5 Easy Tips to Pack for Self Storage Efficiently

We have all seen or at least heard of storage units that are an absolute mess. What we don't consider is actually how long it takes to sort out that mess when it comes time to remove things from self storage. What is even worse is if there is something you need to get out of self storage. Packing your self storage unit so that it is organized will save you loads of time in the future. Here are some quick and easy tips that will help plan and organize your items when you plan to move them into self storage.

Step 1: Know what you are going to store. 

Before you even move anything is when the process of self storage begins. You need to go through your items to figure out exactly what you are going to put in storage. Make an inventory of all items you want to store. If you have a bunch of smaller items you want to store try to generalize it all in one group..

Step 2: Organize Your Inventory 

Once you have created an inventory of all the items you are going to put into storage, you can start thinking about where all of these items should be placed in the storage unit. After you've organized your inventory, you can start to draw a picture of roughly where you want items to go in the storage unit. In the picture you may want to consider if you want to create a walkway or two, so that you can more easily get to items packed in the back of the unit.

• List what items you will need access to and plan to put them towards the front of the storage unit.
• On the other end of the spectrum, list the items you won't need regular access to. 
• List items that will be boxed and stacked. 
• List the heavier items that will go on the bottom of the storage.

Step 3: Figure out the Size of Storage Unit You Need  

Now that you already have an inventory of your items, it is pretty easy to figure out what size storage unit you need. You can do this one of two ways: ask a storage unit manager or figure it out yourself. Show the storage unit manager your list of items, and they can pretty accurately guess what size storage unit you need. As far as doing it yourself goes, there are many different online tools, like for example, this one, that can assist you in finding out the approximate size of storage unit you need. I personally recommending doing both to get the best estimate. I always err on side of caution by choosing a larger storage unit to avoid having to switch storage units after figuring out that the one selected is too small. And a dirty little secret of the storage industry is sometimes they will charge you extra if you need to switch to a larger unit. 

Step 4: When Packing Label Everything Very Specifically 

First off, everything you can get into a box, do it. Items left exposed in self storage can get dusty, or even worse, moldy. After that you will need to carefully label each box with the items in it. Be specific as you are willing to make yourself be, because there is nothing worse than searching through a ton of boxes to find one specific item. For example, if you are putting several boxes of paperwork in storage, make sure you sort of  label what type of paperwork, ie tax returns, invoices, are in the box. It may seem a little anal now, but trust me, if you need to find a specific item you will be thanking me.

Step 5: Take Your Time Filling in the Storage Unit 

There is nothing worse than rushing through and throwing everything in your storage unit. Make sure you set aside a large amount of time to get your storage unit filled and organized. You already have a rough plan of where items should go, so try to stick to it as much as possible. Just remember by taking time to organize everything from the get-go, you are making it faster to empty the storage unit and find items if needed.