8 Excellent Tips for Organizing a Storage Unit Like a Pro
Renting a storage unit is easy with Move It Self Storage. However, keeping their storage unit organized is not so easy for many folks. Like a disorganized kitchen or garage, when your storage unit is a mess, finding specific items forces you to stack, unstack and move all sorts of items, wasting your time and energy. To help you avoid this common storage problem, Move It put together the following list of 8 Excellent Storage Unit Organization Tips! Check them out before you pack your storage unit to keep it organized like a pro!
8 Storage Unit Organization Tips
1. Pack All Small Items In Boxes
Have you ever tried to stack plastic bags filled with stuff? If you have, you know, bags don’t stack. That’s why packing everything into boxes is crucial to keep your storage unit organized. (New, clean moving boxes are best!)
The thing is, boxes stack easily. You can stack boxes 3, 4, and sometimes 5-high. Doing that with plastic bags would be impossible and create a huge mess. Yes, packing is a little bit of extra work, but once packed, your belongings will stack easily. More importantly, they’ll be better protected from damage. Speaking of stacking…
2. Stack as Much as You Can
Floor space is at a premium in a storage unit, but since most have walls 8 feet high, there’s plenty of room to go upwards. Imagine, for example, if you had 20 large boxes and sat them all on the floor of your storage unit. You would quickly run out of floor space.
Now imagine if you had 4 stacks of 5 boxes each. Now you’re using the vertical space and saving horizontal floor space! Anything squarish, including many furniture items, can be stacked, and will keep your storage unit better organized while providing more room for your belongings.
3. Label Every Box
Whether you use actual labels or write on boxes with a magic marker, labeling every box will be a huge timesaver and is an organizational dream. That’s because you’ll know what’s inside each box, significantly reducing the time it takes to find something if you need it. Don’t want to write everything on each box? If not, the next tip is for you.
4. Keep an Inventory of all Boxes
Before professional movers load a truck, they put a tag with a number on every single item that’s being moved. That way, they have an inventory of every item. You can do the same thing:
- Write a number on every box
- Write the corresponding number on a sheet of paper, your smartphone, or tablet. Write the contents of each box on the inventory. Thank us later when you need to find something quickly
5. Leave a Pathway to Make Access to Your Stuff Easier
This tip is for folks who will store their belongings long-term and occasionally get things out of their storage unit. It’s also great for business owners storing overstock, supplies, gear, and so forth.
Leave a pathway from the front to the back of your storage unit.
Look at it this way; if you pack your storage unit full from front to back and need something from the back later, you’ll have to take everything back out to get to that one item.
However, if you leave a pathway, getting to something in the back will be easier, faster, and more convenient. You won’t have to move everything around, re-stack everything, and waste half a day doing it.
6. Use Shelving Units
We highly recommend shelving units if you plan to get specific items from your storage unit regularly. (It’s also great if you’re mainly storing boxes.) Sturdy metal shelving units are best, but plastic shelves are OK too, so long as you don’t overload them with too much weight. With shelving units, you won’t have to stack and unstack everything every time you need something.
7. Use Clear, Plastic Storage Bins
Clear plastic storage bins are the best for the ultimate in self-storage convenience. The reason? You can see what’s inside at a glance. If, for example, you’re storing gear, tools, crafting supplies, or vintage clothes, clear plastic bins are perfect! You’ll save a considerable amount of effort getting what you need and keep your storage unit well organized at the same time, especially if you place your bins on the shelving units you’ve purchased!
8. Rent a Storage Unit a Little Bigger than You Need
This tip is helpful if you plan to access your storage unit regularly. Rent one that’s a little bigger than you need. That way, your unit won’t be stuffed to the gills, and you’ll be able to leave a path between everything, as in Tip #5. Trust us, having the extra room will be a godsend when you need to get things out.
Is Organization Necessary in a Storage Unit?
Keeping your storage unit organized is helpful in many ways but might only be necessary for some storing stuff. Let’s take a quick look at the different situations.
- Keep your storage unit well organized if you:
- Need to access certain items often
- Are you storing things for your work or business
- Want to be able to find something quickly
- Are storing your items long-term
- Don’t bother with organizing your storage unit if you:
- Will only store your items short term
- Won’t need anything while your things are stored
- Are only storing a small number of items
Remember that stacking and packing your storage unit well is still necessary to fit as much as possible into your storage unit. Boxing everything, for example, is still a good idea unless you only store large items.
Keep Your Belongings Safe and Organized with Move It Storage
Need to reserve a storage unit for your belongings, tools, collectibles, overstock, or a vehicle? If so, find storage across the southeast with Move It Storage! Our self-storage facilities are safe and secure, with all the features and benefits you need to make your self-storage experience hassle-free, convenient, and affordable.
Not sure which size storage unit to rent? No problem! Click the link to see our storage unit size guide and get a better idea of what will fit inside the different size units we offer. And by the way, if you need a truck to move your things into your storage unit, Move It offers moving trucks for rent at many of our locations!
When you’re ready, reserve your storage unit from Move It Storage. It’s easy, and there’s no deposit necessary. One thing is sure; after reading the Tips above, you’ll have the best-organized storage unit in town!