It is so nice to be able to get that clutter out of your home and into your storage unit. In your excitement to finally have your closets back, however, it's easy to rush through the process of loading your storage unit and end up with a mess of items that are tough to sort through later on. Nobody enjoys digging through a messy, disorganized storage unit, so be sure to follow these tips on packing day.
Fill each box full.
Do not leave any half-empty boxes. If a box is half-empty and you stack another box on top of it, then the box will cave in. Fill one box completely before you start filling another, even if this means mixing items from one room with items from another. That's what lanes are for. You can easily label a box "bathroom items plus toaster" if that's what it comes to.
Use plastic totes for the bottom of the stacks.
It's a good idea to keep items off the floor in your storage unit, just in case there is some accidental flooding. But why waste money on pallets? Buy a few plastic totes. Stuff them full of your most sensitive items, and use them as the bases of your stacks of boxes. If there is flooding, the water won't penetrate the totes, so your items and the boxes on top will be safe.
Put items you're less likely to need on the bottom.
If it's something you don't think you'll need for years, put it towards the bottom of the stack. If you think you might need it sooner, put it towards the top of the stack. This will save you a lot of unstacking over the years.
Make sure everything is dry.
There is a tendency to clean things before putting them in storage. This is a good idea, but only if you are careful to let everything dry before putting it into storage. It only takes one moist item in storage to make everything mold.
Seal your boxes with tape.
You might figure tape will make it harder to open boxes later, and it will. But in the meantime, it will make your boxes stronger so you can stack more on top of them, and it will also keep dust off the items inside the box.
With the tips above, your storage unit should get packed tightly and cleanly. For more tips speak with the staff at a storage company.
