If your goal this year is to get your home and your life organized, your organizational ideals and dedication should also be extended to your storage unit. Some people just pack everything up that they want to put into storage and then put those boxes in the storage unit. But what happens when you need to find something? What happens when you start looking for something, tear your house apart to find it and then start wondering if its in storage? Will you start tearing apart your storage unit next to locate one specific item?
This article will feature tips that can help you organize your storage unit. People use storage units for different reasons. Some for overflow of personal items that there just isn’t room for in your home or apartment, others use storage units as a go-between when they are moving from one place to another. Others use storage facilities to keep seasonal items or other items that they just don’t use year-round. Whatever your reasons – and whatever it is that you are storing – here are some tips that will help you keep it all under control.
What Are You Storing?
Think about the items that you want to put in your storage unit in Fall River. Are they seasonal? Are they sensitive to temperature? It is important to think about how your items will fare year-round while they are in storage, how often you will want to get your items out of storage for use and the accessibility of the storage unit.
For example, Affordable Storage in Southeastern Massachusetts, is a 24/7 facility that can be accessed by customers any time of day or night. There is an on-site manager and 24-hour security surveillance. An automatic gated entrance and keypad entry add to the benefits of this clean and well-maintained facility.
Find out what items can legally be stored in your storage unit in Fall River. For example, some facilities do not allow vehicles or other recreational items to be stored. Check the policy and restrictions before attempting to store an RV, boat, motorcycle, truck or automobile at your storage facility. If you know ahead of time what you want to store, you can choose a facility that has been designed to accommodate your specific needs and requirements.
Start at Home to Organize Your Storage Unit
As you pack items for storage, label them for easy identification and access at a later date. One way to accomplish this is to take a photo of each item or take a photo of each box of items and keep a list that includes the pictures that you take. Sometimes a numbered or lettered list that corresponds with numbered or lettered boxes can be a great way to find things fast without having to open and disturb a bunch of other boxes in your storage.
Make sure to pack everything properly for storage as well. Plastic containers can help to repel mold, mildew and dust. If you are unable to get plastic storage containers for all of your items, at the very least use high-quality, professional grade moving boxes. Don’t ever use “used” or discarded boxes. You could be unwittingly exposing all of your valuable items to bugs and/or other problems without even realizing it. Sometimes these things aren’t easy to see with the naked eye.
Pack as though you were moving across country. Use bubble wrap and other cushioning materials to wrap breakable or even potentially breakable items. Keep all heavy items on the bottom of the stack and place lighter items on top. Never pack any hazardous items, such as paint, pesticides or flammable things in a storage unit. It is not only dangerous, but in some areas, it is against the law.
How to Load Your Storage Unit
Another great way to organize your storage unit is through proper placement of items within the storage unit in Fall River itself. Large or bulky items, such as furniture, should be placed inside first and pushed along the back wall. Again, keep an inventory for yourself of where these items are located in the unit for easy location in the future. Cover furniture surfaces with packing blankets to avoid scratches from boxes and other stored items.
The next step is to put in the things that are medium-sized, such as boxes or items that can’t be put into boxes. You can stack some of these items on top of furniture, as long as it is protected by the packing blankets. Getting organized in the way you pack and stack your storage items will go a long way toward maximizing your space and helping you to find things in your storage unit in Fall River when you need it in the future.
Once you get the large and medium-sized items into the storage, it’s time to put in the smaller items, as well as the items that you will need to access regularly. A lot of people don’t realize it, but you can bring in large storage shelves to hold all of your smaller items. It’s a great way to store file boxes of documents, well-insulated fragile items, boxes of holiday decorations and other things you might want more organize access to when you need them.
Choose a Secure Storage Unit in Fall River
There are a lot of things to consider about storage units before you even think about getting organized in one. When it comes to choosing a storage unit in Fall River, make sure that the facility is safe and secure. Look at the lighting, the methods of access, make sure there is a manager on-site and that there is video surveillance. Even if you aren’t keeping a lot of expensive or pricey items in your storage, you still want to make sure that the things that mean something to you are kept safe.
If you are keeping valuable items in a storage unit at Affordable Storage in Southeastern Massachusetts or anywhere else in the state, you might want to consider getting those items insured, just as you would if they were in your own home. Some homeowners insurance policies will cover off-premises storage units, so its always good to ask your insurance agent. If not, ask your agency if they have policies or riders available that will cover your belongings in storage.