The Biggest Do's and Don'ts of Self Storage

If you are moving or have recently downsized, you might need space to store some of your belongings. Whether you are a first-time storage renter or have done it many times, you might not be aware of some crucial do's and don’ts of self storage. Follow our guide for some important self storage tips.

How to Choose a Storage Unit?

Thanks to the internet, you can do all your research without physically going to the locations and having to waste too much time. It can also be overwhelming to be faced with so many choices, and you might end up being even more confused in the end.

The Biggest Do's of Self Storage

Plan ahead of time

Choosing the right size of storage, the location, organizing your items, and transporting them all takes time. Start planning a few weeks to a month before your intended date. You do not want to waste money by paying for your storage and not using it because you did not get organized. If you have everything on paper and have detailed all the information, you will do an excellent job by your set deadline.

Choose a storage unit near your home

Your storage unit doesn’t have to be right around the corner, but for convenience’s sake, the closer, the better. This goes for when you are moving your items into the storage and adding or removing them later on. If the unit is too far and it takes you an hour to get there, you might not use it as much as you want to. The less you visit the storage unit, the more likely it is that certain things might get damaged due to water, insects, humidity, ice, etc.

Know the right size of your self storage unit

If you are putting away large furniture or appliances, naturally, choose a bigger unit. Do not underestimate the necessary space and take the measurements diligently. The last thing you want to happen is for your furniture to get damaged while trying to jam everything in a limited space.

Keep an inventory of the stored items

And we don’t just mean how many boxes are in there, but what is in the boxes. Making an inventory of everything in those boxes will make your life easier later on. You might want to just throw everything in there and not think about it, but after a month, you’ll be kicking yourself for not having a clue where anything is. Label the boxes and the wrapped fragile items and furniture and keep the lists in a safe place.

Clean and dry your refrigerator before putting it away

If you are putting away kitchen appliances, one of the biggest do's and don’ts of self storage is—do clean them thoroughly. Prepare your fridge days in advance, empty it and drain the water. After you do this, clean it and scrub it well. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough:

The Biggest Don’ts of Self Storage

Don’t keep flammable materials in your self storage unit

Whether or not your unit has climate control, flammables are not welcome there. There could be a power outage which could cause temperatures to spike and your flammable items to ignite. No one wants to lose everything in a fire and put other units in danger as well.

Avoid stacking things randomly

If you have lots of boxes, do not just stack them on top of each other without an order. Make sure that there is a method to your madness and that you have an idea of where things are and why.

Do not wrap everything in plastic

Plastic wrappers may seem like a practical solution to avoid damage, and we all love bubble wrap. However, keeping everything in plastic for a long time can cause condensation, which can turn into mold.

Don’t use your storage unit as a pantry

Leaving food and perishables in your storage unit is not a good idea. Anything with a shorter shelf-life will spoil and attract unwanted insects or rodents. Ultimately, it can cause mold and ruin all your belongings.

The bottom line

There are many do's and don’ts of self storage to follow, but as long as you plan everything well and check up on your storage unit from time to time, you will be good to go. Think of it as another part of your home—you would never leave it unattended for too long, and you know that anything can happen. Unexpected weather changes, storms, great heat, and snowfall. Do check on your self storage once in a while, and don’t forget to lock up.