How to organize a storage unit
1. Pick one box size for most, if not all of your items.
Same-size boxes help
with stacking and accessibility. 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.
4. Create a master
contents list.
Write down all of the
contents of each box along with the box number on paper. This seems like a
cumbersome step, but a master list becomes really handy when you need to find a
specific item, especially if some of your boxes will be completely out of view.
If you prefer to keep
things digital, there are even tools you can use to dictate text so you don’t
have to type as you go. And if you want to take the organization one step
further (or don’t trust your handwriting), you can print each line from your
inventory to create custom labels for your boxes!
5. Plan an organized
layout for your storage unit.
If you’re going to
access your unit frequently, you’re going to need to put some thought into how
you pack your storage unit. Ideally, you want to put the furniture against the
wall opposite your boxes to leave a path in the middle of the unit. This way,
you can access boxes and furniture items without any hassle. If you need to use
the space in the middle, place your most moveable items there so you can remove
them with ease.
6. Consider upgrading
to a larger unit.
You could pack every
square inch like a Tetris master, but that makes retrieving items very
difficult. A little extra space can give you room for shelving units and a path
through the middle of your unit for easy access to most of your belongings.
7. Shelve or stack
boxes.
If this is a long-term
storage solution, place sturdy shelves along one wall of the unit. If not,
stack your boxes with these guidelines in mind:
·
Stack from back to
front in order of need. The boxes that you will access most frequently should
be the last ones packed inside the storage unit and be near the door or on
shelves with labels facing out.
·
Put larger, heavier
boxes down first, and then you can stack lighter ones on top. Be careful how
high you stack. If boxes are stacked above your head, the whole stack is
susceptible to falling, creating a hazard for you and anything breakable in the
storage unit.
·
Consider using a
brick-wall pattern when stacking same-size boxes. It’ll seem somewhat
inefficient, since you’ll have spaces on the ends of your stack, but the brick
wall pattern allows you to remove and replace boxes without moving the boxes
above it.
By following these strategies, you can keep your storage unit well-organized and ensure that your items are easily accessible whenever you need them. Whether it's self storage, mini storage, or climate-controlled storage near you, an organized unit will save you time and frustration during frequent access.
