You may have decided to use a storage unit to store business inventory. Or maybe your current house is under renovation, and you needed a place to store away some of your stuff.

It may be that your dream modular home with a garage is getting ready, and you have decided to use a storage unit to better enjoy your new and organized, clutter-free living space. Maybe you wanted to save some time on your moving day. A storage unit may just be the answer to your storage needs, but you can get even more out of it by organizing it well. Listed below are 5 tips for organizing and maximizing your storage unit space:

Start With a Well-Thought-Out Storage Strategy

A great way to approach your storage process is to preplan the process. List out all the items that need to go inside the storage unit in a master list. It seems like an exhaustive and extensive task, but it is something that will prove very useful and convenient in the long term. You will need to pick an appropriate unit size to store your things, so some research into and knowledge about the available sizes helps greatly.

Formulate categories for all the items that will go in the storage unit. Your categories could be according to the seasons for your household items, or any such categories that seem reasonable as per your storage and accessibility needs.

Once you have decided on the item categories, it may be a good idea to divide the storage space accordingly. Of course, you may not always be able to rigidly compartmentalize your storage unit, because some items may be too large for the area you allocated  or they may fit into more than one category. Some categories may have more or fewer items, so rigid compartmentalization could lead to a waste of space.  However, having at least some sort of organized system for storage makes the whole process of access easier later. Next, loosely assign sections or sides of the storage unit to the item categories you defined.

You can get creative with your planning process. Make a rough map of the storage unit. You could either put it down on paper or, for a more complex scheme, use a floor plan app to design it. Color code the map if you so wish. Having a map will help keep your storage unit organized and tidy. If you share a unit with family members or if it has to be accessible to employees or colleagues, a map will ensure people can get to whatever they need easily and without inconvenience.

Utilize the Nesting Method

Once you have your item categories and master list ready, and your map is good to go, you have a proper idea of where you are going to store which items. Now, it is time to pack stuff into boxes. Getting the right type and size of boxes is important, too. For additional packing options, you may find that many of your items have some hollow space in or around them, like drawers, compartments, and shelves. These spaces can be utilized by storing other smaller items in them. This strategy will help you save space and maximize your storage unit.

Label Your Boxes

You have packed your stuff into boxes and they are now ready to go into the storage unit. A very underrated but useful tip is to label the boxes. Label the boxes with serial numbers or item categories that correspond to your master list. Make sure that the labels are easily readable. Put the labels on the top and the sides of the boxes, since labelling in this manner not only ensures that your storage unit is organized well, but also that your belongings are easy to find when you need them. You won’t have to open every box and look for the item you need, so this step will help you save time. Alternatively, or additionally, wherever possible, you can even use clear bins to store your items for ease of access.

Use an Efficient Stacking Strategy

Stacking the boxes might seem obvious, but it works better if done in a systematic way. Place the heaviest boxes or items at the bottom, so that these can act as an anchor for the rest. It is best to keep your stacks manageable, so don’t stack so high that you have difficulty reaching the top. The stacks should also not be so dangerously high that they can topple over.

As far as possible, use boxes of the same size for ease of stacking. Alternatively, or additionally, you can group and stack boxes of the same size together. This is in the scenario where you are using different sizes of boxes. A novel approach to stacking boxes is to lay them out like you would lay out bricks. This could be the right strategy for you if you want to store things for long periods of time and your key consideration is stability.

Think of All the Storage Unit Dimensions

The usual way people tend to use storage space is by paying more attention only to the floor space. Instead, you can make maximum use of your storage unit by taking into account all of its dimensions. Most storage units have high ceiling clearance, so stand items up vertically where possible to take advantage of the unit height. You could also make better use of the storage unit by adding or using free-standing shelves, on which quite a few items can comfortably fit. You can also hang up some tools on peg boards and prop them against the walls. Once you start thinking of all the dimensions of a storage unit, you can come up with many creative and innovative ways to maximize the unit.

These were a few tips to get you started on your storage unit organization journey. Think out of the box to maximize and organize your boxes and your storage space!

The post 5 Tips for Organizing and Maximizing Your Storage Unit Space appeared first on Public Storage Canada.

Get Rid of Junk

Look on your shelves, under bathroom sinks, in cabinets, and at the decorations in the rooms of your home. Get rid of what you’re not going to be using in the next few months and of the things that don’t add visual appeal to the space. There is a good chance that you have many things that you haven’t used for years. If this is the case, get rid of them. As for decorations or items that hold emotional value, while you might enjoy them, they likely don’t serve much use, and to a potential buyer, this might just look like clutter. Get it out of your home.  Less is more!

Look Into Self-Storage

If you recognize the need to get rid of unnecessary items but can’t bring yourself to dispose of them, you should consider self-storage. Pack up the majority of your things and put them into storage. For example, you probably don’t need a hall closet full of towels and sheets. Keep what you need and put the rest into storage. Plus, that’ll make it easier for you when it comes time to move, because you’ll have already packed away a lot of your things. Not sure how much storage space you’d need? Check out this handy storage calculator to help you plan!

Pack Up Your Food Storage

If you’re the kind of person who keeps a lot of extra food on hand, like canned or bottled foods, you may think about packing some of it up and putting it into storage. This way, if someone were to come to look at your home, they would see more space in your pantry and not your food.  Remember, you can’t store perishables in most self-storage facilities, so it’s a good idea to temporarily cut back on the amount of items you stock in your kitchen. In the meantime, you can put in storage all those food containers and the extra dishware you’re not using during this period.

Stay Ready to Show.  Spend at Least Twenty Minutes Cleaning Each Day!

If you are like most of us, you don’t have extra time that you can spend cleaning your house. However, if you’re willing to dedicate at least 20 minutes each day to stay on top of housework, you can make a tremendous difference. In 20 minutes, you could sweep and mop your kitchen floor and wipe down your cabinets. Tomorrow, you can spend your 20 minutes cleaning the bathroom. This way, when your real estate agent calls to let you know that someone is coming to look at your home, you won’t have to speed through three hours of housework to get ready.

Curb Appeal is Everything

You always want to make sure that the outside of your home is attractive. Pay close attention to any extra items that may be outside your home. If you have gardening supplies such as rakes, sprinklers and hoses lying around, pick them up and put them in back of the house. Make sure that they are stored neatly. If you have trash cans that are visible from the street, you may want to take them around back. If someone comes over to look at your home and were to see these things, the added clutter can easily spoil that important first impression.

Have a Garage Sale

If you’re thinking that you’d like to make a little extra money and you have a Saturday afternoon available, you might want to consider having a garage sale. You can make a lot of money if you have the time for it. This is also a great way to declutter your living space.

If All Else Fails, Get Extra Help!

If you’ve found that you don’t have time to keep up on your housework and still live a normal lifestyle, you may think about hiring someone to come into your home once a week to do some cleaning for you. You might be surprised at how affordable it is! And, sometimes, it can be really, really hard to make that judgment call over exactly what stays in the house versus what goes. If this is the case, seeking advice from friends and family members who don’t live in your home, or even from a professional organizer, can be other ways to help you gain a fresh perspective when the question of what to store or throw away seems too complicated.

The most important thing that you need to remember is to get rid of the clutter. If you have clothes that no longer fit, get rid of them. If your children have toys that they have outgrown, you may want to donate them. You’d be surprised at how much junk you have lying around your home that you never use, and that you’re never going to use. Give it to someone who can find a use for it.

With a little bit of effort on a daily basis, your home can be prepared for anything. Remember, the hardest part is getting started. After that, you’re going to wonder why you waited so long.

Related posts:

How to Hold a DIY Estate Sale

Garage Sale Success in 6 Easy Steps

The post Staging Your Home For Sale appeared first on Public Storage Canada.

Naturally, your first thought is to recruit your friends and family. But, with the fast pace and hectic schedules of today’s world, where everyone’s trying to find room for “personal time”, it can seem daunting to figure out how to get your friends to help you out on the Big Day, without making it look like an inconvenience.

So, when it comes to having “that” conversation, we’ve got some ideas which can help influence things in your favour:

#1 – Give everyone as much advance notice as you can

Let your friends and family know when you’re moving as soon as possible. Just as you need enough lead-time to organize your move around your schedule, so do they. And stay in touch, too—make sure their plans haven’t changed since then, and confirm with everyone again the week before. So, in case someone needs to opt out, that still gives you plenty of time to make any adjustments, while keeping your move on-track.

#2 – Try a little old-fashioned quid pro quo

Make a deal! If they’re willing to help you move, sometimes it’s all about giving your friends and family a much-needed break. So offer to mind the kids one weekend. Or to pitch in with the sweaty yard work. Or to help with their home’s new paint job. Whatever it takes—after all, one good turn deserves another!

#3 – Help keep everyone’s expenses down

Are your friends using their own vehicles to help you move? Did good old Dad drive all the way down from cottage country, because he has a pickup truck with a trailer hitch, and you don’t? Then chip in for gas! With the cost-per-litre at well over a dollar at the pumps, it’s the least you can do.

#4 – Make sure the move is going to be as easy as possible

Even though it might seem funny in hindsight, it won’t seem so laughable when the expected “simple” move turns into a labour-intensive ordeal, so don’t leave everyone (and yourself) wasting time and energy getting organized. Try to get as much packed up beforehand, so all your friends need to do is carry it out to the car, instead of wrapping, boxing, and taping. Make sure you’ve already discarded all the items you’re not taking with you, so there’s no confusion with what you’re putting in storage, and no “extra trips” to make drop-offs at the local charity. And when you get to the storage unit, load multiple items efficiently with the onsite dollies—which, after all the huffing and puffing, you’ll be sure to appreciate!

#5 – Reward the hard work

Now that your move is over, it’s time for the fun part! Plan a pizza party with some thirst-quenchers, and just hang out. If it’s summer and you’ve got the grill handy, make it a barbecue instead. Or if that’s just annoying, then head out to your favourite patio—first round’s on you! Three cheers for the Team (your DIY moving team, that is)!

Related blogs:

How to Save Time On Moving Day With Storage Pre-Rental

Safety First! Injury Prevention and Safety Tips for Moving

The post Planning a Do-It Yourself Home Move? Get the Team Together! appeared first on Public Storage Canada.