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Tips for Using Self Storage
An article provided by Simply Self Storage

If you are putting personal or household items into self storage, there are a few tips you will want to keep in mind.

Different materials react differently to the heat, cold and passage of time as you store items. Also, there are security issues, packing concerns, and humidity concerns that may not have crossed your mind, but can be important.

Working with Furniture

When packing furniture away in a storage unit, remember to keep upholstered furniture off of a concrete floor. The concrete can “sweat” when the humidity is high, causing mold and mildew to develop in your furniture.

Consider the temperatures if you are storing leather furniture. If you live in an area of extreme temperature changes or you will be putting leather furniture into self storage for many months, you may want to consider a storage rental in a climate control storage facility. Extreme temperature changes cause cracking and splitting in leather furniture.

If you are storing wood furniture, be sure to use a dry, soft cloth to cover it and protect it from dust and scratches rather than a plastic covering. Plastic will heat up and stick to the furniture, and it can also capture and condense humidity onto the furniture. This can cause wood to warp, finishes to mar, and joints to misalign.

Fine wood furniture or furniture going into long term storage may want a climate control storage situation where temperatures and humidity are moderated.

Security and Safety

Buy a high security padlock and keep your self storage unit locked all of the time. The company where you rent your storage unit may have a suggested or required lock. If not, purchase your own at a home improvement center.

Be sure to visit your unit frequently, even in the “off-season” if you are using storage for business product storage or vehicle storage. If there is any kind of a problem, you want to be alerted to it quickly. This will also help you catch any water or heat related problems.

Determine if your homeowner’s or rental policy covers damages at a self storage facility. If not, you may want to add a rider or purchase short term insurance from the facility itself.

Bring your government-issued identification card (driver’s license or ID) with you each time you visit. This will identify you to the security staff if you need any help, and will allow the staff to help you if you needed any account information.

Consider what items are restricted and be sure you don’t pack anything that is restricted by the facility owner or the safety departments (police and fire) in the jurisdictions. Some commonly restricted items that cannot be stored in a self storage unit include:

  • Gasoline or other fuels, fireworks, weapons or ammunition
  • More than four tires on a vehicle
  • Radioactive/x-ray equipment
  • Perishable food items such as animal feed, cereals, etc. that may attract pests
  • Plants, animals, stolen items
  • People living in the facility

Climate Control

When you are packing your storage unit, be sure to leave a space around the edges of the unit to allow the air to circulate around your belongings. This will allow them to dry out and keep them protected.

If you choose to pack your items in plastic bags or trash bags, be sure to leave a small opening or hole in the bag. When the temperatures change throughout the year, the hole will allow moisture to escape instead of condensing on the interior of the bag and damaging your items.

Make It Easy

Pack your self storage unit with your least often needed items in the back and the most frequently needed items in the front. This will save you a lot of digging, unpacking and packing.

Pack delicate or fragile items in furniture drawers for safety. Use newspaper or bubble wrap to secure them.

Pack boxes completely, and stuff open areas in boxes containing toys or smaller items with newspaper so that the boxes won’t crush when you stack them.

Empty any oil, gasoline or other fluids from the motors of lawn and garden equipment before you store it.

Trash cans make a great storage space for garden tools like rakes, shovels and hoes.

Save space in your storage unit by breaking down large items (ie: remove table legs) and save space by putting large items (couches, table legs) on their ends.

Most self storage and mini storage facilities allow you to store one vehicle in a regular storage unit. Sometimes this is a less expensive option than specifically searching out RV storage or boat storage individually. If you need to store a car, there are many storage units that fit a single vehicle.

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Simply Self Storage is the largest privately owned self storage company in the United States and Puerto Rico. We own and/or operate over 228 facilities with over 16.1 million square feet of storage space.

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