How To Organize Your Self Storage Unit For Frequent Access
If you find yourself in need of a long-term self storage unit you will access frequently, there are a couple of things you ought to do to make life easier for yourself! After all, if you simply unload all of your possessions into it, you will not be able to find a single item when you need it. To avoid this, you really must plan. We admit this isn't always easy. It is hard to sit down and think while trying to get everything done. Therefore, we are here to guide you on how to organize your self storage unit for frequent access.
Pick The Suitable Storage Unit
It might seem obvious, but the most critical first step is finding the right storage unit for you. There are various storage options to choose from, so ask yourself: What do I need from my storage unit? Should I get a climate-controlled unit or a residential unit? How big do I need my unit to be? To make the right decision, you should call one of our storage experts, who will be able to help you find the best unit size for you and your things. To be extra sure, you might want to pack up your things in advance and measure them. That way, you will know how much space they would take up. Our advice is: always rent a storage unit a bit larger than you think you will need. There are multiple reasons for this:
Make a Map and a Master List to Organize Your Self Storage Unit for Frequent Use
A map and a master list will make finding things you need much easier.
At first glance, going to such lengths is too much effort. However, making a map and a master list will save you from a lot of headaches in the future. Yes, creating a master list will require quite a bit of work. You’d need to take inventory of everything you stored in each box, note the quantity of it, and then put it away. But you will be thanking your past self a few months in the future when you need to find those work files and know exactly where to look for them! All you need for a map is a simple doodle of which section of your self storage unit is dedicated to which type of things. Or you can mark off areas using the numbers you placed on your boxes for your master list. Just don’t forget to update your map and list if you decide to declutter or add anything new.
Think About Which Items You Will Need The Most
You will, of course, need some of the things from your storage more often than others. You might, for example, need access to the books you have nowhere else to put but have to use for your studies. Such items would be frequently browsed through or taken from storage, so you must have easy access to them. The location of your items within storage is just as important as the location of your self storage. When planning where to put things, you can place them near the front of your storage unit or higher up on the shelving, so it's convenient to reach them. It might seem trivial, but it will help you save time, and you will always know where the important things are without needing to consult your map or master list.
Label Everything
You can replace sticky notes easily to keep your labels up to date!
Labeling ties in with your previous organizational efforts and makes them all the more efficient. The best part is, the labels do not even have to be complex. You can paste something like “summer clothes” onto the front of your storage container and be done with it. Or you can go a step further and copy sections onto the sticky notes! This way, you wouldn't have to haul your master list around with you, and your rough map (which you can keep taped to a shelf) will point you in the approximate direction of your quarry. If you are not all that diligent about putting boxes back in their proper spots, the labels can be a lifesaver.
Use Shelves
Shelves also let you make the best use of your vertical space. So, they are a fantastic way to organize your self storage unit for frequent use.
There are two major benefits to using shelves. Firstly, they get your items off the floor and ensure unboxed items are not damaged or soiled. Secondly, they make it easier to properly stack and organize everything, not to mention reaching what you need once the stacking is over. Which is easier to navigate? A neat row of shelves or stacks of boxes all over your floor? The answer should be obvious! Shelving also makes it a bit easier to put everything back into its proper spot once you're done with it since you can put sticky notes with numbers matching your boxes onto the shelves, too. That way, you don't have to remember where you took the box from!
Use Uniform Plastic Containers
Plastic containers last a long time and can be easily recycled!
Now, it might seem like a bad idea to use identical containers due to the potential mix-up, but it's really not! With all the other organizational tricks we've discussed, it'll be a breeze to differentiate the different boxes. Moreover, your containers' identical size and shape will make stacking easy and convenient, especially if you measure the size of your storage containers beforehand and get just the right size shelves. The reason why we recommend plastic containers is simple as well, they provide extra protection from the elements and possible damage, and you do not want to take risks which might result in your belongings being harmed.
This concludes our guide on how to organize your self storage unit for frequent access. We hope you've found our advice helpful and that you are at least a little more prepared for what's ahead. Just remember: the key to proper organization of your storage is knowing where everything is. Also, there's more than one way of making sure of that, and those ways work best when used together.
