Packing
Do not use the kind of ordinary boxes you’ve got at home, or the onces you can get from the grocery store when you get ready to pack up your things and move them to a self-storage unit. yes, it’s easier but not always wiser. Many of these are treated with chemicals and dies, they’ve already been used once and come from God knows where. These kind of boxes are build to survive well for a short period of time, the time it takes to get them from the factory to the shelves at your local grocers. They’re not made to last forever, or for years of storage at a storage facility for that matter. If you’re planning to store valuable stuff for a longer period of time, you may consider getting some professional storage boxes and articles from your self storage provider.
A large number of these companies will have a facility on the premises where you can get these, many times not any more expensive than anywhere else. They may also have articles specifically designed for self storage units, various kinds of boxes made for various kinds of articles, like books, for instance. They’ll have markers for sale, bubble wrap, tape, rope and plastic to wrap stuff up in.
They may also have stuff for you to rent, such as large sheets of plastic to keep the dust of your belongings, professional furniture covers, pallets and various other forms of floor
covering. Some will have complete packaging deals on offer, specials, that contain your standard needs for a discount. These will include some boxes, pens, markers, bubble wrap and tape.
Environment
One storage operator may be quite different from another, conditions, surroundings and spread may not always be the same. Many will have small, family sized units, or even smaller ones suited for just one individual, others will offer much larger areas that may engulf an entire motor home, small yacht or helicopter. Furthermore there are the ones that will have small warehouses for rent, catering to the business world. And last but of course not least there are those who have them all.
It’s not always just the size that varies, some are build like a garage, some are divided into multiple storage areas, some are nothing more than an iron or brick cell. There are storage operators that stick to just one level, others have multiple levels with the smaller boxes usually on top.
It is expected of self storage operators that they keep their facilities and storage areas tidy, dehumidified, secure and exempt from insects and rodents.
It doesn’t matter how good your security is, if rodents are eating through your stock or a water pipe is leaking right into your unit something is wrong and you won’t be a happy customer. A good many storage operators will declare to adhere to certain standards in the above mentioned areas and sanitize their units before they turn them over to a new customer.
In the end, it will be your requirements and possibly distance that will determine what kind of self storage facility you’ll choose. If you live in a place that is subject to lots of downpour and you need to store a bunch of valuable papers, a place that provides the right atmospheric conditions is what you’ll be looking for. Sometimes air-conditioning is provided throughout the entire building but not always entirely suited to your needs, in such cases you’ll have to pay extra to get the kind of temperature and humidity you desire. Generally speaking, if you want an atmospheric controlled environment you end up paying more, however if it’s worth preserving it’s worth the extra cash, you’ll save money in the long run.
Storage facilities, like most other places, attract bugs and rodents. That’s something you should be aware of and you need to know what you’re storage company’s policy is towards these threats. Will they do their utmost to protect your goods, how often do they spray against insects, what do they do against mice and rats? It might be prudent to take a walk around the premises and be on the look out for cockroaches, and mice and rat droppings. You may want to do your own pest control in your unit. If you store textiles you may want to place a few mothballs here and there. Self storage facilities are no place for children, there’s always the risk of being injured by traffic, materials falling down and vermin or insect bites.
