Setting up your self-storage unit for easy and frequent access is essential to be able to get to your items quickly, easily, and efficiently. Even if you believe in your heart-of-hearts that you won’t need into your unit any time soon, or at all, trust us, the experts, when we say you will. We want your experience to be wonderful. That’s why we are giving you these 10 Do’s and Don’ts of organizing your unit for easy access.
DO: Declutter and Sort Before moving items into the storage unit, declutter and sort your belongings. Separate them into categories like donate and sell first. Then sort the items that are going in the unit into categories like seasonal, frequently used, rarely used, and sentimental. This will make it easier to decide where in the unit to put the boxes or totes.
DON’T: The Minimalism Gone Wild Strategy We’re obviously all for decluttering, but be careful that you don’t go to the extreme. Getting rid of things you will have to buy again later is wasting your hard earned cash. Also, remember to make the most of your vertical space. The unit is yours all the way to the top!
DO: Create an Inventory Make a detailed inventory of everything you're storing. This can be a simple list or a fancy spreadsheet broken down by box with descriptions and photos. This will come in handy when you need to find specific items in the future.
DON’T: The Mystery Box Technique Don’t rely on your memory to replace labeling or making an inventory list. We’ve seen what happens when tenants just throw everything into the storage unit haphazardly. Perhaps you like the excitement of a good treasure hunt or discovering mysterious, forgotten items years later. But we bet you would rather find things fast and move on.
DO: Use Uniform Boxes and Containers Invest in good-quality, uniform-sized boxes and containers. Using standardized boxes will make stacking and arranging them so much more manageable. Better still, invest in shelving and racks to make the most of vertical space. Not only does this keep items safe and off the floor, the containers are easier to access and rearrange than if they are in a stack.
DON’T: The Jenga Approach It’s perfectly okay if you don’t want to bother with careful stacking and storing. As long as you don’t mind an endless game of Jenga with your storage boxes., because that’s exactly what will happen if you just stack them precariously one on top of another. We admit, it can be a bit thrilling trying to balance everything to keep it from collapsing when you need the item at the bottom.
DO: Optimize Accessibility Put frequently used items near the front of your storage unit. Items you rarely use can be placed towards the back. If you have larger items or furniture you may need to access, keep them near the entrance to avoid the need to move other things around to reach them.
DON’T: The Bermuda Triangle Placement People tend to hide their most valuable items in the deepest, darkest corners of their storage unit. Sometimes in pockets of clothing, between the pages of books, or other not-so-obvious places, it’s an excellent way to keep your valuable possessions safe from thieves, but also from yourself! If you are planning to bury your treasure, at least make sure you have a map.
DO: Create Pathways Leave clear pathways throughout your storage unit to enable easy access to all areas. Avoid blocking the way with large or heavy items to make moving around more convenient. Shelves and racks help with this, too. Stacking high on the sides can even leave space in the middle for your large items or furniture, still leaving room to move.
DON’T: The Obstacle Course Design If you need a little more excitement or exercise in your life, don’t worry about pathways or organizing. Between the teetering towers of boxes and an assortment of random objects, you can have your very own obstacle course. Moving all of those boxes in and out is a guaranteed adrenaline-pumping experience every time you attempt to find something. It's like your very own storage unit adventure park! One final very important “DO”…
DO: Consider Climate-Controlled Storage At Sixty5 Self Storage we care for your belongings as if they were precious heirlooms from our very own grandmother. We monitor both the temperature and humidity 24 hours a day to prevent warping, cracking, mildew and more. Our security measures can’t be beat. We guarantee you won’t find a cleaner facility. We take extensive measure high and low, and with pest control. With a pleasant indoor climate, accessing your storage unit will be comfortable for you, especially during extreme weather conditions. And in the event of bad weather, you can load and unload under our covered entrance, keeping you and your items dry. Stop by Sixty5 Self Storage at 2107 S Eastgate Ave, Springfield, MO 65809 for a tour. Or click here to see sizes and prices of units available today. Our team is here for you for questions, and even advice. Call, click, or come by today.