July 17, 2015

How to Maximize Your Storage Unit Space

Categories: Packing Tips Storage Tips

Getting the most out of storage units in Houston or anywhere can present a challenge to some individuals, who simply see it as a place to store away items they have no space for in their present surroundings. In that instance, items can be awkwardly packed, which leads to gaps within the entire cache to cause issues when additional material still needs to be added or will be in the future.
Of course, the size of a self storage Houston unit will always determine exactly what can be placed inside, but those aforementioned gaps can end up being a costly mistake. That’s because if additional items need storing at a later date, paying for an additional storage space might serve as the only alternative to such a predicament.

Therefore, in order to effectively use every inch of a self storage Houston unit, it’s imperative to pay attention to issues such as:

Planning Means Everything

Taking the time to assess how items are stored is often ignored in favor of making decisions on the fly. Just like organization in any avenue of life, order creates peace of mind. Therefore, plotting out where boxes go or should be stored is important, especially if you’re using a moving company, which often performs their task in the quickest and most convenient way for them. That may lead to unexpected space constraints, which could end up hitting your wallet.

Shelving Can Be an Asset

Since you want to be able to use every inch possible of storage units in Houston, it helps to think about using some sort of shelving to handle your job. That doesn’t mean having to construct wooden or metal shelves throughout the unit, which may not be possible anyway. It simply means that using plastic or metal bins or containers to store items will help present a more uniform appearance, which limits the possibility of enough gaps that could eventually create space issues.

Box Consistency

Using the same-size box for the bulk of your items is an ideal situation, since you can get a good idea of how many will fit within a select area. Failure to factor in the vertical space dooms many planners in this area, something that’s avoided with this uniform method. In the event larger boxes are needed, the smaller and larger ones should be separately placed in different area, since the organization of them can quickly become convoluted if mixed together.

Three other considerations are basically common sense, beginning with stacking the heavier boxes at the bottom and having them get progressively lighter as the pile rises to prevent boxes from being crushed at some point in their storage. Also, marking each box with the writing facing outward will allow for you to quickly find what you’re looking for during a search, and taping those boxes will prevent dust from settling on the items inside.

A Clear Path

Being able to maneuver within a unit helps expedite any necessary trip to it. That’s why making sure to carve out a path through the unit will allow you to reach the back of it if your item in question happens to be stored there.

Knowing where everything is within a unit can sometimes develop into a lengthy waste of time, so writing down an inventory as an item enters the unit to note where it’s located can be beneficial. If you have items stored in specific drawers, placing a Post-It note on each drawer listing what’s inside will aid immeasurably.

Flexible Furniture

Furniture can sometimes be dismantled as legs or cushion backs are temporarily removed, allowing for a smoother placement within the unit. In addition, mattresses or sofas can be stored vertically, which can open up additional space. All of these items, given their bulky nature, should be stored in the back of a unit, since they likely won’t be needed on a regular basis.

So when looking at storage units in Houston, it can serve you well to follow these tips so that you actually get what you pay for with your self storage Houston unit. If you have any questions or need additional assistance finding a storage solution, please contact us today.