Apartments and smaller houses often face unique storage challenges due to limited square footage, and even larger homes can quickly run out of convenient spaces to stash larger items out-of-season. The use of a residential self-storage facility can help maximize home closets, restore a garage or carport to its full intended purpose, or relieve bulging utility sheds. When preparing to fill a storage unit, some advance planning while sorting out items can help maximize unit space and, potentially, help save funds by allowing for the use of a smaller unit.
Review regulations
To maintain the safety of renters and personal property, self-storage facilities enact a number of guidelines to minimize the risks of property damage due to fires and infestations. This means prohibiting the storage of fuel and other combustible materials as well as food products and alive or previously living pets and plants. There are special storage facilities designed to accommodate cars, other vehicles, and machinery, and removing these items from a home base is most advantageous. For standard self-storage, always review the lease for prohibited items to make sure the facility meets your needs.
Invest in storage aids
Smaller items, such as holiday ornaments, craft supplies, small tools, toys, and infrequently used kitchen accessories, are prime candidates for self-storage if they are not ready to donate or discard. To maximize space in the unit, investing in plastic tubs or an alternate storage solution consolidates individual boxes into a compact, easy-to-maneuver bin. A plus for tub-based storage is the ability to easily source and pull items on a future trip to the unit.
For example, consolidating holiday decor into clearly labeled larger containers makes it possible to hop in the unit, locate the containers and throw them in the vehicle seasonally. If items are stacked individually they can become misplaced, scattered, or damaged, making every trip to retrieve goods a point of stress instead of an easy task. The tubs also provide additional protection from the storage environment should an accident, like a roof leak, occur.
Calculate space requirements
Residential self-storage requirements are more easily calculated when the items stored are modular or consolidated into modular storage options like bins and cabinets. If pre-organization into easily managed components is possible, the size of these storage options can be calculated and added together to determine the minimum cubic footage required in a unit. Add in a buffer to allow for practical stacking height and navigating within the unit, and then start shopping. Alternatively, when staging to move home items to a storage facility, they can be temporarily contained and stacked in a room or garage and then measured for an accurate storage estimate.
For more information, contact a residential storage facility near you.
