eliminating the kids' overflow from your house

Self Storage Tips

by Ted Davidson

If you are planning on storing some of your personal items in a self-storage unit, you likely want them to be undamaged and organized when you return to get them. Here are some tips for making sure that your self-storage process goes as smoothly as possible and that you store everything in a manner that will leave it entirely undamaged.

1. Take Steps to Keep Bugs Away

Your first step is to take dryer sheets and place them sporadically throughout all of your boxes that contain items that might be affected by bugs, especially boxes containing clothing. The dryer sheets have chemicals on them that soften your clothing when heat is applied and the chemicals spread, but also that keep some insects away.

Because dryer sheets do not keep all insects away in all circumstances, make sure that you put all of your personal possessions in plastic boxes to protect against pests in general and consider elevating all of your boxes slightly to keep any pests from nesting underneath your possessions. You can elevate your boxes by putting them on wooden pallets or on chairs. Before you put any clothing inside a storage unit, wash each item in hot water to kill any eggs that might be on your clothing.

2. Get Rid of Moisture With Charcoal

Take a small saucepan or other metal pan and place it roughly in the center of your storage unit. Place charcoal that you would use for grilling in the saucepan. You only need a few pieces. There is no need to fill up the saucepan. The charcoal will absorb any errant moisture in the room and keep it from harming any papers or books that you might have. 

3. Don't Store Anything Directly Against the Wall

Commit to leaving a small space around the edges of your storage unit, between your personal possessions and the wall itself. This will improve the overall ventilation of your storage unit and allow you to ensure that you decrease the chances that mold forms. It will also allow your personal items to avoid being exposed to any condensation that might gather on the walls. Consider putting all of your boxes on wooden pallets in order to further improve the overall ventilation of your self-storage unit.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in self-storage. They will be able to help you determine a plan to pack all of your stuff into the units so that it remains safe and is easy to remove. Learn more about self storage here. 

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