You’ve rented a storage unit to gain more space to hold your items, which makes it important to use the unit efficiently. Remember, if you can fit more items in the storage space, you’ll make more room in your home or office. But that doesn’t mean you can cram as many boxes as possible inside. Instead, smart packing and efficient organization can go a long way and help you maximize space in the unit. If you’re wondering how to get the most out of a sell-storage unit, we’re here to help. Use these storage tips to utilize every inch of the space in your unit in an organized manner.
Choose the Right Storage Facility and Unit Size
The best storage experience begins with choosing a self-storage facility with superior amenities that’ll make you feel at ease about storing your belongings. Consider features like climate-controlled units, drive-up access, and 24-hour video recording to make your moving and storage experience as easy as possible. CubeSmart offers a variety of unit sizes at many storage facilities throughout the country to cater to your personal needs. It’s important to find a unit size that’s just right to accommodate your possessions. We have a size guide that details unit size dimensions with informative graphics and visuals to help you know how exactly each unit size looks. Check out this guide to find a unit size that works for you.
Map Your Unit
Before you start packing or storing, it’s important to survey your storage unit and make a plan. Take a piece of paper and create a map, detailing where everything will go. This makes it easier to stack boxes when you eventually move things into the unit. Scoping your unit beforehand is a good way to know if the storage unit size you’ve chosen will give you enough extra space for your requirements and allows you to foresee any issues you may run into before you bring your belongings to the unit.
Pack Smart
The first step toward maximizing storage unit space is to get a bit creative with your packing. Here are a few ideas:
Utilize Hollow Spaces and Soft Items
Storing items inside one another is a thrifty yet clever way to save space. Hollow items like desks, suitcases, and dressers are great for fitting extra items inside them. Soft items like bedding, cushions, and comforters can serve as cushioning between delicate items. You’re finding a place to store the bedding and cushions while adding a protective layer for fragile items — an example of packing optimally. Vacuum sealing clothes, jackets, and bedding can reduce their puffiness so they take up less space in boxes.
Invest in Quality Storage Boxes
Packing all your items in sturdy storage boxes that are of uniform size makes for easier stacking. Unevenly sized boxes create an imbalanced stack and can topple over, and your entire unit will look like a disaster area. To prevent these mishaps, we recommend portable boxes of the same size and shape that stack well together. This simple storage hack ensures a neat and tidy unit.
Dismantle Furniture
This one does take some effort, but believe us, taking bulky pieces of furniture apart is a top space-saving solution. Large furniture like beds and dining sets eat up significant space in a small or medium-sized unit, and they leave gaps that are too small or have an awkward shape that won’t fit anything else. The result: there is lots of wasted space, which you can not afford when you’re paying for every square foot of a storage unit! Dismantling furniture items and packing them in flat boxes results in optimal space utilization. Make sure to keep all hardware together and store it with the furniture in your storage unit.
Do More With Your Storage Unit
Think out of the box and make every inch of the unit count, including the walls and overhead space. Most people pack the floor space of a unit but ignore precious space such as the walls. A great idea is to place pegboards along the walls, which creates more space to hang lighter items like bags and tools. Add shelves on top of pegboards to harness the vertical space in your unit. Small kitchen appliances, stationery, picture frames, and other miscellaneous items store well on these shelves. This is an ideal way to get more space in your unit for long term storage.
Begin Stacking With a Clear Plan
The final step is to stack the boxes in your storage unit. Get this right by working smartly, and here a few things to remember:
- Place items you know you won’t be pulling out anytime soon at the back of the unit.
- Make sure you leave a pathway so you can move around and find items for retrieval.
- Keep a step stool in the unit to help you get to items stored at the top of stacks or on higher shelves.
If you already have a unit, follow these storage hacks to maximize your storage unit. Call or visit CubeSmart to learn more about our available self-storage units and our top-notch services.
