When you pay for something, you want to make the most of it. When you're leasing a self-storage unit, you want to get the most out of the space without having to spend a bunch of money to get it set up. Here, you'll find a few tips that can help you affordably organize and protect the things that you keep in storage.
Cheap Shelving
One of the worst things that you can do to things that are being stored for a long time is to set them on a concrete floor. That concrete may seem dry to the touch, but eventually, moisture will seep into the boxes that you have resting on the floor. The moisture then makes its way into the items that are inside the box, and everything is ruined.
So to get everything up off of the concrete, you'll want some cheap shelving. You'll need just a couple of things: wooden pallets and cinder blocks.
- Position a row of pallets flat on the floor along one wall.
- Place cinder blocks on each corner of the pallets.
- Stack cinder blocks on top of each other to create space between one shelf to the next – if you will be storing deep boxes or bins, you'll need a few cinder blocks on each corner to elevate the next pallet.
- Place another pallet on top of the cinder blocks – make sure that it is centered so that it will not shift as you load it with boxes and bins.
- Continue this process until you've built yourself some cheap shelving.
Moisture Control
It can be difficult to control moisture in some climates, but it is possible to protect items from becoming damaged by it.
Store all paper items inside an airtight bin. Don't just use any old bin – look for the ones that are waterproof. Before you seal the bin up, place some silica gel packets inside. These packets will absorb any moisture that may remain inside the paper before it can cause problems.
Some things will need to breathe to remain in good condition. Leather goods, for example, shouldn't be packed in plastic. Instead, use a garment bag or slide it into a pillowcase to keep the dust off while allowing the items to breathe. If you were to lock leather goods inside an airtight container, chances are you'd return to find it coated in mildew.
You can fit quite a bit inside a storage unit if you plan for it. Use these tips to build yourself some affordable shelving and protect your items from damage while they're stored.
Having lived in a 1,200-square-foot home with my husband and two children for many years, I've learned a lot about storage and maximizing space along the way. Once a year, we do a "purge" of each room in our home to get rid of unnecessary clutter. We then hold an annual garage sale, where we're able to make money selling this "stuff" for our yearly vacation. For extra space, we also have a small storage unit that we use to store seasonal things, such as Christmas decorations and bikes. If you've been looking for tips on maximizing storage in even the smallest of spaces, I hope the information on my blog will be useful to you!