Preparing Items for Self-Storage

If you have plans to move in the near future, you’re likely thinking about packing up and preparing your belongings for their ride to your new home. If you intend on placing items in a storage facility, organization will be key to finding items without difficulty when needed. Here are some tips you can use when getting your belongings ready for storage.

Weed Out No Longer Needed Items

Before diving into packaging up belongings, it’s a good idea to take a look at each item to determine if it will be used again in the future. Unused or unwanted clothing and household items can be sold, given away, or donated so they don’t take up precious space in a moving truck. Broken items should be thrown away. Keep the task manageable by tackling items on a room-by-room basis.

Gather The Right Materials

Protecting your items is of utmost importance, whether they are being transported to a new home or going to be stored for a while. Purchase new, sturdy cardboard boxes, packing tape, and plenty of bubble wrap from a shipping supply service to do the job. Clothing should ideally be stored in plastic storage containers to keep items clean and dry.

Use Labels On All Sides Of Containers

Labels will make it easy to find items in enclosed containers when necessary. Many find that using a color-coding system to separate each family member's items can be a useful tool. Be sure to put a label on each side of a container so the information can be read without needing to move anything around.

Not sure how much space you’ll need? Have a look at our handy visual storage guide.