Why Do People Use Self Storage?
In a world where space often comes at a premium, self storage has become an increasingly popular solution for individuals and businesses alike. Whether you're a homeowner seeking to declutter your living space, a business owner looking for additional inventory space for stock, equipment, tools, files and documents, or someone in transition between homes, self storage units offer a versatile and convenient solution. We’ll explore some compelling reasons why people might decide to use the self storage option, each with detailed explanations, practical tips, and real-world examples of how storage units can get you out of a pickle in a hurry.
1. Decluttering Home Spaces
Many people turn to self storage when they find their homes becoming cluttered with items they just simply don't use every day but want to keep. This can include seasonal decorations, old furniture, or sentimental items. Some times you just need to make a bit more space or need a big clear out. A family preparing for a new baby, needing more space might use a local self storage facility to store furniture and decorations temporarily, to create a bit more space ensuring the arrival of a child is as smooth and clutter-free as possible.
Practical Tips
- Sort and Label: Before storing, sort your items and label the boxes for easy retrieval. Divide your wardrobe space out in to things you haven't needed in a year. The chances are that if you haven't worn it in that time, then you might be able to get rid of it to free up some space.
- Donate: Donate any unwanted items to local charity shops, they’ll be glad to take your clutter and you’ll feel great knowing you’re making a difference.
- Recycle: Most materials and fabrics can be easily recycled in to something else and given a new lease of life. Check out your local recycling centre or drop off bins.
2. Moving Between Homes
Buying and selling your home can be tricky, the two dates don’t always match up so there can be periods in between completions where you’ll need to store all your items until your next house is ready. If you’re one of the lucky ones where you can switch from one house to the next then you really are on to a winner. However, we unfortunately hear it all the time, transitioning between homes isn’t always plain sailing, there can be a gap where your new home isn't ready, but your old home is no longer available and self storage can provide a safe, secure space for your belongings until your forever home is ready.
Practical Tips
- Short-term Leases: Look for facilities that offer flexible, short-term leases as well as flexible contracts. The last thing you want is to be trapped in a long contract for signing up for longer periods just to get a discount. Find a site where you can move freely between sizes if your circumstances change, you’re not trapped in to long fixed contracts, and you can come and go as you please.
- Accessible Location: Choose a storage facility close to your new or old home for convenience. Most people find something close to where they’re moving, so they can collect things for the new house as they’re ready. Other people prefer to use something closer to where they currently live, so they can have a sort out and take boxes out slowly.
3. Home Renovations
During renovations, it’s important to keep your belongings safe from dust, potential damage and generally just out of the way. Self storage offers a secure place to store items until your house is ready to be your home again. Homeowners renovating their kitchen might store appliances and dining furniture in a nearby self storage facility, keeping their belongings out of the way of those paintbrushes and hammers, supporting local small businesses in the area in the process.
Practical Tips
- Protect Furniture: Use protective covers to shield furniture from dust while moving. If you're having an extension to your home then check out your insurance documents before carrying out the work.
- Inventory List: Keep an inventory of stored items, which boxes they’re in and their location in the unit to track everything easily. You never know when you might need to pop back and get something at short notice, so have a look for facilities that offer the opening hours you'll need. There's no point booking somewhere that might close before you can get there.
4. Storing Business Inventory and Archive Storage
Small businesses often lack the space to store excess inventory, especially during peak seasons. Self storage provides an affordable alternative to larger commercial or retail spaces. Businesses often need to store important documents and files that are not needed daily but must be kept for legal or operational reasons. A local accounting firm might use a self storage unit to archive past years' tax records. Small law firms and agencies may need to keep records for years upon years without ever needing to access them, so keeping them off site is a great alternative to cluttering up store rooms. A local retail shop may use self storage to store their holiday inventory, seasonal items and Christmas decorations allowing them to use their space more efficiently by freeing up retail space for more customer-focused products.
Practical Tips
- Organise Efficiently: Use shelving units within the storage space for better organisation. Ask your storage provider about racking and shelving options available to ensure your items are stacked neatly and in a place you’ll be easily able to sort and find them.
- Regular Access: Choose a facility with 24/7 access if frequent retrieval is necessary. It might be that you need to pop over to get files or stock out of hours, on your way to or from the office, so make sure you choose a site that offers the flexibility to suit your needs.
- Secure Units: Opt for storage units with added security features like alarms and cameras.
5. Vehicle Storage
For those with caravans or extra vehicles, such as RVs, boats, or classic cars, self storage offers a secure location to keep these assets safe from the elements and potential theft. Some people have multiple cars or vehicles that they don't have room for on the drive, so a storage site is a great solution. Some sites offer secure parking options for cars, vans and commercial vehicles as well as putting vehicles inside the units themselves.
Practical Tips
- Insurance: Ensure your vehicle is insured even while in storage. Your site may have extensive CCTV, but you should always keep your items insured, even if you're not going to be driving the car.
- Access: Speak to your storage facility about the access they have to the units. Some storage companies put their shipping containers on high foundations meaning the drop is just too high for a car and the concern would be damaging the underside of the car. Other places have a smaller drop, or offer ramps to use while on site, so do your research to ensure you are able to use the unit appropriately.
- Maintenance: Perform basic maintenance like checking tyre pressures, oil and battery health before you put the vehicle in to a storage unit.
6. College Student Storage
College students often need a place to store their belongings during summer breaks or while studying abroad. Self storage is a convenient solution for the parents so they can make full use of their child's room while they’re away. Why not turn it in to a home gym or a peaceful reading nook with a few bookcases and a snuggly chair.
Practical Tips
- Student Discounts: Look for facilities that offer special discounts for students. If you're off to university for a few years and need to store things for a longer time, then look in to sites with long term discounts or cheaper units available.
- Share the Space: Consider sharing a unit with a friend from college to save costs, the smaller units are often a higher cost per sqft, so by pitching in with a friend or two you may end up with a bigger saving. Most storage companies can offer multiple keys at a small fee.
7. Going Travelling Abroad & Emigrating
When planning to go abroad or emigrate, using self storage can be an invaluable resource for securely storing belongings that are not immediately needed or cannot be taken along for the ride. This option provides peace of mind, knowing that personal items are safe and protected until a more permanent solution is found, or you return from your travels. You can store your furniture if you're renting out your house while away, knowing everything is safe, dry and secure. Equally, if you have just returned form an overseas stay, and you need somewhere to offload your items when you arrive, then storage facilities are ideal to house your items until you find somewhere to live.
Practical Tips
Practical Tips
- Research security features: Before choosing a storage facility, make sure you research and compare security features, such as the monitoring of surveillance cameras, motion detectors, the extent of the perimeter fencing, alarms and access controls, to ensure your items are well protected.
- Inventory: If you're looking for a longer term solution, then consider finding a lower cost option. Some facilities offer discounts on longer term contracts, others offer discounted units that are specifically for longer term storage, these may be upper tier units to be accessed with stairs or steps. While it might take a little bit longer to access the unit on the day, it would be worth it for the longer term, highly discounted, cheaper units since you wont be visiting regularly.
8. Military Deployment Storage
Military personnel frequently face deployments and need a secure place to store their belongings while away training or working abroad. A lot of the time they have extensive kit that they will have acquired over the years. Self storage offers a practical solution to this need as it is usually really flexible and you wont need to confirm end dates straight away.
Practical Tips
- Long-Term Options: Look for storage facilities offering the option of long-term flexibility without fixed contracts and long notice periods if your circumstances change quickly.
- Security: Ensure the facility has robust security measures if you’re not sure how often you’ll be coming to site.
9. Seasonal Gear Storage
Seasonal items like fishing gear, winter sports equipment or summer garden tools can take up unnecessary space in your home, shed or garage. Christmas decorations are becoming evermore popular and the displays are getting bigger and more extensive each year. Self storage allows you to store these items until they are needed again, rotating the items throughout the year so you can save space in your shed and pack it all away in a storage unit until you’re ready to swap them over.
Practical Tips
- Label Clearly: Clearly label boxes to make seasonal transitions easy, putting bigger bulkier items at the back when not in regular use.
- Stacking: Use vertical space in the unit to maximise the usable storage space, keep boxes level so they’re easily stacked. Remember that most storage containers are around 8ft high, so with a tactical approach, you can fit a vast supply of equipment in them, including surf boards if you have them!
- Dry everything out first: Ensure you dry out your tent or deflated Christmas decorations before putting them in to storage, try to keep your storage unit as dry as possible by not introducing any moisture with your items. This helps to prevent damp in the unit, keeping your items dry and safe.
10. Downsizing
Have the children flown the nest? Are you looking to downsize to something more manageable or retiring and don't need such a big space? As people downsize, either by choice or necessity, they often find they have more belongings than space. A retired couple moving to a smaller home might use a local self storage facility to keep family heirlooms and other valuable items while deciding what to keep and what just wont fit. It might be that you are downsizing to save money and in return you are forfeiting your garage, shed or loft space. Lots of landlords don't allow you to use their loft space for storage, so you'll need somewhere to store your Christmas decorations for next year. Bungalows and static caravans are a popular choice for older people, but that comes at a cost of having less space. Self storage provides a way to keep beloved items without cluttering a new, smaller living space. Storage units can be used as a temporary measure while you decide what to keep and what to get rid of during the process of moving, as well as a more permanent solution for the items that just wont fit in your new home, but you simply just can’t part with.
Practical Tips
- Plan Ahead: Sort through belongings and decide what to store and what to sell or donate. Choose a storage unit where you can park your car next to the unit for ease of access so you’re not carrying your items down corridors and across car parks. Book your unit to start before your actual moving day, then you can bring bits over slowly when convenient to avoid the full move on one day.
- Space Utilisation: Use every inch of the storage unit effectively by stacking and organising. Ask for advice from your local self storage facility, they’ll be happy to help advise you on how to pack your unit more efficiently and inform you of any shelving or racking options they offer
The convenience and versatility of self storage make it a valuable resource for many situations and is becoming increasingly popular year on year. Whether it's decluttering, transitioning, or protecting valuables, self storage offers practical solutions that benefit individuals and businesses alike. There are usually a few different storage facilities to choose from, so make your decision wisely, decide what are the factors important to you, is it purely a price based decision and you’re looking for the cheapest storage in the area, or are you looking for a place with extensive CCTV and extra security measures. Whatever might be top of your list, by choosing local self storage facilities over the bigger national companies, you're not just solving your space needs, but also supporting local small businesses that are vital to the community's economy. Why not ask your local storage companies if they support any small businesses or charities in the local community, by choosing these then you too are also supporting the local football teams, rugby clubs and charities. As you consider your own storage needs, reflect on how your choices can impact and support the local community by deciding on a local charity to donate the unwanted items to.
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