What to Consider when Renting a Storage Space

People accumulate a lot of possessions throughout their lives. Despite the efforts of decluttering experts like Marie Kondo, most people are reluctant to get rid of items with a sentiment or monetary value, or perceived usefulness. However, a house can only hold so much before becoming overwhelmingly cluttered. Considering this, renting a storage space outside the home is an ideal solution to house your surplus possessions. Here are some factors to consider if you are looking to rent a storage space.

What to Consider when renting a storage space

What will you be storing

Practically anything can be kept in a storage unit—whatever you want to keep out of the way, it can go in storage space. Do you have a collection of classic cars? If so, specialist storage for cars is available, with a range of different sizes and indoor or outdoor options. What about a carefully curated collection of Barbie dolls that you love, but your spouse is less than happy about having around? They can live in a storage unit!

If you are storing delicate items, like family heirlooms, or an art or wine collection, you will need to take extra care. Make sure that they are wrapped in acid-free tissue paper before encasing them in more protective wrapping such as bubble wrap. 

This will protect them from any breaks or aging issues while in storage. Also, make sure you get a climate-controlled storage space, which will help to prevent damage from mildew, humidity, rust, and pests. This is advisable for storage any object, but especially so for delicate items. 

Finally, plenty of online resources such as this website offer help or even pieces of advice for packing items for safe transport and storage. Make sure to use good-quality materials for this task and wrap each item individually in soft cloth or bubble wrap. For especially fragile items like antiques, consider investing in specialty containers designed specifically for their protection.

How much storage space do you need

If you are looking to rent a storage unit, you should know how much self storage space you need. Storage units come in various sizes to accommodate your storage needs. The smallest size available measures 5’x5’; simply put, this is the size of a large closet and it is ideal if you want to keep seasonal items such as Christmas decorations out of the way. For more of medium-sized storage, a unit measuring 10’x10’ is approximately the size of a large bedroom. 

It can fit items such as mattresses, large appliances, and bedroom and living room furniture. The largest self-storage space available measures 10’x30’ and roughly fits the contents of a four to the six-bedroom house. 

This is a good option if you need temporary storage for your possessions while moving to a new house, or if you are carrying out the house clearance of a deceased family member before putting their property on the market.

For how long do you need storage space

Renting a storage space does not bind you to a lease for a specific amount of time—you can rent the space for however long it’s needed and leave whenever you want. If over time, you have more things to go in storage, you can upgrade to a larger unit. Likewise, you can downgrade to a smaller unit if you eventually dispose of some of your possessions.