Lockaway Storage Tips For Organizing Your Boise Storage Unit
So you’ve rented a storage unit and feel confident that the experts at Lockaway Storage have found you the perfect size based on your needs. Now what? Once you arrive at our storage facility, you may be wondering how you’re supposed to get it all in. While it may seem like a challenging game of Tetris, it’s really about how often you will need to access your things.
Frequent Access
If you plan on assessing your storage unit regularly, it’s important to create a pathway to the back of the unit. Then you will want to start placing items you won’t be needing towards the back while items you plan on accessing frequently towards the front. Shelving also helps to organize your storage unit by making items more accessible.
Infrequent Access
If you don’t plan on assessing your storage unit regularly, then you have the choice to rent a smaller amount of space and pack it full. If you pack the unit high, it will also hold more. Keep in mind, however, that it’s important to place heavy items on the bottom with more fragile items on the top.
General Storage Tips
Below are some general storage tips that can help you organize your items based on how often they will need to be accessed:
- Never place sharp or heavy items on top of upholstered furniture. Also, make sure to cover your furniture with a sheet or blanket to reduce its exposure to dust.
- When stacking your belongings, it’s important to place heavy items on the bottom with light or odd-shaped items towards to the top. To make this process easier, you can mark your boxes ahead of time as light, medium, or heavy while packing. Keep in mind that you’ll need to be careful not to stack too many items on heavy boxes full of fragile items.
- To help save space and take advantage of the height of your storage unit, stand sofas and larger items on end. Later you can remove the cushions and place them on top before using the space where the cushions once were to place additional boxes.
- When storing tables, remove the legs if possible and lean the tabletop sideways on a blanket to reduce scratching. To keep important items together, you can always tape a ziplock bag full of mounts and screws to the inside of the table.
- Never place wood on wood without a cloth or cardboard layer in between the pieces.
- When storing dressers, utilize the space of the drawers to store smaller items. However, the drawers should always be empty during transit.
- To make things easier to access, make a list of box contents and a diagram of where you placed them in storage. Taking a video or a series of pictures can also help you record the contents.
Lockaway Storage
At Lockaway Storage, we strive to help make the self-storage process as stress-free as possible. By following the tips we provided above, we hope to save you the time and hassle of accessing your items to easily find what you need. For additional packing tips or information about our storage facility, contact us at (208) 322-4487. Our on-site managers would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have while providing you with advice to help ease the self-storage process.
Choosing The Right Boise Storage Unit For Your Needs
One of the most important factors in choosing a Boise storage facility is deciding what size storage unit you will need to store your belongings. But how do you determine what size to rent? At Lockaway Storage, our on-site managers are self-storage experts and are happy to provide you with advice without trying to sell you more than you need. If you’re more of a “do-it-yourself” type, we’d like to provide you with the following information to help you choose the right size depending on your personal or business storage requirements.
Take Stock
One of the first questions you should ask yourself is “what are you storing?” Answering this question will help you pick the right Boise storage size for your needs. Take a quick inventory of all the items you plan to store, including furniture, appliances and an estimated number of boxes. For larger items, you can quickly measure how big they are using a tape measurer. Also, take the time to consider how many irregular-shaped items you have that can’t be boxed or stacked.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff?
When it comes to accessing your Boise storage unit, you’ll need to figure out if you’re planning on storing it for the long run or if you will need a slightly larger unit to walk around and find items. For those who plan on storing everything until they come back for it, you probably won’t need as big of a space. However, if you will need to access certain items at different times, you may need a larger unit to create an aisle instead of taking everything out in order to find what you’re looking for.
When in Doubt, Go Big
At Lockaway Storage, we’ve seen plenty of clients who’ve underestimated their needs by choosing a storage unit that’s too small. Instead, our on-site manager recommends inquiring about the rates of the next size up to ensure you’ll have the space you need. That way you can assess your stuff much more easily. This will also prevent the hassle of having to dig out your belongings to find what you need before repacking your storage which can take hours.
Unit Size Breakdown
5′ x 5′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Small walk-in closet
What Fits: Smaller furniture, a few small boxes, miscellaneous items
5′ x 10′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Large walk-in closet
What Fits: Sofa, chairs, bedroom furniture and smaller boxes
9 x 10′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Small bedroom/office
What Fits: Stuff from a 1 bedroom house
11′ x 16′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Large bedroom
What Fits: Stuff from a 2 bedroom home
13′ x 16′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Bonus room
What Fits: Stuff from a 2-3 bedroom home – including several boxes
10′ x 30′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Oversized 1 car garage or bonus room
What Fits: Stuff from a 2-3 bedroom home – including several boxes
16′ x 32′ Storage Unit
Comparison: Detached workshop
What Fits: Car; contents from a 4 bedroom home – including several boxes; business inventory
Lockaway Storage
It’s important to take inventory of all of the items that you plan to store. This will help you determine what size of Boise storage unit will fit your needs depending on the unit size breakdown listed above. If you have additional questions or would like to visit our facility, our on-site managers at Lockaway Storage would be more than happy to answer any questions you may and find a unit size that’s right for you. Contact us at (208) 322-4487 or visit us at 5246 W Chinden Boulevard in Garden City.