While self storage is an easy and convenient way to store your extra belongings, a few tips can make it even easier.

• Organize early! It can be daunting to try to organize a full storage unit so it is never too early to have a plan for how items should be stored in your unit. Labeling your boxes is essential, but having your boxes and other items organized into groups (seasonal clothing, holiday items, car parts, etc) within the unit can make finding things that much simpler.
• Avoid boxes that are too big. A large box may make it easy to pack a lot of goods away, but when it comes time to move the box your back won’t thank you. Later when your box is stored in your unit it will also make it harder to retrieve single items from your boxes.
• Don’t store unsealed food. It might be tempting to store that leftover giant package of food from a warehouse grocer, but it’s a pest magnet you don’t want in your unit. Its also easy to forget about it until you discover a stinky mess.
• Watch out for fragile items. Make sure your boxes contain fragile items are properly marked and don’t have other boxes stacked on them. Over-sized, unmarked fragile items should best be stored in their own corner of the unit. If you are accessing your unit in a hurry it can be easy to roughly handle a box. Make sure a quick glance tells you if it needs special handling.
• Renting too small of a unit. Sometimes it can seem even the smallest unit will be plenty of space, but consider carefully exactly how much you will be storing. The minimal cost difference of a large unit may not be worth the headache of accessing a unit packed to the ceiling.