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1. First of all, PURGE. Keep, Discard and Donate. If you’re going to clean, it only makes sense to get rid of things that you no longer need as you go. Donating items is a great way to help other people instead of just taking it to the local solid waste.
   
   

2. Keep cleaning supplies in your unit. Bring some type of cleaning spray, a rag and maybe a broom! Make it a habit, that every time you access your unit you do a quick wipe down to make sure things are remaining in good shape and you’re not allowing them to build up over time.
   
   

3. Wrap! Get industrial plastic wrap and wrap whatever you can. This way, you know things are sealed up tight and won’t collect dust or creepy crawlies. 
   
   

4. Pallets. Honestly, this was one of the greatest ideas I read long ago and used it when I rented a standard unit. Keeping your items off the floor is almost essential. This keeps melting snow or spills from an adjacent unit from soaking in and ruining your heirloom sofa. 
   
   

5. Label. If you’re ever in a hurry to find something, chances are you pull boxes apart until you eventually find your item. Then you have to run and you don’t have the time to pack everything back up, so you know you’re going to come back to a mess. It’s smart to label everything. Label the hidden and the obvious. It saves time and prevents making too much of a mess. 
   
   

6. Use Plastic over cardboard. Three words. Soggy Cardboard boxes. Rain, moisture and even humidity can cause your boxes to sog and bottoms to rip out. Clothes and items inside of cardboard boxes have a greater chance of getting ruined, sour and even growing mold than those items would in a plastic box. 
   
   

7. NO FOOD. Bringing food into your storage unit is just asking for ants, rats and all kinds of creepy pests. It also can cause things to stink. So just don’t do it.
   
   

8. Stay on top of pests. You can buy a 1.5 gallon container of bug spray for $12 at Lowes. It would be smart to keep this in your unit and so each time you visit you can just spray the perimeter to create that barrier so bugs will stay out of your unit. 

You rented a unit to keep your valuables safe and in good shape. I hope these storage tips help you in cleaning and (re)organizing your storage unit today! 

Do Your Homework

Now we’re going to focus on how you can find storage buildings as opposed to at-home storage boxes sealed boxes that you can’t access when you want to go get your Christmas lights. First, don’t get stuck on the storage facility closest to your home. Here are some things to do before you even pick up the phone.

• Don’t get stuck on location. There’s no faster way to find yourself storing your precious memories in a facility that sucks than to get stuck working with the one that just happens to be closest to you or cheapest in your community. Cast your net wide enough so you have a good handful of options that you can investigate. 

• Check the reviews. Look up the storage facility on Google. You obviously want to take reviews with a grain of salt, but if they’re all bad or there’s a recurring theme, you may want to steer clear. The reviews can also give you some insight into what you may want to keep an eye out for if you go visit the storage facility.

• Compare the gate and office hours. A number of storage units only post their gate hours, to make the location sound like it’s open later than it really is. Remember there’s a difference. The gate hours are usually the hours in which you can access your storage unit, but the office hours are almost always shorter. If you have a problem or need to speak to someone, you’ll only be able to address your issues during office hours. Similarly, make sure the gate and access hours are convenient for you. If your storage unit closes at 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays, it’s probably not very convenient, and there may be a reason why.

Go Visit and Ask Questions

Now that you know what you’re looking for and you have a few options, it’s time to go take a look at the storage locations you’re considering. Once you walk through the door, don’t be pressured to sign on the dotted line right away, even if the property management tries to tell you that units are limited. Most companies will let you at least hold a unit overnight so you can think it over. Make the most of your visit by looking around and asking questions instead.

• Ask the property management if you can see the unit you would actually get. This, or at least a unit on the same floor or in the same area. Some storage facilities will show you a clean, 3rd floor unit but actually rent you a dirty, bug-infested basement one, so be assertive if you have to so you can see a unit representative of the one you’ll actually sign for.

• Ask if there are any rental specials or discounts available. Most storage companies will offer you the first month free or for $1, which makes the transition from an old storage unit to a new one really easy (especially if you’ve already paid for the last month in the old unit) or if you want to make moving into the new unit a little less painful on the wallet. If they don’t offer a special, don’t worry, the next one you visit probably will.

• Find out what happens if you miss or are late on a payment. In many places, storage units aren’t treated like apartments. On the first day of the month, your rent is automatically late. Grace periods vary by the company or even by the state, and in some cases even being a few days late with your payment means your unit’s contents can be auctioned off to the highest bidder at a wholesale auction. The last storage unit I rented gave me that scare tactic, and reminded me that I should always be timely or else the unit would be scheduled for auction and I would incur daily late fees. Make sure you know what your storage unit’s policy is before you’re stuck trying to do a wire transfer or pay online because you left town without dropping off a check.

Once you’ve seen the unit you would actually get and you have a good understanding of what you’d be getting into, ask the property manager if you can put the unit on hold if you like what you see. They may or may not be able to, but don’t fall for high-pressure tactics. Even if you can’t hold the unit, get a business card so you get back in touch with the person you met.

Hopefully, this helps you to find the perfect storage unit possible and hopefully that storage unit is ours!

• Label Your Boxes, Bins, and Containers

If you mark what type of items or specify the room contents on the outside of the box it will save you from digging through all your boxes when you need to find something. For example, simply marking “kitchenware” or “photography equipment” on the outside of your boxes will help you know directly where to go when you need to find a specific item.

• Place Frequently Used Items at the Front

Take a moment to assess which things you use most and will potentially need to access in the near future. Keep those items at the front by the door and you won’t have to crawl over all your stuff to find the things you need. 

• Sketch a Diagram

Of all the suggestions, this one is probably the most ingenious. As you fill your unit, draw a sketch of where boxes and items are stored to reference when you need them in the future. 

• Use Vertical Space

Using shelves in Storage is a great way to maximize the efficiency of the space you have while keeping your stuff organized and easy to access. Make sure you determine what size of unit you will need by using a “storage size estimator” and then fully utilize the space you have by neatly stacking it with shelf-units. 

Being organized is one of the most efficient ways to save time and energy, but also to avoid the headaches that come with using self-storage. If you have any questions about what type of storage you might need, call or email us by clicking on the link! (CONTACT US).

1. Reduced risk of identity theft. Many people believe paper bills are safer than electronic payments. However, experts say a paper bill sitting in a mailbox with your name and account number is actually putting yourself at a higher risk for identity theft than electronic payment. 
   
   

2. Lower cost. Checks, stamps, ATMS and your time – four things that are not free. However, AutoPay is. Paper billing is spending more money for less convenience. 
   
   

3. Stay on time. Late payments occasionally decrease your credit score and late fees are no fun either. Autopay allows effortless and timely payments.
   
   

4. Peace of mind. You never have to miss a payment and you can add ‘stress’ to the list of things you won’t miss when you set up automatic payments. Your amount that you have to pay will automatically come out on the same day of your choice each month.

Setting up automatic payments at your storage facility, will allow you to worry less and keep you from jolting out of bed in the morning when you realize you forgot to pay for your storage unit. 

Although AutoPay is convenient and secure, it may not be for everyone. If you don’t have a bank account or your income is very irregular, it may not be the ideal payment system for you. Consider these things before setting up an AutoPay plan.