Storage Organization

I remember years ago, when my wife and I first got married, that we rather quickly needed to find some extra storage space. You see our first apartment was really small, and surprisingly we both had a lot of stuff. What we ended up doing was getting a storage space that we thought would only be used for a few months, turns out that we ended up using that storage space for the next four years. Over time we found that storage organization was something we absolutely needed, at least if we wanted to retain our sanity when going to the storage unit. Here are a few tricks that we picked up over the years, which helped us retain our sanity.

• Label everything. First of all, as you are packing the boxes that you will use, you need to create a packing list. Similar to an inventory sheet that you get with any mail order purchase, this packing list will help you know what exactly is inside the box without having to dig through everything. After you have packed the box or container, place this packing list on top, and then mark the exterior of the box as well. The exterior label should include, at a minimum, what room the box is from, and what the items inside are (i.e., clothes, ornaments, toys, etc.).
• Create sections. Before placing the boxes and containers into the storage unit, take time to draw a little map of the storage space. In this map, designate areas that will be used for specific item. For example, you can have a section for electronics only, one for holiday decorations, or even you could have sections marked out for each of the various rooms. Whatever method you decide to break the storage area down into, stick to it. This will help you know roughly where the box or container you are looking for later on is at, so you don't need to go through every single box or container in storage before you find the right one.
• Stack according to size and weight. When stacking boxes stack them according to their size and weight, just as you do when you pack the boxes to begin with. This will help protect your items from accidental crushing, damage, or even simply getting lost. Start with the largest, and heaviest items first, and then work your way up to the lightest and smallest.