People need storage on a daily basis and that is a fact. Our entire homes are storage units basically. We store our clothes, food, electronic devices, furniture and everything else we need in our lives there. Even stores where we buy things for our everyday life have the same base meaning in its own name. The only difference between these and storage units in the traditional sense is that we are not gonna use things while they are in storage units. Whether we are talking about renting a warehouse or one smaller storage unit, we cannot simply put our things there without first preparing our things properly. That is why we have prepared a list of 5 storage mistakes to avoid.

While in theory, it sounds simple enough – You just take your thing to the storage unit, leave them there and lock up, the reality is, of course, more complex than that. You may be renovating your home or moving to a new one, but the fact remains – you need a plan. This is true when it comes to renovating your home, this is true if you are moving to a new one. In both cases, there is a natural flow of the process and phases you have to think about. If you are getting ready for a move, then you have to hire a reliable moving company such as KSE moving. Then you have to choose to move and then you have to start organizing your packing schedule. In order to avoid mistakes, you will need proper organization. 

So, what are the 5 most common storage mistakes to avoid and how to avoid them?

1. Not making an inventory list is one of the worst storage mistakes to avoid

It simply is one of the worst mistakes you can make when it comes to storing and/or moving to a new home. Sometimes people underestimate the importance and utility of an inventory list, but they are seriously wrong about it. They are super useful in several ways. The first one relates to filling a moving insurance claim as you will need this document for it. Though by hiring one of the quality overseas shipping companies if you are moving overseas, or one of the local ones if you are moving locally, your things may sometimes end up lost or damaged due to nobody’s fault at all. So, this is a good way to be prepared for it.

The second way you can use the list relates to packing. Make an inventory list of all the items that you are going to be packing. This way you will have a full overview of everything that you have to pack. You can then far more efficiently distribute weight across your boxes and packing containers. Then, thirdly, while you pack you can make notes for each item that you pack. You can put marks or details by each item that denotes in which box they are located. This now brings us to the second one of the storage mistakes to avoid.

2. Not labelling those boxes before you move them to storage

This is for sure one of the mistakes that can really make things complicated if you make it. By having them all clearly labelled you can make things far easier in case of emergency. By this, we mean if you need something urgently, you can find what you need in the storage easily if you know what you are looking for exactly. If you did not label them in some way, then you may have to go through them all in order to find what you were looking for. You can easily avoid this by labelling them with letters, numbers, titles, or stickers. One of the best ways to do this is by combining letters and numbers. Simply write “K3” or “Kitchen 3” to denote kitchen box number 3. Then simply mark beside each item on the inventory list with this same mark and you will know where everything is.

3. Not leaving enough time for loading and unloading

Do you remember what we said about planning everything? Planning does not only involve hiring professionals to transport your belongings. It also involves leaving enough time to actually do all that needs to be done. Managing your time is thus of utmost importance. If you want the move to go smoothly, then you have to leave enough time to load and unload the truck all of the boxes. Furthermore, you should think in advance how you should position those boxes in the truck. Not all of them can be up or down, depending on their weight and size, so think about this.

4. Locations and positions

What we said in the previous section about positioning those boxes is really important. From putting them in the transport vehicle to storing them, you must be aware of this. The thing that you must bear in mind is that not every box is equally durable. So, consider that when you start placing them. Stronger, heavier ones should go to the bottom, and those lighter ones should go to the top. Those with fragile content you should definitely place in such a way that they are not under any kind of pressure. Also, make sure that neither of them is on directly on the ground. Set them up on a platform so you avoid the risk of moisture. Simply, put them on a wooden pallet and you won’t have to worry about that.

5. Be careful with insurance

If you are moving and you need to store those things just for a couple of days, you may perhaps gamble with it. However, it is always the safest option to get insurance for your belongings. Check with your moving company what options do they offer. This can make all the difference in regarding the whole process a successful one or a failure.