Self Storage News

I love our house, but as the family grew, the small kitchen became a challenge to use for food preparation and there was nowhere for the children to be seated in the kitchen while meals were being prepared. I tried to let them color or do homework at the dining room table around the corner, but that limited my ability to supervise them. The lack of supervision often led to arguments between them and sometimes messes that might have been avoided if they were in the same room that I was in.

I consulted with a remodeling contractor and he came up with a new floor plan. He suggested that the wall between the kitchen and dining room be removed and the two rooms be combined to give me a large, eat-in kitchen. There would be more room for me to prepare our meals and the children would be in full view while I was doing it. However, he told me that proceeding with the remodeling meant that I would need to find a temporary place to put the dining room table, six chairs, and a large china cabinet that was full of dishes as well as the contents of the kitchen cabinets that were on the wall between the two rooms. I knew there really was not enough room anywhere in the house to store all of these things, so I contacted a nearby self storage facility. 

Often when a home owner decides that it is time to give their home a facelift, they do not give thought to the fact that there may be issues involving their furniture until the point in time when the remodeling company is ready to start working on the project. The furniture might be in the way of the crew while they work and it could be accidentally damaged if it is left where it belongs. The home owner must make a decision about what to do in order to still allow the remodeling crew ample room to work while also protecting their furniture. Sometimes, the furniture can be rearranged or placed into other rooms in the home, but often there is not really enough room in the home to store the furniture in other rooms without making those rooms cramped. That could lead to the stored furniture inhibiting the daily routine of the family members and that might cause them to become irritable. Instead, the home owner can rent a unit from a self storage facility to temporarily keep the pieces of furniture safe during the remodeling process. 

Almost everyone that moves possessions into a self storage unit has some of the same basic small items that need to be packed into boxes for easier carrying and storing. These items often include hard back and soft back books. Although it might be tempting, it is not good to just fill any cardboard boxes to their capacity, seal them, and move them to the self storage unit. Even though books are not usually considered expensive to replace, care should still be taken to keep them from being damaged while they are stored.

Choosing proper cardboard boxes for storing books is important. The boxes need to be sturdy and constructed well so that the weight of the books does not cause the bottom of the box to break open and dump the books everywhere. Placing all of the books in one huge box might make it easier to find things in the future, but it will be very difficult to handle. Instead, when choosing boxes for storing books, they should be small so that they are easy to pick up and carry as well as stack in the storage unit. It is best if the boxes of books do not weigh more than about twenty pounds when they are full. 

When a person needs to place some or all of their appliances in a self storage unit there are certain precautionary things that should be done. Following these guidelines will help protect both the appliances and the people that are moving them.

Before an appliance is place in storage it should be thoroughly cleaned on the outside and on the inside. It is best to remove all of the drawers, shelves, and other removable parts to clean them individually. Depending on how securely they fit inside the appliance, they may need to be removed and packed in a box so that they are protected from damage. An example of this would be a microwave rotating table that is made of glass because it just sits on a small protrusion inside the microwave. As part of the cleaning process, there should be no food left in kitchen appliances because it can attract vermin to the storage unit. In addition, washers, dryers, and dishwashers should be completely emptied as well.

Although it would be very convenient if all of our possessions could fit neatly into cardboard packing boxes and be safe and secure, it is just not possible. To ensure that certain items will survive being packed up, moved to a self storage unit and eventually moved back, and unpacked, some special packing techniques need to be implemented.

One of the main household items that need special care is the breakable dishes. Piling the entire set into a cardboard box will eventually result in a box of useless shards. To keep the dishes from breaking, you need to pad each piece very well. Using bubble wrap is probably one of the best methods. In addition, although they stack well when placed flat, the best way to protect plates, saucers, and other generally flat dishes is to stand them on their edge. First, a good layer of bubble wrap should be placed at the bottom of the cardboard box. After the individually bubble-wrapped dishes are placed on edge in the box, the space around them should be filled in with more bubble wrap to the point that the dishes do not shift when the box is gently shook. Before closing and sealing the box, another layer of bubble wrap should be place over the top of the dishes for added protection. After the dishes are all securely packed it is important that they are labeled as fragile and that they are not stacked in a precarious way in the moving vehicle or storage unit.

Aside from cardboard boxes that are gathered from a supermarket or other retailer, most people do not give any thought to what packing materials they might need until they are starting to pack things up to put in a self storage unit. This is unfortunate because it can lead to poorly packed boxes or other problems that occur when they move the boxes to storage and when they return to the storage unit to retrieve a particular item or items from inside one of the boxes.

Most cardboard boxes from supermarkets or other retailers have already been through a lot of use which can weaken them and cause your possessions to dump out everywhere when the boxes are picked up. In addition, the boxes might have been constructed to hold lightweight items and using them to pack heavier items could cause the box to break. Instead of using second hand boxes, it is advisable to check with the storage facility to see if they have sturdy cardboard boxes available for a minimal cost. In addition, if you do not have a permanent marker you should request one because they are essential for labeling the outside of the boxes for easy retrieval in the future.

Most people think of self storage facilities as just offering a place to store personal possessions. Although this is the original and main function of this type of facility, there are more and more self storage companies that are offering storage to businesses as well. Both large and small businesses can find many uses for placing various items in a self storage unit.

Of course, the most obvious use of the storage unit is the additional space that is made available when unused items are removed from the main business location. This is especially true of home based businesses where there is no other option for increasing the space needed for business related items aside from moving to a larger house, which is not usually feasible. Almost any business related item can be placed in a storage unit. This includes such things as seasonal items, extra inventory, business records, and excess furniture. Some storage rental facilities even offer parking spaces where businesses can temporarily store their company vehicles if their business location has limited nearby parking spaces that are free or affordable within the company budget. Renting a vehicle storage space is usually less expensive than parking the vehicles in a paid parking garage. The process of renting a storage unit is the same for both individuals and businesses.

Placing currently unused items in a self storage unit is a great way to free up space or keep things safe while a person is away from home for an extended period of time. Most of the time, there are no problems with the safety of those possessions. However, as with any other location where the possessions might be kept, there may be circumstances where the possessions are at risk. There might be damage due to vandalism or forces of nature. There is also the possibility of some or all of the possessions being stolen no matter how well they are looked after. It is these rare circumstances that many people are not properly prepared to handle.

The main thing that causes them issues is the fact that they did not get the possessions in their storage unit properly insured. Either they did not give it any thought at all or they assumed that their home owner's insurance policy would cover the possessions even when they were no longer on the property. Although some home owner insurance policies do offer a bit of coverage for possessions that are not actually on the home owner's property, it is usually not adequate to make a difference in the cost of replacing the stored items.

Aside from offering a place to keep furniture and other household or business items, many self storage facilities also offer various types of vehicle storage spaces for nearly any type of vehicle as long as it is in drivable condition, has current tags, and is insured. The vehicle storage spaces can be simple parking spaces that are open to the weather, parking spaces that have a roof to somewhat protect the vehicle, or individual garages that completely enclose the vehicle for maximum protection. Just as there are various reasons that people use self storage for their smaller possessions, there are many reasons that people look to self storage facilities as a place to keep vehicles.

One of the most common uses for vehicle storage is a place to keep boats, campers and other recreational vehicles that people do not have space for on their own property. Since these vehicles are only used occasionally for recreational purposes, it is ideal to park them at a storage facility that has various security measures in place such as coded entry gates and security cameras so they are safe when not in use. Many of the storage facilities that offer this type of storage also have a dump station on the property for the convenience of their customers with RVs.

Although self storage facilities offer a great way to free up space, there are restrictions as to what can be placed in a unit or parked in an outdoor space. Every storage company has its own set of rules, but there are certain items that all storage companies prohibit for legal and safety reasons. The items described below are actually illegal to place in a storage unit.

Due to the large amount of buildings and items stored in them that could catch fire, it is illegal to store anything that is flammable or combustible. This includes fireworks of any type, aerosol cans or other items that are pressurized, and all types of fuel. If a lawn mower or other fuel-powered tool is being stored, the fuel must be drained out prior to bringing it to the facility. Along with the flammable and combustible materials, it is also illegal to store any chemicals or other things that are considered hazardous or toxic because if they were to spill it could impose a health threat to everyone nearby.