The Tidy LifeAround the House | February 5, 2016
There are many different reasons that people decide to rent a self-storage unit from personal reasons to business needs. And storage requirements for personal items may be different that storage requirement for business reasons. Do your research and be ready to ask questions when you rent a storage unit. If you are a first time renter, you might have many questions before you rent a self-storage unit. Prior to choosing a storage facility, keep the following in mind before making your final decision.
First and foremost, you should make sure that the facility meets all of your storage needs:
1. Local Storage Units – Choose a local storage facility. If you need to retrieve items from your storage unit on a regular basis, then it would be ideal to choose a facility that is close to your home or business. If you are a sales representative, you want to have your samples or inventory in a centrally located to your sales region.
2. What do you need to store? – Ask yourself what will you be storing? If you are storing the contents of an apartment, then you need a larger storage unit. If you are just storing business files, then you might only need a closet-size storage unit.
3. Secure Self-Storage – A safe and secure self-storage facility is always a primary concern. Make sure the self-storage facility is well-lit, gated, has computer keypad access and video surveillance cameras. These security measures will help provide the peace-of-mind that your stored belongings are safe.
4. Access to your storage unit – Finding a self storage facility that caters to your schedule is important. There are some facilities that are only open during specific hours while others offer 24 hour gate access. Another aspect to consider is the office hours and management availability if you have questions or need to purchase packing or moving supplies.
Self-storage facilities offer a variety of storage unit types and sizes. To determine the best size storage unit, take an inventory of the items that you need to store. Certain stored items might need to be placed in a climate controlled environment. ezStorage offers both climate and non-climate controlled storage units in a variety of sizes from 5×5 to 10×30.
Once you have defined the storage unit size that you will need for your belongings, visit the storage facility and inspect both the facility and the storage unit. Ask the storage professionals their opinion on the storage unit size that’s right for you
Once you are ready to pack your items for storage, follow the self-storage packing tips to make sure that your items will be stored correctly. How you pack your storage unit will depend on how long you plan to store your items. If you’re storage needs are relatively short-term, it’s okay to pack the items closer together. However, if you will be storing long-term, then you should allow extra space for easy access when you are packing the storage unit. For long-term storage, leave an aisle within the unit so you can get the items that you need and arrange larger items, such as appliances and large furniture, and off-season items towards the back of the storage unit. Keep the belongings that you will need to access more often towards the front of the storage unit, so you won’t have to dig through the entire storage unit looking for them.
ezStorage professionals are on-hand to assist you in choosing the right storage unit size for your business or personal storage needs. We have 46 state-of-the-art self-storage facilities in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas so you can find the right local storage unit for your belongings.
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