Trying to pack your self storage unit is like playing a high stakes game of tetris. Optimizing your storage unit space is the goal. The more organized and orderly your set up is the less likely you’re going to accidentally damage your belongings from the unit being overcrowded. However, moving can get overwhelming and it can be tempting to treat your storage unit like a dumping ground. By creating a methodical space, you’re more likely to visit your unit than if you treated it like a storage war zone. When you plan ahead and organize your space, you’re taking preventative measures to protect your items as well as making it easier for yourself when it comes time to move out of the self storage unit.
By correctly organizing your space you’ll be maximising your use out of the unit. So here we’ll discuss what steps you need to take in order to get the most out of your storage space.
Before you begin moving your belongings into the storage unit take inventory of everything you plan on storing first. By taking inventory, you’ll understand if your storage unit will fit all your belongings. It’s never a good idea to overcram your storage unit as it introduces more risk of items breaking from overcrowding. Once you have taken an inventory list, break down your items into groups. Lay out where each grouping will go. For example, kitchen items may go at the back of the unit because you don’t need to access them as frequently. Whereas your seasonal clothing section may be situated closer to the front for ease of access. Fragile items should go in a section of the unit that is protected from items falling on them or somebody accidentally knocking them over. Overall, look at what items on your inventory list take priority to determine where they will be situated.
When moving your items into the storage unit, start by placing all the heaviest items at the bottom along the perimeter of the unit. In doing so, you’ll be able to create a walking aisle in your container to access all your belongings. When placing the heaviest boxes along the wall, make sure they are items that will be used less frequently. Try using uniformed boxes to aid with the stacking process. Create a map that clearly lays out each section as well as the walking aisle. Everytime you need to access something in your unit you’ll be able to reference this map to guide you to the right box.
Take stock of what furniture items you’re planning on storing. Where possible, dismantle your furniture to create more space in the storage unit. Make sure you label all your dismantled furniture items so you know what parts go back together. When taking stock of what items to dismantle, check if any of the furniture would be better utilized as additional storage space in your unit. Chested drawers are a great example of furniture items that can be utilized in the unit to create more space.
Having the right accessories can help maximize your storage unit space. Accessories provide more organization to a unit, thus providing you more space. Some accessories you may have on hand or you’ll be able to rent straight from the storage facility, while others can easily be bought from a craft store. Here we’ll list our favourite accessories to use when organizing a storage unit.
Shelving units are a great way to stack your belongings in a storage unit. With some storage units having higher ceilings, installing a temporary shelving unit will help you utilize the extra space. Shelving units also make it easier for you to grab items. Since you won’t be stacking boxes on top of each other. You can generally rent shelving units from your selected storage facility. Options include hanging shelves that are temporarily drilled into the unit, or your standard metal and plastic shelves that stand on the ground. Placing a shelving unit on both sides of the unit will help tremendously with the organization and space of the unit.
Labels
Buy labels and stick them on every box you are storing. We suggest sticking them on the side of the boxes that you’ll easily see when you walk into the unit. You can buy different colored labels to color coordinate the different groups of belongings you are storing. Perhaps the clothing group has green labels while the kitchen group has yellow labels. This will visually help you see where items are when you first walk in. When you’re labeling your belongings, be specific about what they are. Since you’ve color coordinated the groupings, instead of labeling a box, kitchen supplies. Be more specific and label it utensils, plates and bowls etc.
You can easily pick up a pegboard from a craft supply store or Walmart and use it as an organization accessory for your storage unit. Hang the pegboard on the walls of your unit. You’ll be able to hang garden tools, hand bags, smaller pieces of artwork etc. on the pegboards. By hanging those items, you’ll reduce the number of boxes you’ll need. As well as make things more accessible since you can clearly see what’s hanging.
Clothing surprisingly takes up a lot of space, especially if you’re storing seasonal winter clothes. Buy some vacuum-sealed bags for your clothing at Walmart or another department store. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of space as well as keeping your items fresh for when you need them again. You can even hang the vacuum-sealed bags along the walls or pack them into a labelled box. You can do this with your blankets, bedsheets and items that are appropriate to put into vacuum-sealed bags.
By organizing and properly planning how your belongings will fit in your new storage unit, you’ll be maximizing the space you have. Creating a storage place that you actually want to visit. This will ensure your storage unit doesn’t become a graveyard dumping ground, of all the things that you aren’t sure how to fit in your life. Each time you go to get something from your storage unit you’ll be able to do it with ease. Not to mention you won’t have to worry about going through 10 different boxes, to find the one thing you needed.
