There are a wide variety of reasons why someone might keep some of their belongings in a long-term storage space. From not having enough space for everything within your home to needing to put away items that you know you won’t need for a while, it can be extremely helpful to have a few feet of space that you can do with whatever you need. However, if you don’t plan this space out well, it might become more of a headache than you thought.
So to help ensure that your storage space serves you well, here are three tips for organizing long-term storage spaces.
Inventory Your Items
Once you have everything together that you’re hoping to put into your storage space, the best thing you can do, according to Melissa Epifano, a contributor to Apartment Therapy, is to inventory all of the items you’re storing.
To do this, you should make sure that all of your boxes or containers are accurately labeled with whatever items can be found in them. Additionally, it’s also a good idea to take photos of what’s in each box so that you can easily refer to these photos when there’s something specific that you want to get out of storage. You could also write down where certain items are stored so that you don’t have to pull the whole space apart to get to what you need.
By managing your inventory and assets in this way, using your storage space will be much more convenient.
Use Plastic Containers
As for what you should store all of your items in, Elizabeth Larkin, a contributor to The Spruce, recommends that you keep everything in plastic containers. Ideally, you should try to get clear plastic containers so that you can easily see into the containers and know exactly what you’ll be getting in each box.
Not only will plastic containers make storage easier, but they will also help to better protect your belongings from pests, dirt, and other pollutants that may be able to make their way into other types of storage containers while sitting in a long-term storage unit.
Pack The Space Correctly
As you’re preparing to move everything into your long-term storage space, you’re going to want to make sure that you pack everything in logically.
According to Marian White, a contributor to Moving.com, you’ll want to store large and heavy items into the back of your storage unit on the bottom layer. Lighter items should then go on top. And if there’s going to be anything that you might need in the near future, make sure you keep those items near the front so they’re easy to find and access.
If you’re going to be moving some of your things into a long-term storage unit soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you make the most of this space.
