Storage and Packing Tips

Storage and Packing Tips

Learn How to Best Store and Pack Your Belongings with Total Storage Solutions

Learn More about the Move-In Process by watching our helpful video:

Renting a storage unit is easy! No matter how large a unit you rent, having a little additional space to spare can have a significant impact on your home or business. Every square foot matters, so knowing how to make the most of the storage unit you rent is essential.

To help you be the most successful with your storage, we’re more than happy to share with you the following storage and packing tips.

Gather Your Supplies

Having the right supplies at your disposal can help make for easy packing and storage. You want supplies that are reliable and good quality. We recommend having at least the following supplies available:

• Boxes of several different sizes
• Packing tape and dispenser
• Bubble wrap or packing paper
• Mattress or furniture covers
• Tarps and blankets

Several of our storage facilities may sell these packing and moving supplies and more for your convenience. That way, you can save yourself a trip and pick up everything you need right at the facility!

Create a Checklist

Handwritten or digital, creating and maintaining a list of everything you’re planning to put into storage is a great method for keeping track of your belongings. With a checklist by your side, you’ll be prepared and organized going into your storage experience, but you’ll also be able to refer to your checklist later on if you ever forget about what you’ve put into your storage unit. The more detailed you are, the better!

Keep it somewhere accessible, whether it’s hung on the fridge with a magnet or saved as a note in your phone. Update it as you bring or remove items from your storage unit so it always accurately reflects what’s inside your unit.

Rent the Right Space

When you know what you’ll be putting into storage—which is another reason a checklist and proper planning are helpful—you have a better idea as to how much space you’ll actually need. This means you can make a better decision about the size of the storage unit you rent.

We offer many different storage unit sizes throughout our facilities, often ranging from 5×5 to 10×30, with many other sizes in between. We highly recommend you use our storage unit size guide to narrow down the options you have available at your local storage facility.

Temperature-Controlled Storage

As you decide which storage unit to rent, pay attention to the features that are included in a unit. Many storage units are drive-up accessible, which is a convenient amenity that enables you to park your vehicle directly in front of your storage unit and load or unload with ease. On the other hand, you may see that a storage unit is temperature controlled.

Temperature-controlled storage is a feature meant to give your belongings an additional layer of protection. These units are typically located indoors and are heated and cooled all throughout the year to maintain a more stable storage environment. Many belongings you own can benefit from temperature-controlled storage, most especially items that are considered sensitive, such as:

• Wooden or leather furniture
• Electronics
• Paper documents
• Vinyl records, DVDs, and other media
• Delicate clothing
• And more

Organize Your Storage Unit

Like a game of Tetris, you want all of your belongings to fit nicely in your self storage unit. First, bring in the largest, heaviest items. Unless you’ll be needing them sooner than everything else, it’s best to put these items farthest back. Then, with the remaining space, fill in the gaps with smaller, lighter items.

As a rule of thumb, always stack heavier items on the bottom with lighter items on top. Furthermore, you may benefit from leaving an aisle space in the middle of your unit, enabling you to walk to the back and grab anything you may need with no trouble.

Label Containers

It’s easy to forget what went where, especially as time goes by. Label your containers based on what’s held inside, and make sure those labels are visible when you load your unit. All you’ll have to do is look around and find the appropriate label when you’re looking for something specific.

Rent a Storage Unit at a Total Storage Solutions Facility

With these helpful tips and tricks from our experts, you’re already on your way to a successful storage experience. Get started today at a storage facility near you!