Whether you’re in the middle of remodeling the house, downsizing, looking to organize hobby clutter with storage unit organization strategies, or are just short on space at home, if you’re someone who needs to access their unit at a storage facility on the regular, proper organization of that unit using smart storage unit ideas and organization tools will save you loads of time down the line.
Kelly’s storage story is all too relatable. Many of us have been there: stuff piling up, boxes scattered everywhere without plastic storage bins or an itemized list, and absolutely no clue where that one thing you desperately need is hiding.
Whether you’re storing personal belongings or professional inventory at a self storage facility, this comprehensive guide on how to organize a storage unit will show you storage unit organization tips, organization ideas to maximize space and convenience, protect your belongings from water damage, and avoid frustration and wasted time.
Organize The Items You Plan to Store
When organizing a storage unit and planning storage unit organization, there’s no need to overcomplicate things—simple organization ideas and organization tools work best. Stanimir Danchev, a storage expert with Fantastic Removals, a London-based company specializing in storage containers and plastic containers, advises that you approach how to organize a storage unit methodically.
Sort the items you plan to store into categories using plastic bins, plastic storage bins, and stackable bins, such as clothing, electronics, documents, and seasonal gear or out-of-season items. Create a master list or itemized list of your items using a label maker or simple spreadsheet, and make sure your items adhere to self storage facility guidelines, and make sure that a storage unit is the appropriate place for each item, as there are specific items that cannot be stored in a storage unit.
By creating a helpful inventory list or master list with item categories, you’ll be able to decide if you need freestanding shelving, plastic shelving units, storage shelves, or other smaller shelving units for better storage unit organization, so you can categorize and organize your items for storage.
Start your itemized list or master list first and foremost by deciding what items can and can’t be stored in a self storage unit at your storage facility. From there, you could sort your items into categories like:
- Frequent access: items you’ll use on a daily or weekly basis
- Seasonal items: seasonal gear, holiday decorations, out-of-season items, seasonal clothing, camping accessories, outdoor tools, snow blowers, lawn care accessories, etc.
- Everyday items: business inventory, sports equipment, etc.
- Household belongings: shoes or shoe racks, extra clothing or clothing racks, sentimental items, etc.
- High-value items: art, antiques, electronics, etc.
- Furniture: storage furniture, dining room tables, dressers, couches, chairs, etc.
Make an Inventory of Your Stored Items
Before you load up your unit at the storage facility, Danchev recommends additional organization tools and storage unit organization support on the front end.
Choose the Right Boxes
You can either use clear plastic bins, plastic storage bins, airtight bins, stackable bins, or durable cardboard boxes for storage unit organization, but clear plastic containers are excellent to use for proper packing storage solutions using packing supplies and packing materials that are hardier than cardboard and will help prevent water damage and keep the damp away from clothes, books, and other items susceptible to mildew—especially important if you’re not using a climate-controlled storage unit or climate-controlled storage.
Plus, you can easily see into clear boxes. Also, stick to plastic bins and stackable bins that are roughly the same size, and stack large plastic storage bins on top of other large boxes and small airtight bins on top of small boxes—this maximizes space and improves storage unit organization.
Clear plastic containers and plastic bins also create an additional layer for ease of access because you can clearly see what’s inside each box or stack of stackable bins.
Label Your Boxes
Grab a permanent marker, label maker, and duct tape or stickers, and make your life easier by labeling boxes and your stacks of plastic bins. This way, using proper labeling boxes techniques and organization tools like a label maker, you’ll never be forced to dig around to discover their contents. Use color-coded labels with a label maker to instantly be able to tell which plastic storage bins, stackable bins, or airtight bins contain clothes, household goods, books, files, and so on.
Create a Map of Your Storage Unit
Create an innovative storage unit organization experience for yourself and avoid a storage unit maze, and make finding your things so much easier by putting your art skills to the test with an inventory map.
Sketch an inventory map or layout of your entire storage unit, either marking the placement of different categories of items—seasonal gear, tool storage, delicate items, out-of-season items—or linking it to an itemized list or master list. Then snap a picture of your inventory map on your smartphone, file a copy at home, and put a hard copy in the self storage unit itself for quick and easy reference when practicing good storage unit organization.
Strategically Position Your Items in Your Unit
One of the most important storage unit organization tips and organization ideas is to organize your unit based on how often you’ll use the items you’re storing—from seasonal gear to tool storage to delicate items. You don’t want to store items frequently needed buried under loads of boxes and plastic bins, so it’s a good idea to put the items you need often in the front of the unit using smart storage unit ideas and proper label boxes systems.
It’s also best to leave some space between rows of boxes and furniture, creating walkways and aisles that help you move about freely and find what you need with ease.
Make sure you store heavier or bulkier items like storage furniture and tool storage as base items, or a stable bottom layer, and stack other boxes and stackable bins on those. You’ll want to make sure awkward items, breakable items, delicate items wrapped in bubble wrap, packing paper, and bubble packs, and items with sentimental value are securely stored using proper packing materials and packing supplies on top of the heaviest items or in another area altogether.
You can also use pallets, wooden planks, or plastic shelves to elevate items off the floor, improve air circulation, and create additional storage unit organization space while preventing water damage.
Maximize Your Storage Space
To maximize space in your unit using smart storage unit organization and storage unit ideas, arrange large, bulky items like storage furniture towards the back, ideally on either side against the wall in vertical setups. Stack boxes, plastic bins, stackable bins, and airtight bins securely on sturdy freestanding shelving, plastic shelving units, or storage shelves by placing heavier, less frequently accessed items down low and lighter items up top.
Bikes, instruments, sporting equipment, outdoor tools, tool storage items, snow blowers, baby items like strollers, and other bulkier items may be able to be hung on special wall-mounted racks and hooks for vertical setups that will help you make the most of your vertical space and create efficient storage unit organization with vertical setups. Pegboards and plastic shelves can also be useful for hanging smaller items, lightweight plastic bins, and accessories like tool storage.
Install Shelving in Your Storage Unit
Another way to maximize storage unit organization is to install freestanding shelving, plastic shelving units, or storage shelves. Storage facilities and self storage providers may not let you install shelves fixed to the unit wall, but you can bring in garage-type freestanding shelving, plastic shelving units, storage shelves, or plastic shelves to maximize the vertical space and improve storage unit organization in your self storage unit.
A Special Note on Furniture
Heirloom or flat pack, storage furniture is expensive and bulky, and requires a little extra care in your self storage unit—especially in climate-controlled units or climate-controlled storage to prevent water damage.
Storage furniture will require special consideration when creating walkways and may even be able to be stored vertically in vertical setups on freestanding shelving or storage shelves. Lastly, swaddle your storage furniture pieces in furniture covers, bubble wrap, packing paper, or blankets using quality packing materials to protect them from dust, scratches, and water damage.
Keep Your Storage Unit Clutter-free
Once you’ve arranged your storage furniture and stacked your plastic bins, plastic storage bins, and stackable bins in their place, your self storage unit should look tidy with good storage unit organization. Having a practical storage unit organization layout with an inventory map will allow you to create extra storage space by maximizing the cubic feet of your self storage unit, whether it’s climate-controlled units, climate-controlled storage, or an exterior unit.
Make sure if you have any inaccessible stacks of plastic bins or storage furniture, they’re not items like seasonal gear or tool storage you need to access on a regular basis. Otherwise, you’ll end up organizing your unit, undoing all of that hard work, getting the items you need, then reorganizing the unit. And eventually, you’ll get tired of digging through and reorganizing.
If storing commercial inventory, check expiration dates and reorder supplies as needed. Routine maintenance following the 1-in-1 out rule makes it easy to declutter and get rid of items you no longer need or use to free up valuable storage unit organization space and maintain your inventory map and master list.
So, how did Kelly resolve her storage unit woes? First, she made the decision to reorganize her unit and approached it step by step.
“I sorted my belongings into categories using plastic bins, plastic storage bins, and stackable bins, then labeled boxes with a label maker. I invested in sturdy freestanding shelving, plastic shelving units, and storage shelves to optimize the vertical space with vertical setups and placed frequently accessed items within easy reach.”
“Moreover, I chose a climate-controlled storage unit with climate-controlled storage and good air circulation using a moisture-resistant liner and air purifier as I had some electronics and delicate items that I wanted to preserve in good condition.”
“The difference was remarkable! Not only did the organized storage unit look neat and accessible, but I could quickly find the items I needed without rummaging through everything.”
Ready to put these organization tips into action? Find the perfect storage unit for your needs at SelfStorage.com and start creating your own organized, accessible storage space today.
