There are lots of reasons to use a storage unit: it can relieve the pressure a little when you’re moving house, it’s somewhere safe to keep your most important items if you’re going to be travelling abroad for an extended period, or even work as a miniature warehouse for your small business!

Whatever the reason you’re using it, packing it effectively means getting more out of it. You can use it more efficiently, fit more in and save money! Today we’re looking at a few tips to help you get the best out of your storage unit, starting today!

Purpose

The first thing you need to do is really clarify why you’re using storage, and what you need from it. If you’re moving house, you’ll only need to access it a few times: to fill it and then to unpack and take your possessions away to your new home. That means the most important thing for you is to maximise space.

If you’re storing business inventory, you need to be able get at any of the items you have stored at short notice: you can’t spend time emptying your unit every time someone orders an item from the back! Your priority here is access.

Maximising Space

If you’re simply trying to fit the most into your storage unit, start at the back. Fit your bulkiest, most awkward items in at the back so you can work everything else around them, building forward so as you get closer to the door you’re fitting in your smallest, most easily portable items. As you go, try to keep delicate items like pottery and glass close to the ground and well wrapped to avoid breakages – books will suffer a lot less if they topple to floor level!

If you’ve got large items of furniture, make them do double time – fill wardrobes with boxes before you move on, and stack items under tables and desks to ensure they’re not taking up more space than you have items to store!

Access

If you’re prioritising access, the key for you is aisles. Don’t pack your storage unit solidly, leave enough space for at least an aisle running from the front to the back, and possible one from side to side as well, depending on the space you have available. In principle, everything in your inventory should be in arms reach of one of your aisles, cutting down on the time you have to spend manoeuvring simply to lay hands on commonly used items.

Both

Always, always look for ways to use vertical space. If you don’t, you’re ignoring half of the capacity of your storage unit! Stack things (safely. And if you’re not sure if it’s safe, it’s not safe), as a start, but there are lots of more creative things you can do too. Hooks mounted on the ceiling or wall give you an extra level of storage for more awkward items, and tension rods above head height can create a useful layer to store large, light items like rugs.

If you’re looking for storage, London has plenty of options so get looking today!