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Best Practices for Moving Your Belongings Into Storage

When most people think of moving, they usually assume that they will be making the move with most of their stuff. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes the new home that you will be moving to will be smaller than the place you are leaving. There also might be things that you don’t want to bring but don’t want to throw away either. Regardless, the situation will come up when you need to move your stuff to storage. There are many considerations that you should keep in mind when moving to storage. It is not as easy as many people think it would be. First of all, it is one thing to decide that you will be moving your possessions to storage, but it is an entirely different thing to choose which items to store. As the old saying goes, “You don’t really realize how much stuff you have until you have to move.” This is definitely true when it comes to prioritizing the materials that you need to put into storage, sell in the garage sale, or move to your new place or office. Keep the following tips in mind when moving to storage.

Proper packing for storage

While you are going to be packing materials for moving, you will also need to apply the same level of care when you are packing for storage. Storing them would also mean having to pull them out later on They also need to be packed in such a way that they will survive being stored for a long period of time. Accordingly, you need to exercise the same amount of care in packing the stuff that you are going to store and those that you are going to move to your new place.

Proper labeling for storage

One of the biggest hassles of storage is the fact that you might have a tough time finding the stuff you stored. It can really get frustrating if you have a lot of things stored away. Not only does it involve looking for a needle in a haystack but also a lot of other stored materials might need to be moved around. Moving around box after box can get really messy-and confusing. To avoid this headache, you should properly label your boxes for storage. I am not just talking about taping a box shut and labeling it correctly. You have to go further than that. You should have an inventory sheet that is inside the storage box which lists all the items in that box. The box should also be labeled clearly with a designated number that is also written on a master list. This master list will have the number of boxes with their designated numbers and the items inside them. Whatever you do, make sure that you produce a photocopy of the master list because this will save you a lot of time, headaches, and tears in going through all that stuff you stored. As time goes by, you really can’t rely on memory because you may have stored something really important which could be under a pile of boxes. It will take too much time and effort to unpack. Save yourself all that effort by having a master list.

Organize stored items for quick and easy retrieval

In addition to the master list system described above, you should also arrange your stored items according to their packaging. List items that are packed in boxes, wrapped in plastic and those that are not packed in any sort of packaging. This will be easier for you to retrieve items later on. The mere facts that you are storing these items indicate that you will be retrieving them at some point in time. That is why it is crucial for you to arrange all these items in such a way that it would be fairly easy for you to go in, recover them and leave. The worst thing that you can do is to be careless on how you store your possessions and end up rummaging through pile after pile to look for them. You have to arrange everything based on the likelihood that you will be retrieving them. You should also prioritize all the stored materials you have and think to yourself, “Which items will I most likely retrieve in the near future and which items will I less likely need?” This is a rough guide but is better than nothing. It is based on the probability of future need. Arrange the materials accordingly so that you will not face much hassle finding them.

Maximize space while keeping stored items safe

Self-storage services and warehouses in the United States are quite efficient. You only get so much space for the storage fee that you are paying monthly. You need to maximize that space. That is why it really pays to have a strategy when it comes to storing materials. You can’t just dump everything in the corner and just keep piling them up. First of all, it is going to be a headache finding things. Second, it will eat up so much space that you are not going to be getting as much value for the monthly fee you are paying for your storage space. So it is very important to maximize the space you are renting. This means that you need to pack everything as compact of a unit as possible so you can stack and move them around so that as much available open space is taken up. With that said, you have to also prioritize the safety of the items that you are stocking. You may pack everything tightly but not too tight to break them. Moreover, fragile items can be stored on top of the pile or to the sides where it has lesser chances of being tipped over or knocked down.

Minimizing storage risks

For the most part, storage services will already have stringent regulations regarding the items that you can store. Obviously, explosives and flammable materials will not be allowed. Even so, there are still certain gray areas that you need to clear with the storage operator. If you are in doubt, the rule is to leave it out. Not only will you be endangering the rest of your possessions in that storage area but also everybody else’s possessions as other people are also renting storage spaces in the same area. Make sure you are in strict compliance with whatever restrictions the storage operator has. Follow common sense with regards to the stuff that you will be keeping away. Anything that leaks, corrodes, or that might have some nasty chemical reaction with other items must not be stored regardless of the regulations imposed and the requirements of the storage space.

The importance of using an experienced mover

If you are going to be moving stuff to storage, you need a trusted mover that has a solid experience and background which can help you move your items to a storage space safely, effectively and efficiently. While you can go with any mover, an experienced one will give you the right advice regarding items to move. They can also give you advice on how to stack your items when moving them. They have the experience. You just need to have the right moving strategy and keep the considerations above in mind. A great, experienced and proven mover in the New York area is Empire Movers. If you are moving to storage or moving items across town or state, you should consider them. Contact them to see the difference solid experience can make for your move to storage.

Best Practices for Moving Your Belongings Into Storage