Tips

You should choose just one or two types of boxes for maximum self storage unit organization. We typically recommend choosing a small or medium, durable corrugated cardboard box. Large boxes hold a lot of items – but they can be crushed at the bottom of stacks, if improperly packed. If all your boxes are the same size, you’ll have a much easier time stacking them, and using up all of the vertical storage space in your unit. Also, consider plastic or rubber totes, especially if you are storing items for long periods of time. When selecting a tote, look for ones which are clear, as it will be easy to see what’s inside them.

Old family heirlooms or outdated electronics, for example, can be stored further away from the entrance of your storage unit. Things you may need to access in the future, like pieces of furniture or important documents, should be placed near the front. A little planning can go a long way, so you can avoid dismantling your entire storage unit to get the items you need.

We recommend labeling every side of a box and the top of the box, clearly marking the contents that are within the box. Consistent, legible labeling will help you stay organized and prevent issues of searching without any direction in the future. Labeling on every side of the box is useful in the situation where you have many boxes stacked. Also numbering your boxes is especially useful. You can then keep track in a notebook what is in each box by number – makes it so much easier if you can just scan the notebook and see that you need box #5 and look for that, instead of trying to read what is written on the sides. See Tip # 8 for more information on this topic.

Dressers, file cabinets, and even appliances with compartments like ovens or refrigerators, offer additional storage! Simply use the empty space within these items to store other similar possessions.

Your self storage unit will work best if you define a “pathway” throughout your stored belongings. For example, you can put large and bulky items like furniture against the wall that is opposite to your boxes – this way you can access both, via a path going through the middle of your unit.

If you’ve labeled all of your boxes, you’ve got a good head start on this step. We recommend creating a “master contents” list. While packing boxes and totes, note their contents, and write them down. Then, you can create a list that will tell you what items are stored in which tote or box – making it far easier to get an “at-a-glance” view of your self storage unit organization plan.

Using your master storage list, you can also create a storage “map” which shows where each item or box is within your self storage unit. If you are stacking dozens of boxes on top of one another, your storage map could be a lifesaver. Using the map you’ll be able to quickly see where a particular box or item is.

Normally, it is not a good idea to completely fill your storage unit – at least, not if you ever want to be able to access its contents! Because of this, we recommend renting a second self storage unit if your current unit is roughly three quarters full, or you’re having difficulty moving around within your storage unit.