Storage Tips
How to Pack your Belongings
Ah, the woes of packing. Regardless if you have a few items to stow away or an entire household to move, packing can cause a lot of unwarranted stress if the proper steps aren’t taken beforehand. Instead of haphazardly tossing your items in a car or moving truck and calling it good, it’s best to gather the proper materials in advance and create an organized game plan.
Collect the Proper Packing Materials
Packing materials you will need include:
- Corrugated boxes
- Packing paper
- Packing tape
- Plastic storage totes and tubs
- Bubble wrap
- Markers or pens
- Furniture covers, if applicable
When purchasing moving boxes, totes, or tubs, opt for boxes that are the same size—or close to the same size—as this makes stacking them much easier.
Categorize Your Boxes
Once you have the appropriate materials at your disposal, you can begin the packing process by organizing all of your boxes by category in accordance with what you’re moving. Make sure to label all four sides of each box for fast identification!
Categories for homeowners could include:
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Electronics
- Clothing
- Books
- Decor
- Pantry
- Garage
- Miscellaneous
Categories for business owners could include:
- Inventory type
- Documents and records
- Marketing collateral
- Office equipment
- Tools and supplies
Each categorical item in your home or business should be placed in a designated moving box or tub to help with identification, not to mention it eases your transition if you’re moving into a new space.
Fill Your Boxes Appropriately
As you’re packing, ensure each box is filled appropriately, as overfilling a box can add on an excessive amount of weight and make it difficult to carry. Once your boxes are packed, stuff the empty areas with wadded-up paper, bubble wrap, rags, towels, blankets, or pillows to ensure all of your items are tight and secure. Then, seal each box tightly with packing tape to ensure dust doesn’t get into your belongings during transport or long-term storage.Note: For fragile items—such as glassware or dinnerware—be sure to wrap each item in bubble wrap or paper, as well as fill the tops and bottoms of each box with additional stuffing for protection.No matter if you’re moving into a new place right away or storing your belongings at Crimson Storage temporarily, having properly packed and labeled boxes will help you access your items quickly, maintain their integrity, and unpack with ease.
Other Important Packing Tips
When it comes to packing your belongings, there are countless ways to make your move easier and your things more protected.
Safeguard Your Furniture
Furniture can be expensive, so don’t let it get damaged on your move or while it’s in your storage unit. To prevent scratching or other abrasions, wrap your furniture legs in bubble wrap or utilize some type of furniture cover. This is especially important for your mattress, as you want it to stay intact and clean while you’re not using it.
Utilize Valuable Space
When moving items like clothes, consider utilizing the space in your wardrobe or dresser rather than removing everything and filling another box. This also works for items like stoves, refrigerators, or armoires. They serve as ready-made moving containers!
Split Up Your Heavy Items
For your heavier items—such as books, historical records, or tools—make sure to place them in smaller boxes to avoid overfilling large boxes. When large boxes become too heavy, they are extremely difficult to lift and become flimsy.
Clean Your Appliances
To ensure your appliances remain in tip-top shape during your move or while in storage, make sure they are cleaned top to bottom. Clean appliances leaves little chance for dust, debris, or leftover particles from damaging your expensive machines. After your appliances are clean and dry, make sure to securely fasten their doors shut with packing tape to avoid any possible damage.
Keep Your Clothes Wrinkle-Free
Rather than wadding up all of your clothes in bags or in your backseat, consider picking up a few specialized wardrobes moving boxes. These boxes allow you to hang up your clothes, helping them maintain cleanliness and while avoiding wrinkles.
How to Load Your Storage Unit
Self storage at Crimson Storage makes accessing extra storage space easier than ever. But if your storage unit isn’t packed properly, it can make a mess out of getting to your belongings when you need them.
Load from Back to Front
When you first move into your storage unit, load your items from the back of the unit to the front, placing your least-used items inside first. As you work your way to the front, all of your most-used belongings will be there for easy accessibility right when you open your unit’s door.
Create a Pathway
As you load your storage unit, make sure to create a pathway—or a center aisle—to easily access your belongings anywhere in your unit. Climbing over piles of your boxes and belongings isn’t fun.
Avoid the Floor
To avoid humidity damage and allow airflow throughout your unit, avoid stacking your boxes directly onto the floor. Instead, opt for a pallet to rest your boxes on top of.
Disassemble Large Items
Large pieces of furniture can take up a ton of room in your storage unit. Make sure to disassemble your furniture—or simply remove the legs—to save valuable space.
Prep Your Machines
From lawnmowers to snowblowers, any machine that runs off gasoline and oil needs to be drained before storage to prevent degradation and breakdown.
Protect Your Temperature-Sensitive Items
Items that can be affected by changes in weather—including fluctuations in temperature or humidity—need to be stored in a climate-controlled self storage unit at Crimson Storage. These units maintain constant temperatures and humidity levels to keep your sensitive items, such as old photographs, wood furniture, or vintage vehicles, protected.
Choose a High-Quality Lock
At Crimson Storage, we allow you to select your own lock and key, giving you total control over your own space at any time. When choosing your lock, make sure it provides robust security features with anti-tampering technology to ensure your unit stays guarded. For your convenience, we sell some of the best locks in the business at all of our facilities!
Simplify Your Storage Needs with Crimson Storage
Finding extra storage space shouldn’t be complicated. With a little help from our Crimson Storage team, you can simplify your big move or get your space organized with ease. To get the extra space you need, give our friendly staff a call at (812) 732-0162 to discover the perfect self storage unit for you, or browse our available units online with ease today!
Office Hours
| Sunday - Saturday | Closed |
Access Hours
| Sunday - Saturday | Open 24 Hours |