Self-Storage Units – Inventorying and Categorizing

Do you have enough space at home? If not, you’ll find that self-storage units from American Self Storage can solve the problem.

Unfortunately, the biggest and best storage unit that we have won’t solve your problem with clutter, unless you’re ready to make a change. In other words, if you have clutter problems at home, they may follow you to your storage unit.

Have you thought about breaking the clutter cycle by categorizing your items and taking an inventory?

Such a simple process can improve your organization and ensure that you’ll always know what’s inside your unit.

Continue reading to learn how to self-storage units can help you get more from your storage unit.

Organization for Self-Storage Units

You’d be surprised at how some people use their self storage units. They seem to just pull up a truck and randomly toss their stuff inside.

Next, they continue stuffing more things into their space until it reaches the ceiling. Some people have their storage unit packed so tightly that things fall out when they open the door.

If this sounds like you, it’s time to change. Just imagine trying to find that toaster that you had thought you’d never need again. What are you going to do?

The following tips or inventorying and categorizing self storage can improve your life and help you get more value for the money you spend.

Categorize

Try sorting your items by one of the following criteria:

• What room did they come from? For example, keep everything from the kitchen in one section.
• What do they do?. If you have tools, group them together.
• Their size. Put your appliances together on one side. Then, store boxes of knickknacks on the other side.

Label

“Sure, I’ll remember what’s in this box. Look how unique it is!”

Right now, you might feel optimistic about your memory. Next month or next year, you’ll have no idea which box contains what.

Storage units always work best when people take the time to label their things.

Use large letters on the sides of your boxes, bins, and containers to describe what’s inside. If you’ve categorized the contents, you should only need a few words. For example, if you labeled a box, “Christmas decorations,” a glance will tell you what’s inside.

Use clear containers

Stop wasting time opening every box to see what’s inside. Instead, store your items in clear or translucent containers. Combine this with a category and label, and you’ll quickly locate the things that you need.

Prioritize

As you fill your storage unit, prioritize your stuff based on how likely you’ll need them. So, if you have a coffee table, you probably won’t need until you change residences, put that in the back on the bottom.

However, suppose you’re storing some tools that you know that you’ll need every month. Put those into your unit last. That way, you can retrieve them without having to move around a lot of stuff.

Draw a map

Draw a map so that you know where to look for them when you need them. You can label your map by category, size, or room.

Group related items

You should group together related items within each category. For example, if you had a section for sports equipment, you’d want to keep your baseball-related items together and then keep your football items in a separate section.

Go Vertical

Use shelves to keep your floor space free. This tactic can prove especially useful when you have a lot of small items and boxes.

Of course, on your shelves, you should follow the above best practices. For instance, categorize your things, store related items together, label your containers, and draw a map.

Just make sure that you use shelving units that are appropriate for the size and weight of the things you need to store.

If you have questions about the best type of shelves for storage units, discuss your needs with us first.

Call American Self Storage, LLC at 888-843-8420.

Get the right size unit

Storage units come in different sizes. So, choose one that gives you plenty of room for your things.

Keep in mind that over-filling your unit can restrict airflow and set the stage for moisture, mold, and other problems.

If you need guidance, check out our sizing page for storage units. Also, you can always call us with any questions.

Take Storage Unit Inventory

Record everything you put into your storage unit and everything that you take out. You can use something as simple as a notepad to do record important details:

• What is it?
• What category?
• Is it seasonal?
• Date placed in storage.
• Location in your storage unit.

This way, you’ll have a record of all your things. Rather than visiting your unit to see what you have, you can just check your list.

Summing it Up

To summarize, storage units can help individuals and businesses deal with clutter in their primary spaces. They provide a safe, secure, and affordable way to manage the things that you can’t always keep with you.

The above best organization practices for storage units can help you get the most possible value

Self-storage units can help individuals declutter their homes and keep belongings secure, but only if they strategically use the space provided. By using the above tips, you can maximize the value that you gain from your storage unit.

Wanna learn more about storage? Check out 30 Best-Ever Storage Tips at the FamilyHandyman.com.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 28, 2019. It was updated for accuracy and completeness on May 20, 2019.