat and organised fashion.

Not only will it make it easier to find things in your storage unit and keep everything better protected, you will also have a much easier time when it’s time to remove your things down the line. Take the time to do it correctly now and save yourself a lot of headaches in the future.