One of the number one advantages of employing a self-storage facility, like Guardian Self-storage in Atlanta Georgia, is the fact that you can continue to get access to your items even in storage. The very first thing to remember therefore is to pack in such a fashion that you can find things at later fast and without unloading everything you’ve put in your unit.
1. INVENTORY YOUR ITEMS: Make an inventory of what you’ve packed and where it is as you go along. This is especially true of business storage.
1. THINK VERTICAL: To extend accessibility, you might want to consider using shelving to maximize the vertical space in your unit. This will allow you to simply access your stuff. If you like this option, Guardian has heavy duty shelving units available for a little rental charge of $5 a month. And we’ll deliver the assembled shelving to your unit for you. Our shelving units can hold up to 200lbs per shelf in weight – now that’s a large amount of stuff!
1. INSURANCE PROTECTION: Make a rough figure of the replacement value of each item you store to help with insurance policies in case of unforeseen damage. In our 17 year history, Guardian has not ever had an interior break-in or burglary. Nonetheless as a perk for our customers, lots of Guardian’s units include with $2,000 worth of 3rd party coverage.
1. USE High Quality BOXES: Invest in top quality, strong boxes and packing materials – box strength degrades with use. If you buy boxes of similar sizes it’ll be easier to stack them securely in your unit and will save you space. For the sake of convenience, Guardian sells high quality boxes and moving supplies at a reduced cost.
1. HAVE A PLAN: Plan your storage space. Place those things that you could need to access often in the front. As with any business storage solutions you really need to make sure you can acceess the significant items first!
1. SAVE YOUR BACK! Do not feel tempted to fill huge boxes with heavy items like books as they’ll quickly become difficult to carry and may get broken. Instead you need to use smaller boxes for heavy items such as books. If you do pack heavy items in a giant box, consider putting just one or two and then fill the rest of the box up with lighter items. If it is commercial storage you are planning then think about the way the heavier items are going to be transported and stored, and how ou are going to access them when required.
1. A Little PROTECTION GOES A LONG WAY:Fill boxes to capacity wherever feasible to avoid breakages. You need to use materials such as packing paper or bubble wrap which unlike paper will shield your items from ink transference. Guardian sells both packing paper & bubble wrap for a nominal charge. Dependent on the square footage of the storage unit you rent, you might be stacking boxes on top of each other and the lower levels have to be sturdy enough to take the strain. Boxes that are only in some measure filled may tip over or collapse. Your items are slo protected in our climate controlled storage from the extremes of temperature.
1. LABEL EVERYTHING: Label all boxes clearly so you can identify the contents and keep an inventory. Label them on more than one side so you can identify items fast. Label ‘Fragile ‘ on any boxes containing breakable items.
1. MAXIMISE SPACE: Think creatively and you will make more space. Plan to use furniture drawers as an extra box (they are especially good for fragile items) and you need to use the interior of wardrobes to store boxes also.
1. SEAL BOXES: Seal all of your boxes with packing tape before you put them in a storage – this will help keep dust out of the contents. For secure business self storage you need to plan ways to cover, seal and protect your items ahead.
Shirley Jones has studied the best way of coping with household storage and commercial storage for several years. She know how complicated it is to find climate controlled commercial storage units that small enterprises can use for their business storage needs while not having to commit to long term leases. Whether household self storage or commercial DIY storage, her tricks and tips could save a lot or money and time.