Square foot storage solutions faqs

Select strong double lined boxes. Use the smaller boxes for heavy items, such as books and dishes, and the larger boxes for lighter items, such as bedding, blankets and linens.

Don’t try to pack too much into the boxes as they can start to bulge and this makes them unstable when you are stacking. If you under pack, any boxes on top, could sink and potentially crush items in the half empty box underneath.

Use a good marker pen to label the contents of every box. This will save you a lot of time, when looking for a specific item and means you won’t need to open up all the boxes. You can label boxes that are fragile, such as glassware and crockery, and with arrows write “This way up”.

If it doesn’t fit in a box and needs protecting, use bubble wrap, semi rigid bubble-wrap, paper blankets, moving blankets, whichever is best suited. These are all good options at doing the job of protecting your precious items and furniture.

Use a good quality tape for your boxes, you will not regret it. When making-up the boxes use two or three lines of tape to cover the folding joints and make sure you have enough to come up on each side of the box. This will add strength when packing and placing items in the box.

Bin bags are not storage friendly. You can’t see what’s inside, the items can get squashed or damaged and they do not provide adequate ventilation for items like clothes. As an alternative why not use hanging wardrobe boxes or clear plastic Zip Lock bags for your clothes.

Make a list of the items in storage and where to find them and stick a copy inside your storage unit. You will save yourself a lot of time if you need to retrieve that one specific box. Alternatively take photos and make sure the labels are visible and this way you have another visual guide to what is inside your storage unit.

If you are going to access your unit on a regular basis, why not create a path down the centre, in case you need to get something at the back and why not put up free standing shelving inside the unit so that you can easily access and organise your items. It also means you use the height of the unit to its full benefit.

If you choose not to use shelving make the best use of your space by stacking to the ceiling. The best way to do this is to place the heavy items at the bottom; this will provide a stable base and then put the lighter items on top.

Use products such as heavy duty mattress covers or large clear cushion bags to protect these items and this will ensure they stay in perfect condition. If the mattresses and cushions are going to stay in storage for a long time you could leave one end of the bag or cover open, allowing the items some air ventilation and preventing any mildew.