Moving is hard enough, and home improvement hassles can add up. Simplifying with a self storage unit to store and secure your items can definitely make the process easier. See below for some great tips on how to maximize any self storage space.

1. Wrap, wrap, wrap! Wrapping furniture, mattresses or other with plastic will help them to stay clean in storage, as well as in the moving process. Moving trucks don’t always have the cleanest floors (particularly in winter moves), and plastic bags can help to get the items around tight corners.
2. Try to completely pack your boxes. Put your heaviest items on the bottom and the lighter items on top, however be mindful of the weight of the box, as you will need to carry this at some point in time. As well, avoid over loading or the boxes may tear.
3. Use quality packing materials – uniform boxes will allow for easier stacking, and will avoid crushed contents.
4. Wrap fine china and other valuables in plain paper such as unprinted news print, as inked paper may run.
5. Place items that you may need more frequently in front and allow for walking space between items in order to keep everything accessible.
6. Pictures and Mirrors should be wrapped in suitable boxes and marked as “Fragile”. Be sure to take extra care in placing these in the storage unit.
7. Label your boxes for easy identification, with a list of the contents on all four sides. This can take some extra work, but will save time later on, and won’t be as much work if the items boxed are grouped with like items.
8. Seal all boxes with packing tape to help to add strength and to help to protect the contents from dust.
9. Create a list of all of the items that you keep in the storage and keep it in a safe place. You may want to define what approximate area the boxed items end up in the storage unit to speed access, particularly if you aren’t going to the storage unit yourself to pick items up.
10. Load heavy, bulky items first and place these items on the floor of your mini storage unit to provide a good base and pack for stability to avoid your items tipping, or falling on someone.
11. Use hollow spaces in clean, large items for storage! Furniture with drawers can be used as storage space for smaller and fragile items, Wrap these items in paper, towels or blankets to prevent breakage. Use the space in the dryer to pack linen and clothing.
12. When storing mattresses on end, make sure they are firmly braced to stand up straight to avoid them bending out of shape.
13. Shovels, rakes, hoes and water hoses can be stored neatly in an empty trash can, where you will be likely to look for them later on.
14. Remove the legs from tables sand furniture whenever possible to save space. Be sure to tape loose legs and hardware together so you don’t lose them.
15. Remove couch cushions and store them on top of the couch to keep them from being crushed. Store the couch on its end to save space if possible, depending on the shape of the chair.

If you have any questions about self storage, please feel free to pop in a call! Our friendly storage experts will be glad to help out.

For additional information please visit Gladwin Self Storage conveniently located on Gladwin Crescent in the heart of Ottawa’s East end. With easy access to Highway 417 off of Inness Rd. or St. Laurent Blvd. Gladwin Self Storage is a short drive from anywhere in Ottawa!

Looking for Ottawa self storage prices? Contact us below!

2221 Gladwin Crescent
Ottawa, ON K1B 4K9
(613) 739-9400