Tips on how to pack your storage unit

When it comes to packing items in storage, there seems to be two different approaches. There’s the “get a big unit and put anything anywhere and hope we don’t need to find it anytime soon” method, then there’s the “neat and tidy stacked” method. Of course, some people have also tried going for the first method in a small unit – which often doesn’t end well (picture someone opening the roller door and then everything spilling out into the hallway).

While the former might work for some people, the latter can actually save you money – because with a little prep work up-front, you can neatly pack a storage unit – meaning you can actually settle on a smaller one. Here are some tips to help you maximise storage space; either at home, or in self storage.

• If you need to access an item frequently, place it at the front of the storage unit.
• Place large, heavier items towards the back of the unit. If stacking upwards, place heavy items at the bottom.
• Use furniture protectors on chairs, mattresses, etc to keep them free of dust, or scuffs caused by placing boxes on them.
• Place long items, such as matresses or bedheads, down the side of a unit, against the wall. This makes it easy to ‘slide’ the item in and out front the front, as opposed to ‘blocking’ everything behind it (which is what happens if you store longways, ‘across’ the unit).
• Leave a small path down the middle of your unit so you can easily access items at either side, or at the back.
• Place important items in a well-marked box. Spray-paint or mark part of the box with a fluro colour for ease of locating.
• Stack lighter boxes on top of heavier ones.
• Look up: There’s plenty of room to stack if you need to.
• Vacuum clean items, such as couches, before storing them – this means vermin can’t get to food crumbs, etc. Note: We regularly pest control our public facility areas anyway, but do your bit!
• Leave fridge doors slightly ajar to prevent mould from building up.

We hope you found these tips useful. For more details about self storage units in Otaki, pleased explore our website or get in touch.