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Things to Know About Self-Storage

There are many reasons why you might need to use a self-storage facility. Maybe you are moving house and want to de-clutter whilst it is on the market, or you are looking to store some of your belongings that are only used once a year, or you have a child going off to university with a bedroom full of belongings.

For your use of self-storage to be successful and effective, you should ensure that you are using it properly. With this in mind, here are some of the most important things that you should know about hiring a shipping container for self-storage:

Items for Storage

Containers are great for storing all sorts of items, from furniture to clothing. However, you should ensure that you don’t store perishables like food, as this can go off and attract pests. You should also avoid storing combustibles like paint or solvents, as these can present a fire risk.

If you have furniture, you should consider storing it on floorboards or pallets to help reduce the chance of it getting damp from the floor, especially if you are somewhere that suffers from changing temperatures. You could also consider using moisture traps and drying crystals to reduce condensation.

Packing Tips

There are a hundred and one ways that you can pack our units, and just as many tips that you can follow to make it effective. Some of these include:

  • Use all available space – furniture drawers or cupboards can be used to store smaller items
  • Store the smallest items that you have collectively in labelled boxes instead of keeping them loose inside
  • Make sure that any fragile items are well wrapped in bubble wrap, newspaper or fabric and preferably marked ‘Fragile’ if you can
  • First load the largest items, followed by the smaller ones to make the best use of the space that you have
  • It goes without saying that you should store the most fragile items on the top
  • Stand sofas on their end to maximise the use of space
  • Create an inventory of the items that you are storing and devise a way of indicating where they are – label boxes, which side they are on, or even where on some self-assembly shelving you have put them, for example.
  • Mirrors or paintings can be well protected by being stored in a collapsed cardboard box
  • Try to store appliances in the original box or packaging that they came in
  • Dismantle furniture to as small pieces as possible
  • Try to store mattresses flat and horizontally to prevent them from going out of shape and lumpy

Shipping Container Hire

Although it is recommended that you hire the shipping container that is the smallest size possible for your belongings, try to be clever with your packing to give yourself a walkway through your belongings for better access. There are usually six sizes of shipping containers available:

Hiring a shipping container can be the perfect solution if you have short or long-term storage needs. They are robust and secure and can ensure that your belongings are safe and well protected whilst you’re not using them.

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