Renting a storage unit can be a great solution to a number of space-related problems. And whether you’re looking for ways to get more space in your apartment, need help relocating to another city, or are looking at how to better organize your home this year, being new to the world of self storage can leave you with a lot of questions.
If you’re new to a storage unit, here are five tips for using a storage unit for the first time.
1. How do I find the right storage unit
The key to find the best storage unit is knowing your storage situation and which features will accommodate it. Key things to look for include:
- Size – An 5×5 or 5×10 unit is comparable to a walk-in closet at home, which would be great for boxes of seasonal clothing or decorations. A larger 10×20 or 10×30 is best for larger needs such as business inventory or the contents of a multi-room house.
- Features – Features are huge for meeting needs. For instance, climate control will preserve weather-sensitive items in areas with extreme seasonal weather. Security options such as electronic gate access and video surveillance will protect your belongings while in storage, and drive-up access will allow you to pull your vehicle directly up to your storage unit.
- Location – Location is a significant factor of price. Typically speaking, the closer a storage unit is to a populated area, the higher the price will be due to demand. If you do not plan on accessing your unit often, you may be able to save significant money by finding a storage unit on the outskirts of town.
2. How to save money finding a storage unit
As we mentioned in the point above, finding a location in the suburbs or away from downtown—especially if you live in a majorly populated metropolitan area—can save you significantly. Other obvious factors include the size of the unit and which features you may or may not be using.
One factor that many might not see right away is the duration of your stay. Many storage facilities do offer no contracts or short term leasing, allowing you to use your self storage for only the time you need, which in the end will save you money.
3. How to save space within a storage unit
If you’re looking to save your money, then you may want to maximize your space within a storage unit. A few key tips on this would include using stackable plastic totes instead of loose items, or at the very least make sure your belongings are inside cardboard boxes. When you stack these containers, it’s not recommended you stack any higher than shoulder height to avoid anything falling on your head later on. Depending on the size of your storage unit, you can either line the walls of a smaller unit, which will give you easy access to everything, or create aisled rows for those larger units, again to allow easy access to everything.
If you do have any loose items, use them to fill any gaps and voids you may see, maximizing all the space you can from your storage unit.
4. You can store a boat or vehicle inside a storage unit
While many storage facilities offer outside or even covered parking for cars, RVs, and boats, you can store a vehicle directly inside of a storage unit. To do this, find an appropriately sized storage unit with drive-up access (a 10×10 at minimum, but likely larger.) This way, you can pull up and park your vehicle or boat trailer directly into the storage unit. It is recommended you find a storage facility with strong security when doing this as well to protect these costly belongings.
5. What you can’t do in a storage unit
As great as a storage unit is for things like storing excess stuff like a car, spare furniture, or business equipment, there are some things you cannot store and do inside a storage unit. For obvious starters, you cannot store hazardous or flammable materials inside a storage unit that would put the facility and other units at risk. You also cannot store food, even frozen food, as this may attract pests.
You also cannot do other things such as perform mechanical work on a car in a storage, live inside of your unit, or operate a business entirely out of your storage unit. On that last point, however, you can find many storage facilities with business centers that give you a place to work, print, and even send and receive mail.
Have more questions beyond these tips? Be sure to explore our self storage blog, which goes in depth with many how-to articles, organizational tips, and more.
