How to Pack for your New Self Storage Unit

Britannia Self Storage Packing 

What’s the best way to pack a self storage unit in Huddersfield?

There’s an art to packing a self storage unit to make the very best use of every inch of space.

It’s easy to over estimate how much space you’ll need as you’ll be amazed how much you can fit into our units here at Britannia Self Storage in Huddersfield if it’s packed properly.

A badly packed self storage unit will cost you more as there will be lots of wasted space in your unit so take time to plan, draw up an inventory and label all your boxes.

Here’s how to pack like a pro!

  • Make a list of the important things you’re storing and even take a photo of them to remind you of what they are. It’s easy to forget what you’ve put into self storage after it’s been in there a few months. It can be really frustrating rooting around and opening boxes to try to find something when you’ve no real idea where you’ve packed it.
  • If you’re a super organised person you could even draw a layout of where everything is in the unit and put a copy of the plan and a list of everything in your unit in a folder in the unit itself so it’s handy every time you visit.
  • Pack as much as you can into strong cardboard or plastic storage boxes with several the same size and shape so you can stack them vertically on top of one another. We can provide cardboard boxes, bubble wrap and tape so there is no need for you to use weak, secondhand cardboard boxes that can collapse under weight and damage the items inside. Write on the sides or use stick on labels saying what’s in them so you can easily find what you want when you go back to your unit. Make sure the label can be clearly seen – not facing the back of the unit.
  • Mark fragile items perhaps in red on the box or label so you can spot them instantly and take extra care when moving those boxes.
  • Don’t forget that your Britannia Self Storage unit is quite high so you need to make use of all that lovely space. You could do this by using your own racking.
  • When stacking, start with the boxes with the heaviest stuff at the bottom of the pile and then progressively lighter as you put one box on top of another. Don’t pack so much into the heavier boxes that you’ll struggle to lift and shift them.
  • Furniture such as beds, mattresses and sofas need to be stored on their sides or ends to use less space and stack chairs pad to pad. Dismantle anything you can so it’ll take up way less storage space. These bulky items need to be at the back of the unit or against the walls unless you’re likely to need them quite soon after storing them.
  • Put the items you’ll need least at the back of the storage unit and things you’ll need most at the front so you can quickly find them each time you visit.
  • Leave an aisle or walkway in your unit so you can reach anything without having to move stuff around or even take it out of the unit to have to put it back in again. If you have a large unit you’ll need to leave more room to move around in there and get things out of boxes.
  • Fill any gaps with those awkward shaped items as you methodically turn your self storage unit into a stacking work of art from the back of the unit to the front.
  • Make the best use of any hollow space so fill cabinets, wardrobes, chest of drawers and suitcases with other items. They are ideal to store seasonal clothes, Christmas decorations, home furnishings and linen.
  • Always clean any outdoor equipment such as gardening tools before storing them and put something protective over any sharp edges.
  • Pop a dust sheet over what you can to give them that extra cover although our Britannia Self Storage units are all brand new, installed in March 2024, and the place is as clean as a whistle.
  • Always secure your unit with a padlock and you can get one from us.
  • We have large trolleys at Britannia Self Storage and the car park is just outside the door so you can quickly roll everything in from your vehicle to your self storage unit. All the units are on the ground floor very near the entrance so there’s no messing about pushing down long corridors or having to go up and down in lifts.
  • Make sure you’ve got insurance for your self storage unit as it may be covered on your home or business insurance. If not, we’ve teamed up with Insurastore to give you the very best prices from as little as 29p per week for every £1,000 worth of stuff you store with us. For more details on Insurastore, click here.

Our staff at Britannia Self Storage will always be on hand to advise you on the best sized unit to rent to make sure you can get everything in and have room to manoeuvre when getting it out.

For friendly advice call us on 01484 501800 or email info@britanniaselfstorage.co.uk.

 Click to view storage units.

Back to blog