How to Organize a Self Storage Unit for Frequent Access

"Imagine you see a weather report calling for freezing temperatures and realize that all your cold-weather clothing is in storage. With temperatures plummeting and the wind whipping, you make the trip to your storage unit and start digging through boxes looking for your sweaters, coats, and boots.

Before you know it, a stack of boxes has tipped over, half of your belongings are outside of the storage unit, and you still haven’t found your boots. As bad as that may sound, imagine the frustration when one week later you realize all of your holiday decorations and bakeware are also in storage.

The last thing you want to do is pull everything out of your storage unit and dig through boxes looking for something, especially if the weather is bad or the timing is inconvenient. A little bit of planning ahead to make sure your storage unit is organized can save you from a bunch of headaches later on. Here are nine simple tips to help organize a storage unit so that you can find what you need with ease.

1. Pick one box size for most, if not all of your items.

Same-size boxes help with stacking and accessibility. Life Storage’s small or medium boxes will be perfect for most of your belongings. Keep in mind large boxes are excellent for items that aren’t very heavy, but may not hold up well at the bottom of large stacks. Large boxes (especially at the bottom of a stack) are also more difficult to remove if you need something out of them.

2. Identify the items you may need to access while in storage.

Things you don’t use regularly when you’re packing may be needed later on. Carefully consider what you may need while your items are in storage, giving extra thought to seasonal items.

Here are a few things you may need to retrieve from your storage unit:

• Winter or summer clothing
• Trip supplies (tents, sleeping bags, snorkeling gear, sleds, cookout utensils)
• Holiday items (decorations, costumes, bakeware)
• Kids toys (kids may enjoy a “new” box of toys when they get bored of the toys they held onto when packing)
• Tools and hobby supplies
• Office documents

3. Label each box you pack.

Label each box on the top and at least one side with a unique box number, the room it came from, and the contents of the box. Place a special mark on boxes you may need to access at some point during storage and remember to put them in your storage unit last. Be as detailed as possible with the contents."

View the full article at: https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/storage/how-to-organize-a-storage-unit/