The purpose of this article is to provide you, the reader, with if you self storage tips that should ensure the safety of your personal belongings both during the trip to the self storage facility and after you have actually stored them in your storage unit. Please read on.

One of the most important tips I can give you if you plan to use self storage to house your belongings is to always label everything correctly and packaged everything securely. I simply cannot stress this enough. Way too many people just throw their items in boxes that are unlabeled and then ship them off to storage in their storage units. Retrieving these items later becomes an immediate nightmare and this is something that you would like to avoid. In addition to labeling everything properly, be sure to use stopping such as peanuts or newspaper to protect anything that is fragile. Be sure to wrap your boxes in bubble wrap or some sort of plastic in an effort to protect them from flood or moisture on the ground. Another good tip I can offer you is to always place your boxes on pallets or crates inside of your storage unit.  This prevents your paper-based boxes and packaging from absorbing any excess water from the concrete ground.

My personal recommendation is to not use paper-based storage at all. Plastic containers are superior storage devices to any kind of box that you can obtain. Most of these plastic containers are airtight and will almost always survive a flood. It is important to keep rodents and other small animals and bugs out of your belongings and plastic containers that are sealed tightly will perform this task nicely. Vacuum storage bags are another type of plastic container storage that I highly recommend. Using self storage vacuum bags to store clothing can save an immense amount of space since the point of these self storage bags is to compress everything stored in them. If most of what you are storing in your self storage unit is clothing or fabric, spending a few dollars on some self storage vacuum bags. You will be glad you did!

If you are storing the replaceable or very expensive heirlooms for antiques, it is probably best to invest in a fireproof and water proof safe. Important paperwork and the like should never just be thrown into your self storage unit. Items such as these belong in a fireproof safe which is then stored in your self storage unit. This provides the ultimate protection for the most valuable of your belongings. Failure to follow these guidelines can be potentially expensive and catastrophic mistakes so please do not scrimp when storing your most valuable possessions in a self storage unit.

Mattresses and furniture, similarly to clothing and fabric products, should be wrapped in some sort of plastic to protect them. Even if stored in climate controlled storage, item such as these are always susceptible to mold and mildew and the last thing you want is mold growing on your mattress and clothing and furniture. Not only is mold and mildew ugly, it can also cause serious health problems for people with certain medical conditions such as asthma. For this reason alone, it is critical to pack your mattresses and furniture correctly when putting it into self storage for any amount of time. To me, this just seems like common sense.

As you can see, self storage can be a huge help to both consumers and businesses alike. However there are still precautions that one must take when storing their items in self storage. Taking such precautions to protect your items will ensure that they survive not only the trip to self storage but also the actual time that they are sitting in your self storage unit. Following the tips in this self storage article should provide you with the basic items to do just that.

For people in the process of moving, self storage is perfect because it can be so flexible, cost-efficient and short term. But there are many good reasons to consider self storage for your long term storage needs, too. Traditional storage might require a long term contract and therefore seem like a good long term storage solution. But if you use self storage instead, you get the flexibility of being able to come and go when you please and add and remove things when you want, while knowing your items are secure behind your own lock and can’t be accessed or moved as they can with traditional storage. Self storage can make it much more convenient to store items that you need to access regularly or just from time to time. There are a number of situations where long-term self storage might be a good idea.

Business documents. Businesses that need to keep boxes and boxes of paperwork for legal and tax reasons can benefit from long term self storage. As the number of boxes decreases or increases, it’s easy and hassle free to rent a smaller or larger storage unit. And when access to the paperwork is needed, it’s convenient to go anytime the facility is open. The amount of document (and now even disk and digital) storage businesses are required to keep can be astounding. These boxes can take up valuable office space or storage space within a company. With long term self storage, they can be conveniently stored off site where they’re still accessible.

Boat storage. If you live in an area where you can only use your boat from spring to fall, you’ll have to store your boat for the winter. This might be in your backyard or your garage, but self storage is great for long term boat storage, too. Some areas might require that boats not be visible from the street or be present in a yard, so if you don’t have a garage or a storage building, you’ll have to rent storage for your boat. And you may opt to store your boat off-site even if you have a garage or storage shed. Why use up all that space with something that can only sit there for at least a few months? Self storage is the perfect solution.

RV storage. Most people use their recreational vehicles only on certain occasions throughout the year. It doesn’t have to take up valuable garage space when you’re not traveling across the country in it. Self storage will let you store your RV safely and securely when you’re not in a traveling frame of mind.

Vehicle storage. You might have many reasons to store a vehicle. Some people prefer not to drive in the wintertime and take other transportation. And some cars and other vehicles like classics and show cars are best stored during the winter season for their own protection. Vehicle storage is an ideal use for long term self storage.

Seasonal wardrobes. Closet space is almost always at a premium in today’s homes. We might all dream of huge walk in closets, but few of us have that luxury. When the seasons change, we either leave last season’s clothes and heavy coats in the closet with this season’s clothes, which take up tons of space and make it harder to get to what we need. Or we pack those clothes away in boxes, bags and bins and try to cram them in the backs of closets, under beds, in our backyard storage shed or in the attic, and these places are usually already full of other stored items.

Mini storage would be a good choice for a person’s seasonal wardrobe. A closet-sized storage unit can hold winter clothes to make room in your closet for the clothes you need during the current weather, and because self storage is so convenient, when you want to change you simply trade the clothes in your storage unit with those in your closet. Long term storage for clothes is ideal for those with large wardrobes, with a minimum of closet space, or both.

First, consider what you are going to store. The actual items you store should dictate how they are stored. For instance, the needs of a couch that you will be storing will be different from the needs of a box of paperwork or magazines. Likewise, a box of holiday decorations will have different storage needs than a bicycle or other children’s toys. If you will be storing a variety of different items in your storage unit, give thought to all of those items. This can also give you an opportunity to store similar items in the same container, instead of mixing and matching items to be stored together. Keep your fragile items together so they can be more easily protected. Likewise, keep your more sturdy items together as well.

Second, what types of containers will you be using? If you will be using cardboard boxes, with or without lids, you will need to realize that they are much more susceptible to the effects of heat and cold than metal or plastic containers are. If you are using plastic containers, carefully examine their actual make up. Newer, sturdier plastic containers are a safer barrier against climate changes than older and more brittle plastic containers. Think carefully about storing your items in metal containers. Some metal containers are specially built to help shield their contents from the effects of heat and cold. On the flip side, however, consider that some metal containers, especially those that are older, actually conduct heat and cold and so can be very harmful to what is stored inside.

Third, think about how fragile the items are that you are going to stir. You should also think about how fragile the storage containers are. If you will be storing antique lace doilies, they will not stand up as well to humid or hot locations as may studier items such as metal cookware. If you have many items stored in the same bin, go with the lowest common denominator and use the most fragile item to help make your determination for the entire bin. Think about your storage containers, as well. If you have a lot of older boxes and crates, they may break down faster in less than ideal conditions than would newer containers made of sturdier materials.

Fourth, keep in mind the almighty dollar. A rule of thumb is that the more valuable the item, the more likely it will need climate control. Don’t take a risk with items of value. Instead, always err on the side of caution. For instance, if you have a really valuable baseball card collection, get it out of your hot and humid attic and always store it in an area that is kept at a constant temperature. If you will be storing furniture like beds or couches, where the cushions or mattresses may be affected by temperature, you will definitely want to choose a climate controlled self storage unit.

Finally, if you still have not come to a decision about whether or not you need a climate controlled self storage unit, look at all of your previous considerations as a whole picture instead of individual pieces. Generally, you will want to make your decision based upon what will best benefit the items that you will store.

Do not let the cost of climate controlled self storage be one of your determining factors. Climate controlled self storage units are reasonably priced, and the cost associated is more than justified by the protection that they can offer to your most prized or valuable possessions. Instead think about the option that will best benefit your needs and let that be your final determining factor. In the end, if you are unable to make a decision based on this criteria, try out a climate controlled self storage unit for a month or two to see how valuable it can be. After your trial run, you can determine whether future use will best suit your needs!

One of the benefits of a self storage unit is that you have a blank slate to start from when you are beginning to organize a significant amount of boxes or other items. It can be hard to know how much holiday stuff you have until you have a dedicated space where you can begin to go through all of your items and begin to better organize everything. When you only have the cramped space of an attic or a hall closet, it can be hard to really go through all of your holiday items to take a full stock of what you have. But in a storage space, you will be able to take a full inventory and arrange everything so that it is easier to find and use during the next holiday season.

Another benefit of a self storage unit for organizing your holiday gear is the ability to store these items separately from all of your other stored items. Have you ever completely decorated your home for Christmas, only to realize a few days after that holiday that you had forgotten an entire bin of decorations? That bin probably got shuffled in with everything else you have stored in your attic, and since it was not easily found when decorating, was never used. When you use a self storage unit to organize your holiday decorations, you’ll never forget to put your important keepsakes on display again.

Storing your holiday decorations with all of your other storage items can also be damaging. Think about how full your attic space can become. When you go into your attic to find something, you may move around boxes or pile items on top of one another. This can be very detrimental to the more delicate items that make up your holiday collection. If you have precious ornaments or other keepsakes that are easily breakable, they could be crushed if another box is placed on top of them. Even the jarring motion of being shoved around while you’re trying to find other items in your attic could lead to their being damaged. Avoid this potential disaster by organizing your holiday items in your self storage unit.

Attics can often become overly hot in the summer and overly cold in the winter. Very few homes have attics that have very much climate control, because these spaces are used for insulation, wiring, and storage, but are not very often inhabited. Depending on what types of holiday items you are storing in your attic, you may have very old or very fragile items. You may also have items that are especially susceptible to extreme temperatures. When you choose a climate-controlled self storage unit to organize your holiday items, you will be able to insure that they are not harmed by the outside temperature, as they could be when stored within your attic.

Another threat within your home to your holiday items are pests. Even the cleanest of homes that undergoes routine pest control services can have the occasional visit of mice, rats and other pesky creatures. If you store your holiday items in your attic, you may find that in between holidays, a mouse has been munching on a hand-craft ornament, or a rat has turned a precious paper decoration into their wintertime home. Self storage units are harder for creatures to invade, so you can avoid those same issues when you choose this option for your holiday organization.

There are many reasons why self storage makes holiday organization easier. Remember that, above all else, you want to preserve your special trinkets, decorations and other holiday themed items safely and securely from year to year. When you use a self storage unit, you can avoid the ill effects of pests, heat and cold. In addition, you will not have to rescue your holiday items from being mixed in with other stored items, and can avoid damage and ruin. A self storage unit will give you peace of mind and help your overall organization.

Business papers, tax paperwork and other paperwork that we need to keep but only reference once or a few times a year are good candidates for off-site self storage, and even mini storage. Extra furniture, items that are being saved for a larger home or a new home, and anything that needs to be stored in short or long term storage are things that can be kept a storage unit. Even RV storage, boat storage and vehicle storage can be had through self storage facilities.

When you opt to use self storage, there are some tips to keep in mind to help you get the best use of your storage unit and make your storage rental an even smarter choice.

For indoor storage or drive-up storage that’s enclosed (as opposed to outdoor storage for RVs and vehicles) consider the items you’re storing, and how often you think you might need access to them. Plan your storage unit so that items you’ll need to access the most are in front to make it more convenient. This planning can prevent you from putting items you’ll need to get into on a regular basis beneath heavy boxes or behind things that are difficult to move.

Label everything. This is good advice any time you put any item in a box, whether it’s temporarily going into your closet, your freezer, or a self storage unit. Don’t try to rely on your memory. Label the boxes with a general description of their contents, like from kitchen drawers if you’re moving and need to keep items straight in the process, or tape a list of the contents to the outside when several unrelated things are inside.

Especially for long term storage, consider sturdy plastic bins with lids for some items instead of boxes that can break down, especially if you need to stack them. Put heavy items in smaller boxes rather than larger ones and be sure to put these on the bottom of any stacks. The smaller the boxes you use, the less likely they are to collapse or break down.

If you’re storing furniture as well as other items, as is sometimes the case when you’re using self storage in the process of moving, make everything do double duty. Store small items in the drawers of your furniture instead of boxes and bins. Theses are especially good for items that you might wrap in bubble wrap to protect them. You won’t be as tempted to overfill drawers – which are usually less deep than boxes – so there’s less risk of your items becoming damaged this way.

Carefully wrap anything breakable in bubble wrap and be sure to box or otherwise store items in a way that keeps them from getting dusty or dirty during storage. Even in climate control storage indoors, there will be some dust.

Store furniture carefully by wrapping legs and using blankets, towels or sheets to cover tabletops and surfaces. Anywhere two pieces of furniture touch, put something between them to avoid scrapes and scuffs. Large furniture can be taken apart, with each piece wrapped for storage. This will also allow you to fit more in the storage unit.

Make sure any appliances are completely dry and free of moisture before storing to avoid mildew and unpleasant odors in things like stoves and refrigerators. Also make sure there is no trace of food. You can store small items in appliances to get even more storage space. Be sure that any material or items like mattresses can breathe while stored. Don’t seal them in bags or wrap them tightly so that any humidity or moisture can build up and is trapped inside. This will promote mold, mildew and rot and can ruin things like sheets, blankets, clothing and any textiles.

Avoid leaning furniture or stacked boxes against outside walls where there’s a possibility that they can draw dampness or be exposed to changing temperatures more than those items inside the unit. Also, for the most protection, put boards or wooden pallets underneath furniture. This protects the furniture from the rough surface, temperature changes, and possible dampness.