Your storage unit might be like the garden shed – crammed full of stuff! As storage unit specialists, we understand that half of the battle is hiring space in the first place. That way, there is a place to put the belongings which don’t fit in the house yet are too important to throw away.
Still, one of the biggest mistakes we see on a regular basis is customers who don’t have a plan. They toss as many of their things inside a unit as possible and deal with the consequences later.
To answer the title question, this is an emphatic no – you’re not getting the most out of your storage solution if you use this method. The good news is we have a few hacks to help if you’re in need of inspiration.
Break It Down
Remember that the majority of your valuables, especially the big things, break down into smaller parts. Take the coffee table from Ikea for instance or the bathroom vanity mirror. With an instruction manual and a couple of handy tools, you can easily deconstruct them and pack them away in boxes. Rather than a huge sofa in the corner of the unit taking up room, you’ll have small, flexible packages which are excellent for stacking.
And, that brings us nicely on to our next tip.
Look Up
As soon as you open the padlock and lift the door, you’ll see the floor space. It’s tempting to focus only on the bottom of a storage unit rather than the room as a whole. It isn’t as if you can hang anything from the walls or ceiling, so there’s no point according to the majority of renters.
However, we disagree because a storage unit is a three-dimensional space with height and volume. So, stacking boxes on top of one another is a fantastic way to utilise the length of the unit as well as the width. Just be sure to think carefully about which things you put up high in case they fall and break.
Use Plywood
We recognise that using the height of the unit as well as the width brings a few risks, mainly instability. It isn’t uncommon for things to move over time and fall as a result. Because these things are valuable to you, the last thing you want to discover is a broken mess on the floor upon your return.
Thankfully, a humble piece of plywood is on hand to help. For starters, it adds stability to the layers as you stack them higher and higher. Secondly, it takes the pressure off the boxes and stops them from collapsing into one another. Let’s face it – cardboard isn’t famous for its strength. Alternatively, you can store the heavy things on the bottom.
This should allow you to stack things high and use as much space as possible, getting the most out of your unit in the process.
Put Down Pallets
We do everything in our power to ensure nothing happens to your valuables once they go inside the unit. That’s why we have around-the-clock CCTV cameras, insurance, and employees who keep the area dry and clean. And, we have rules in place which prevent customers from storing anything that poses a risk or cause a nuisance.
Still, we recommend putting pallets on the floor and keeping your belongings off the ground. We’re confident nothing will happen, yet it’s a great backup policy just in case. Plus, we’ve come across certain fabrics and materials which suffer from wear and tear by touching the ground.
Wrap It Up
One thing we don’t provide is a cleaning service. Once the goods are in the unit, it’s up to the customer to take care of their storage space. That way, there is added security and no pesky interfering from the company.
Not to say you’re one of these people, but some shoppers are lazy. As soon as the items are in storage, they forget about them and leave them for months on end. When they finally collect them, their valuables are dusty and need cleaning.
Wrapping your goods in cling film is an incredible way to stop the dust from building up so that they look brand new even after a year in storage. Anyway, wouldn’t you rather use this hack than turn up with a feather duster once a week?!
Label Everything
This is a big one in our eyes because we see the panic in our customers’ eyes a lot. “Oh God,” they think, “where did I put it?!” Of course, they can’t remember due to the fact they packed the storage unit a long time ago and their brain is a touch hazy. So, they have to remove every item from every box and repack them all again once they’re finished.
It’s a lot of hassle and something which is easily avoidable if you label the boxes. There’s no need to tag individual belongings because the boxes themselves will suffice. Write down things such as “kitchenware” or “antiques” or anything that jogs your memory.
Then, when you come to search the storage unit in the future, you won’t have to use your detective skills to find an item.
Purge It
We are happy to house as many of your belongings as we can fit into our storage units. However, we understand renting a plethora of rooms is a cost the average person can’t afford. With that in mind, it’s essential to ask a simple question: “Do I really need this?”
It’s easy to keep hold of things for old time’s sake or just in case, even if you’re never likely to use them again. The problem with this is that it takes up space in your storage unit and makes it tricky to find a place for everything.
A purge is a fantastic way to house the essentials, and you can start by selling or donating them to charity.
Now that you understand how to get the most out of a storage unit, there is only one thing left to do – give us a call right now!
