10 Helpful Tips to Keep Your Storage Unit Clean and Organized

Published on 6/23/2020
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You rent a storage unit to keep your items safe while you move, downsize, etc.  But if you don't store your items properly, what good does it do if they get damaged?  Here are a few of our favorite tips and tricks to keep your storage unit clean and organized and in doing so, keeping your items safe from harm!

1. Keep, Discard, and Donate!
Before you take your things to your unit, go through them and make a Keep, Discard, and Donate pile.  Channel your inner Marie Kondo and take those things that you no longer need or use either to the nearest donation facility or take it to the dump.  That will help keep your unit clean and organized and you know exactly what is in there!

2.  Pallets!
If you can find some, line the floor of your unit with pallets.  This helps to keep creepy crawlies from making their home under your boxes, protects your items if melting snow seeps into your unit, and keeps your things off the floor if there is ever a spill in your unit.

3.  Maintain Accessibility
When you are setting up your unit, make sure to include a walkway through your unit so you can easily access all of your items without having to rearrange every time you are there.  Put the items that you will access the most at the front of the unit as well.

4.  Plastic > Cardboard
Although plastic is a bit pricier than using all those old diaper boxes (or in my case, Amazon boxes), it pays off in the long run.  If there is a leak, a spill, or a creepy crawly that gets into your unit, plastic will protect your things more than cardboard ever will.

5.  Save Space
Utilize those Tetris skills and use the hollow areas of big furniture.  Have an armoire?    Use the empty space inside the cabinet to store smaller items!  That way you get those most space out of your unit!

6.  Wrap It Up!
Even if you are storing items in plastic bins, they can still get damaged from bumping into each other as you carry them around.  Wrap your more valuable things with bubble wrap or industrial plastic wrap even if you are placing them in a box. 

7.  LABEL!!
If you're ever in a hurry to find something, chances are that you will dig through all of your boxes until you find your item.  Since you're in a hurry, you don't have the time to pack everything back up, so the next time you stop by, everything is a mess.  It's a good idea to label EVERYTHING that goes into the box, even the obvious things.  It will save you time and frustration. 
We also recommend not writing directly on the box/bin so that if you ever have to label that for something else, you don't have to continually cross things out and run the risk of confusion of what's actually in the box.  Write the items on a piece of paper and then tape it to the box.  

8.  Store Equipment Safely
When storing metal tools and equipment, make sure to completely drain any fuel completely.  You can also wipe them down with oil to prevent any rust from forming.

9.  Avoid Watery Messes
Yes, you can avoid watery messes with plastic bins and pallets, but you still need to be smart with any refrigerators and freezers.  When storing these items, store with the door slightly open, defrost refrigerators and freezers, and make sure washing machines are completely drained.  

10.  Box Sizes
When picking your boxes or your bins, use no more than two different sizes.  This way, stacking the boxes will be easier and more organized.  Boxes should be sturdy enough that the bottom box can withstand the weight of all the other boxes being stacked on top of it.