If used reasonably, self-storage can be hugely beneficial – you rent a storage unit where for a monthly fee you get to store the household items that you currently don’t need but will be needing in the future. And the reasons for needing extra storage space can be various – two households merging into one (marriage), one big household splitting up into two halves (divorce), a temporary place to put all or most of your household belongings (home renovation or repair works, going away to college, going abroad to work or study, military deployment), downsizing your home and more.
Yes, self-storage can be a very convenient solution during specific periods in life, and currently around 11 million U.S. households (around 9% of all American households) see its benefits and have decided to rent self-storage units.
However, keep in mind that renting extra storage space may turn out to be too costly if you fail to follow some basic yet essential self-storage tips when packing and organizing your storage unit.
How To Best Pack Your Self-Storage Unit
The size of the storage unit you’re about to rent is determined by price – the monthly rent for the tiniest rentable space you can get (usually 5’ x 5’) is between $60-$100 or more depending on a number of factors, such as the city, the exact location, the storage company, etc.
Packing a self-storage is very much like packing a moving truck. The ultimate goal is, of course, to fit all of your items into the smallest space possible simply because when it comes to self-storage, smaller means cheaper. So, follow these packing tips and you will be able to use the rented space in the most efficient way there is.
Use Suitable Boxes
It’s essential that you use boxes of similar sizes which you can safely stack high and therefore save storage room by taking advantage of the vertical space of the self-storage unit. Invest in good quality boxes that will last you for years and not fall apart in a few months’ time or so. Purchasing quality packing supplies is also important when it comes to providing the best possible protection for your items in storage.
Inventory All Your Possessions
Make a detailed list of all the items that you are placing in your selected self-storage unit before you pack them for storage. That list will serve two separate yet equally important purposes:
- constantly refresh your memory and save you plenty of time whenever you need to access a specific item;
- be your accurate account of what was placed in storage in case you need to file an insurance claim due to a natural disaster.
You may think you will always remember what’s inside your unit, but memory can sometimes prove to be a very unreliable friend. As wise men say, “A short pencil is better than a long memory”.
Label appropriately
All of the stored boxes should be labeled properly and facing the walkway for quick and effortless identification. Write clearly what’s inside each box and be as specific as possible – for example, instead of having several boxes marked as ”Kitchen”, take a black marker pen and put down “Toaster”, “Blender”, “Kitchen utensils”, etc. Also, don’t forget to place the sign “FRAGILE” to all the boxes full of easily breakable stuff.
Pack Like A Pro
Partly filled boxes are prone to breakage and may tumble over or collapse. So, you should fill them up to their full capacity but at the same time keep them from becoming too heavy for you to lift and carry around. Remember one of the fundamental principles of effective packing: heavier items go into smaller boxes while lighter ones go into larger storage container. Or you can do a combination of both but make sure the heavier stuff stays at the bottom of the box.
Moreover, all fragile items need to be wrapped separately with either packing paper or bubble wrap, placed in strong boxes and any empty spaces in the boxes filled with paper, towels, old pieces of clothing, thick socks or other suitable materials you have at hand. TV sets, stereo systems, computers and other electrical equipment will be best protected in their original boxes, or alternative boxes of similar sizes if you don’t keep the packing you purchased them in. When you’re done preparing a box for storage, don’t forget to seal it well with packing tape to keep eventual dust and moisture away.
I think the tip to leave a path through the unit is absolutely ingenious. I think it is very tempting at the time to hastily pack a storage unit by shoving boxes in at random, however they’ll fit, to just get it done. In the future, however, you’ll be much more pleased if you took the time to pack things in a more organized manner, and you’ll also be happy to have a path through things.
Gaston Parizeau
This post is so helpful! My family is going to be moving soon, and we definitely are going to need to put some stuff into storage. I'm glad that this article reminds everyone to leave a path in the storage unit. It would be super inconvenient to have to climb over everything and find things that way. My tip would be to take inventory and write down everything you're storing, just so you know what you have!
Megan
That’s true that boxes of a similar size stack easier. They are generally more stable when you do stack them, too. I need to find some boxes that won’t be too heavy when I fill them up. Then again, I could mix heavy and light objects to offset the weight. It takes some planning to pack things correctly.
Putting a covering on the floor of the storage unit is a great tip. I wouldn't want my valuables to get damaged because I didn't think about water coming under the door. Hopefully, taking that extra precaution will help save me from a huge headache in the future.
My wife and I are just getting ready to move and all the stuff that we have is a little bit daunting. We think that we are going to try to put stuff in our new house gradually and keep the rest in a storage unit. I really liked your tip about dismantling furniture. I think this will be a great way to maximize our space. Thank you for sharing.
I can see how having an inventory of all the stuff we put in storage would come in handy. That way we can remind ourselves of what we have in there whenever we need anything. Also, having a list just in case we need to file an insurance claim is a good idea. It's better to be prepared, even if it doesn't seem likely that anything like that will happen. I'll have to get organized before we start taking stuff over to storage.
We are looking at getting a storage unit or container for some of the things that we can’t fit in our apartment. These are some great tips that will help us get the most our of our space. As you said, dismantling furniture can help to more strategically arrange the items. Thanks for sharing! We’ll be sure to use these tips as we move our things to storage.
I liked that you pointed out that there are some furniture sprays that I can get to help protect my furniture when it is in a storage unit. It is good for me to know that there are ways for me to keep my stuff in good shape.
Thanks for the tips on how you can pack your storage unit like a pro to fit more in. I agree that one of the best things you can do is to label your things in a visible way so you can get to things later. My brother needs to rent a storage unit but he has never been good at organization; I will be sure to share this with him.
I need to rent a self-storage unit because I am going on an internship for a couple of months, so I am glad that I found this article. You make a great point that it is important to take an inventory of all of your belongings before you pack them. I think that this will give me an accurate account of my items and I can file a claim if I need to get reimbursed for any items.
Thanks for mentioning how you should use boxes of similar sizes. I can see that doing some research can help you know how to use your storage. We need to free up some space in our garage.
My sister is thinking about using a self-storage unit facility to help her move. It might be useful for her to have a couple of insights before doing this. Making sure that she places the items she will be using the most in front will be helpful.
I have been considering moving soon, and I will need to declutter my home. It is good to know that you can get a 5 x 5 unit. That does seem like a good thing for me to know about because I have never rented a storage unit before.
I like how you said that it’s essential that you use boxes of similar sizes which you can safely stack high. I just got a storage unit for my new home. Thank you for the tips on packing a storage unit.
I’m glad you pointed out that we can help protect our leather furniture by using a leather conditioner before putting it into the storage unit. My sister’s going to be staying with us for a few months while she looks for an apartment, so we’re planning to clear out the guest bedroom by placing the items into a storage unit. There’s a nice leather sofa that will be going into the unit as well, so thanks for the tip about protecting it with a conditioning treatment beforehand!
My sister is moving to a new area, and I suggested she rent a storage unit for everything she can’t take with. You article had some great tips for using a unit like this, and I liked how you said to leave a path through the items so one can reach the vack if needed. Thank; I’ll share this with my sister and hopefully she’ll considering a storage unit for he future move.
My sister is moving across the country, and I suggested she rent a storage unit for everything she can’t take with her. Your article had some great tips for packing a unit like this, and I liked how you said that large furniture like beds and tables should be dismantled, and those pieces should be kept together and wrapped in protective material. Any tiny screws or hinges can go in plastic bags taped to the furniture, and I’ll share this with my sister so she can properly store her things in a storage unit during her big move
This is some really good information about self-storage. I liked what you said about how it would be smart to never put wet items in a storage unit. That is good for me to know because I am planning on getting a self-storage unit this upcoming spring. It seems like I should make sure that I move everything in on a dry day.
It’s great to learn that you can pack a storage unit more efficiently by using furniture drawers to store fragile items like china or glass. This information would be really helpful to my sister. She wants to move her old furniture into a storage facility so that she can update her home.
I like that you suggested disassembling pieces of furniture. As you said, it will be able to give you extra space while ensuring that they are safely stacked there. I will follow your advice once we have rented a unit for ourselves. It will be for the items we will not use now that we will downsize after our kids have moved out.
I really appreciate your advice to take apart your furniture before storing it so you can utilize the space more effectively. With that in mind, I will start looking at the bed frames and desks we have been looking to store. If we can take them apart, we can start looking for a smaller storage rental space.
It’s good to know more about packing a self storage unit. I like how you said that each box should be labeled correctly and facing the isle. We’re storing a lot of stuff from our basement, so I’ll make sure to organize everything effectively like that!
My nephew is moving out of the house and my brother would like to convert his old room into a guest bedroom for our mother’s visits. Since they don’t have enough storage space in their home to keep my nephew’s belongings, they are starting to look into storage units. Your advice to make sure everything is inventoried before they pack the belongings into storage so they will know where everything is in case they need to file an insurance claim is very helpful.
I thought it was interesting how the article said that you should use boxes of similar sizes so that you can safely stack them high and save storage room. My brother is planning on moving his family to a new home that is across town, but it will not be ready until a week after his current lease is up. It may be beneficial for him to rent a storage unit where he can keep some of his belongings while he waits for his home to be ready.
It’s true that self-storage can be beneficial in storing your things while you are aware or you don’t have enough space at home. Thanks for giving tips on how to effectively pack your things before moving them in a storage unit. My sister is planning to hire one as she will be going overseas for months. I will advise her about your tips. I hope she finds a reputable storage company in the area.
I like how you mention that when it comes to packing away things to be put into storage, it’s important to write down a list and make sure you have a memory of who owned what so that nothing gets mixed up. Always keeping the list close to you ensures that whenever you need to go back to the storage unit, everything is still inside. While I haven’t the chance to use a self-storage facility, what I can say is that it can be very useful when hiding some things that should never see the light of day.
Thanks for pointing out that when packing a self-storage unit your tallest and bulkiest items should be placed at the back of the self-storage unit and as close to the walls as possible. My husband and I are thinking about getting a self-storage unit because we think that it would be a good place to put all of the kid’s stuff that we don’t need in the house but that we don’t want to get rid of. I think it would be smart to organize it with the big things in the back because it would allow you to see everything better, and I think that it would also help to make sure that everything was being packed in the most efficient way possible.
I liked how you talked about labeling and being really specific. I never thought about how this might make a more effective system with our packing and finding some things that we need quickly. It’s definitely something that we’ll be trying out.
Thank you for your great article on how to pack a storage unit! My husband and I want to get a storage unit. I will definitely utilize all of your great tips and information if we do end up getting a storage unit.
I liked that you said that one reason to consider renting out a storage unit is to offer yourself more space to keep belongings without having to throw your things away. I have been trying to think of ways to keep my belongings without needing to store them in my home since it gets to be too cluttered and unorganized in my limited space. I will be sure to consider renting a storage unit to allow myself more room for my belongings so that I can enjoy an organized home without throwing things away.
Thank you for stating that you should consider applying furniture spray to your furniture for extra protection before putting it in a storage unit. My husband and I are thinking about getting a storage unit for our move, but have no idea how to pack our stuff in there. I will definitely take all of your great advice into consideration when trying to pack our storage unit.
My husband and I thought it was helpful when you said to itemize everything that you put in storage. We can both see the benefits of doing this. You will know exactly where something is when you need to get it.
We are so glad you suggested labeling the boxes that way it’s easier to find what you need. My parents are renovating their house, and they need to store their belongings. I will help the label the boxes so when they take the back, it will be easy to find the right items.
I appreciate your tip about using suitable boxes to pack your storage unit in the best way possible. My brother has been telling me about how he wants to store some stuff. I’ll pass this information along to him for his consideration.
I didn’t know that it costs about $100 a month to get a 5X5 space. I’m moving into an apartment temporarily so I need a place to store my stuff while I do. I’ll try and find a unit that can fit all of the things I need to store.
I like how you mentioned making a detailed list of all the items that you are placing in your selected self-storage unit before you pack them for storage. My brother is moving to another house and he says that he won’t be able to take all his stuff to the new place because it’s smaller. I will recommend him to rent self-storage so that he can keep his stuff in a safe place.
I liked that you mentioned using boxes of similar sizes will help you to pack your self-storage unit efficiently. My husband and I are thinking about renting a storage unit for our holiday decorations and other things in our garage, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know your recommendations for using similar size boxes to pack everything properly in our storage unit.
Really, I appreciate for providing the great info in this website that to using the nice info in this blog. I definitely loved every little bit of it.
It really helped when you said to fill boxes to their full capacity and that heavier items go to the front. I need to find a good storage unit that I can store away some of my junk as well as one of my ATVs. Thanks for the tips and I’ll have to find a big storage unit that I can fit my toys.
That’s a good idea to use boxes that are around the same size to make them easier to stack. My new studio apartment doesn’t have any large closets, so I am thinking about getting a storage unit to keep all of my seasonal items in. I will keep your tips in mind while looking for the perfect boxes for this.
My husband and I would like to rent a storage unit soon because we just downsized our home and don’t have room for all our stuff anymore. Thanks for the tip to make sure to label all your boxes as specifically as possible to make finding things easier. Labeling things would be super helpful whenever we needed to go back there to find something, so we’ll have to make sure to do that.
Thanks for reminding me to make an inventory of all my possessions so I can refresh my memory of the things I have inside the self-storage. I have a massive book collection but I’m in need of storage space since my sister will be moving in with me soon. I don’t want to get rid of all my books so it sounds like a good idea to rent a self-storage space so I have somewhere to put them in.
Phew! I’m so glad I came across this article. This is because my husband and I just cleared our attic last week, and we found so many precious items that we don’t want to throw away. So thank you for telling us that it’s better to disassemble huge furniture and use boxes of similar size to make our storage area even more organized and spacious. I’ll follow this tip once we have found the right storage unit later.
It was certainly helpful advice when you mentioned how it would be best to place a layer of protective sheeting or covers on your furniture and belongings so they won’t get damaged by dust or moisture while they are being kept inside a storage unit. We’re still looking for a new house to move into so we want to get a storage unit for our furniture for the meantime while we’re still searching. We’ll have to keep this in mind when we get in touch with trusted storage services.
It’s good to know that if possible, you should store all of your storage unit items in boxes. I’m thinking about renting a storage unit for some of my extra pieces that I don’t have room for. I have a lot of antiques that I want to store, so I’ll make sure to pack them securely.
I appreciate you mentioning that investing in high-quality packing materials is essential for giving your valuables in storage the best protection possible. My aunt wants to hire a heated storage unit to temporarily store some of her furnishings there before moving her office next month. I appreciate the storage advice, and I will definitely let her know about your blog.
I’m glad you pointed out how important it is to spend money on high-quality packing supplies in order to give your items in storage the best protection possible. Before transferring her workplace the following month, my aunt wishes to temporarily store some of her items in a heated storage facility. I’m grateful for the storage tips, and I’ll let her know about your blog.
I’m glad you pointed out how important it is to spend money on high-quality packing supplies in order to give your items in storage the best protection possible. Before transferring her workplace the following month, my aunt wishes to temporarily store some of her items in a heated storage facility. I’m grateful for the storage tips, and I’ll let her know about your blog.
Oh hey! I just finished clearing up my attic last weekend and some of the items there have to be placed somewhere else to avoid further congestion. Based on this article, I’m pretty sure finding the right facility would really help me solve the matter in no time. Nonetheless, shout out to you for informing us about self-storage units and how we can keep our precious possessions away from dust by storing them inside containers or boxes.
It was beneficial to read that you should make a thorough list of every item you intend to store in the self-storage facility of your choice before packing it for storage. My aunt wants to organize her possessions before donating them, but she’s not sure where to store all of her enormous items. She should hire a storage unit, and I will definitely tell her about your website.
Excellent post on the packing process for a storage unit. Your advice to properly label all of our possessions in order to avoid losing them and to arrange everything in accordance with delicacy was really useful. Thanks for the advice; it’s quite beneficial to me since I’ve been preparing to rent a storage unit to safekeep my important documentations.
It was helpful when you said that you can save storage room when you use similar boxes that can be safely stacked high. This is something that I will share with my parent since they mentioned over a 10-minute phone call last night their plan to rent a storage unit before this month ends. They want to maximize the space of the unit that they will rent and keep everything organized, so your tips are helpful.
Your statement that offering oneself extra space to store possessions without having to throw them away is one incentive to think about hiring a storage unit struck a chord with me. Since my house tends to become too cluttered and disorganized in my little area, I’ve been attempting to come up with ideas on how to retain my possessions without having to store them there. I’ll be sure to take into account hiring a storage unit so I may have extra space for my items and enjoy an ordered house without having to toss anything out.
Thank you for teaching us about the utilization of vertical space and how we can do this by using boxes of similar sizes and stacking them together. I’m sure this will work for me since I don’t have big items to store anyway. My pillows, clothes, and other knick-knacks can fit in same-sized boxes.
I appreciate you bringing up the fact that you should pack your tallest and bulkiest goods closest to the walls and toward the back of the self-storage facility. To store all of the children’s belongings that we don’t need in the house but don’t want to get rid of, my husband and I are considering renting a self-storage unit. I believe it would be wise to arrange the bulkier items towards the rear, as this would allow you to see everything more clearly and ensure that everything is packed as efficiently as possible.
Oh, hello there. So, here’s a thing: in order to renovate his basement, my wife’s cousin needs to relocate all of the stuff there somewhere else first. This is where she may benefit from this article because you stated that we can maximize the use of a storage space by disassembling our furniture first. Very well then, I’ll remind her about this once she finds a suitable facility in the end.
Your suggestion to cover your furniture and belongings with protective sheeting or covers to prevent dust or moisture damage while they are being stored in a storage unit was undoubtedly helpful advice. We want to rent a storage unit so that we can temporarily store our furniture while we look for a new home to move into. When we get in touch with reputable storage services, we’ll need to keep this in mind.
I greatly value your advice to disassemble your furniture before storing it so you can make better use of the available space. I’ll start by looking at the desks and bed frames we’ve been trying to store in light of this. Then, we can start looking for a smaller self-storage rental place if we can disassemble them.
Since it will be my cousin’s first time renting a self-storage unit, she has been looking for advice. It’s a good thing you mentioned keeping a thorough list of everything you’re putting in your chosen unit because this can help you save time when you need a specific item. She can rent out self-storage units, so I’ll be sure to tell her about this and look for services that can help her out.
Hi! We meet again. Now, I just realized how packed my attic is and I have to do something about it. Thankfully, you showed us that using the same-sized boxes would make our storage space more organized. Okay, let me try applying this tip as soon as I find the right facility.
Thanks for the advice about laying the item horizontally if we notice that it’s unstable when placed vertically. I’m planning to do this with the long table because it’s too big. It’s made out of metal, so I’m not too worried. I’ll just get a storage unit with a camera so the staff can alert me if something happens.
I love that you said that having a home project could use a self-storage for a safe belongings place solution. The other night, my friend told me he was planning to have a self-storage unit consultation he would use as a place for his clothing business supplies. He asked if I had ideas on the best storage approach. I’m grateful for this helpful article for the explanation about the importance of consulting a self-storage service. I’ll tell him it will be much better if he consults a self-storage unit service to gather information about their services.