Tips For Maximizing Your Storage Unit Space

Everyone has seen it: the storage units auction on television where the opened space reveals a couple of boxes and a jumble of junk filling the space. No matter what reason you have for renting storage space, it only makes sense to use the space wisely to preserve and store your belongings. Depending on where you live, if you don't pack and store your stuff correctly, you might be inviting damage inside or simply wasting a larger space when a smaller one would do.

Always Use Pallets

Your facility might give you a guarantee of safety, but if your space opens to the outdoors, there's no guarantee that melting snow or giant puddles won't slide underneath the door, soaking everything on the floor. Even in indoor facilities, your neighbor might be storing liquids that could spill and leak into your unit. Place everything on wooden pallets or upturned milk crates to protect it from soggy floors.

Wrap Everything!

Humidity in the air and insects on the ground are a danger to anything you store. Take the time and expense to wrap everything in your storage unit. Small items can fit in plastic bins with tight-fitting lids. Get rolls of plastic wrap to encase furniture or other larger items you might want to store. And eliminate the mystery in two years when you want to unpack: label everything so you can find exactly where your ski boots are hiding.

Use a Strong Lock

Most facilities provide some sort of protection for your unit, but to be extra safe, purchase your own lock to secure your property. Choose a strong lock with a short, stubby shackle so that thieves can't fit bolt cutters inside the loop. If you live where temperatures hit extremes, look for an all-weather lock to prevent freeze outs.

Hide Your Valuables

Of course you're not going to be storing the family jewels in a storage unit, but some things you store will have more value than others. Place the most valuable items, such as large televisions, stereos, collectibles, and computers, at the back of the unit. Fill the front with furniture, boxes of clothes, holiday ornaments, and things of that nature. It doesn't happen at every business, but some places are plagued with thieves. If someone drives by casing the facility for valuable units to break into, yours will look like one they shouldn't even bother with.

While storage units, such as American Storage, do their part to protect your things, be sure to do your part as well. Implement these tips to keep your valuables safe and well-organized.