You can make sure that you get the most out of your storage unit rental near Mountain View if you ask the right questions of the self-storage facility’s manager before signing a rental agreement. You should make sure that you know the storage facility’s rental contract and billing options, access hours and security features, and available storage unit sizes. Here are just a few of the questions that you should ask before committing to a storage unit rental.

What Are Your Rental Terms and Billing Options?

Before renting a self-storage unit, you should determine how long you think you’ll need to store your belongings there. If you aren’t really sure how long you’ll need your storage unit, you should choose a storage facility that offers flexible rental contracts and billing options. This allows you to rent a storage unit month-to-month, rather than on a long-term lease, making it easier to store your items without worrying about them. You can also choose to pre-pay for your unit when it’s convenient for you, rather than receiving a monthly bill.

How Secure is the Storage Facility And What are Your Access Hours?

Regardless of what you’ll be storing in your self-storage unit, you want to choose a secure storage facility. A secure storage facility will only allow access via an electronic keypad to ensure that your belongings are safe from theft or vandalism. You’ll also want to be clear on what the access hours are for your storage facility. Some storage facilities only allow renters access to their storage units during certain hours.

What Sizes Do You Offer for Self-Storage Units?

You should rent a storage unit that is slightly larger than you think you’ll need, so that you’ll have room to find and retrieve boxes when you need to access your items. Find out from the storage facility manager what storage unit sizes they offer to renters. Make sure that they offer a storage unit in a size that meets your particular needs.

If you’ve ever packed or unpacked a box, chances are you’ve come across plastic sheeting better known as bubble wrap. Bubble wrap is an excellent packing material that protects fragile items during shipment and storage—and it’s also satisfying to pop! You might be surprised to learn that bubble wrap was originally invented not as a packing material, but as a way to create textured wallpaper. When that idea didn’t take off, it was used as greenhouse insulation. Eventually, bubble wrap was used to protect IBM computers during shipment in the late 1950s, and has been the packing and storage material of choice ever since. Take a look at this infographic from Independence Storage, a self-storage facility in Palo Alto , to learn more about the history of bubble wrap, and what makes popping it so entertaining. Please feel free to share these fun facts with your friends and family.

It is easy to allow clutter to build up in your home, but it can also be easy to remove it! Between donations, recycling, and storage units near Mountain View, you have plenty of options when it comes to clearing out your living space. Be sure to stay organized and methodical in your storage unit planning approach, put your needs to the test, and give your extra things to someone who could use them. Read on for a closer look at some of these creative ways to get rid of clutter.

Break It Down

rounding up a few large boxes and sorting your clutter among them. One box might be for items that you plan to donate, another might be for recycling, and a third might be for belongings that will go to your storage unit rental. Keep these boxes handy as you gradually sort more and more items into each of them. After a week of sorting into these boxes, take them to their designated locations.

Challenge Yourself

Many people hold onto items that they do not need because they are convinced that they will still make use of them someday. You can look at your belongings objectively by challenging yourself to only use the ones you need. You might decide to wear only a certain amount of outfits per month so that you can eliminate the ones that you evidently do not favor; then you can give these eliminated garments to friends, family members, or those who are in need.

Spread the Wealth

Some have overcome extensive clutter by making it a point to give their things away on a daily basis. If you give even one item away to someone else each day, you can eliminate your clutter while making a different person happy. This can even serve as an opportunity to strengthen your relationships with friends and family members by giving them thoughtful gifts.

Uprooting your belongings and moving them into your new self-storage unit in Mountain View can be taxing, which is why it helps to use a few handy tools throughout the process. Hand trucks, dollies, and moving straps can all help you move your things into your secure storage facility safely and comfortably. Watch this video to learn about the tools that make moving into storage easier.

Hand trucks, dollies, and moving straps are convenient because you can rent them or purchase them. A hand truck will allow you to move a stack of boxes out to your moving truck or into your storage unit without the risk of dropping them. Dollies can support a substantial amount of weight, which makes them ideal for moving large appliances or heavy furniture into a storage unit. It is always helpful to secure your belongings to the moving apparatus with moving straps to keep them from falling over.

How to use dollies, hand trucks and moving straps to make your next move easier!

You have to sell your current home before you can move to a new one, and a big part of this process is staging. Properly staging your home can make it as appealing as possible, which encourages potential buyers to make an offer! Find out how renting a storage unit from a self-storage facility in Mountain View can help by watching this video clip.

A properly staged home should be clean, impersonal, and clutter free. A clean and well-kept home should have a nice paint job, aesthetic doors, and quality floor treatments. It helps to remove pictures of yourself or your family so that people can imagine themselves living in your home during the open house. If you have a bit of clutter around the house that you do not want to throw away, consider using a storage unit rental to keep your belongings out of sight and in a storage unit while you show your house to potential buyers.

5 Home Staging Essentials

Oftentimes, people find themselves in need of a self-storage unit in Palo Alto. The reasons tend to vary. Someone may require an overflow storage space to relieve his packed garage whereas another one may be in-between living situations. Regardless of the reason, you may find yourself requiring a storage unit rental for your knickknacks and furnishings. When you do, it will be helpful for you to know how to prepare your large furniture pieces for storage—particularly your sofa. By following proper techniques, you can ensure that your cozy couch remains in good condition while it is safely stowed away.

Materials You Should Have

Before you pack your sofa into your self-storage unit, you need to prep it. Have these materials on hand: cleaning rags, appropriate cleaning solutions, bubble wrap or corrugated cardboard, large garbage bags or plastic wrap, large tarps or plastic sheeting, and pallets.

What to Do

Clean your sofa by wiping it down with a dirt-free rag and cleaner. If desired, polish any wood or metal with solutions that are specifically formulated for the job. Disassemble your sofa, if possible, and place parts in properly labeled bags or boxes. Use bubble wrap to cover fragile and easily scratched pieces. Bag up loose cushions and pillows. Be sure that all parts of your sofa are thoroughly dry before storing. In the storage unit, place sofa on tarp-shrouded pallets and wrap any exposed wood or metal with plastic sheeting or cardboard. Swathe sofa with a large tarp or a thick canvas sheet for extra protection.

Helpful Storage Tips

Most sofas are rather costly to buy. The last thing you want to happen while it is being stored is for it to get damaged. Remember not to stack heavy things on your sofa, as they can permanently cause unsightly indentations. If you spent a lot of money on your couch, you might want to choose a climate-controlled unit that can protect your furniture from moisture, pests, or extreme temperatures. It costs more to rent, but it will give you peace of mind. For more assurance, consider taking out an insurance policy on your storage unit. When in doubt, consult a knowledgeable storage professional.

Moving day can be very stressful, but there are steps you can take to make the process much easier. If you want to avoid losing anything during a move, it’s a good idea to organize your belongings efficiently and effectively. It can be especially important to keep tabs of your belongings if some of them will be moved to your new home, while others will be placed in a storage unit rental in Palo Alto .

It’s not always easy to keep track of everything you own during this hectic event, but thankfully, there’s an app for that. Moving Van is an app for Apple devices that can help you keep track of the location and contents of each box, whether it’s in your van or in a storage unit. With a few simple taps, you’ll know whether you’ve moved your coffee maker to your new house or to your storage unit rental. With the help of this simple program, the process of moving and storing items at a storage facility will become much easier.

One of the most common concerns with moving is the possibility of lost or damaged items. Keeping track of your belongings is especially important if you’re planning on using a storage unit rental in Palo Alto because nobody wants to be digging through boxes at a storage facility to make sure they didn’t lose anything.

It’s often difficult to keep track of everything you own, so you may not even notice that something is missing until it’s too late. Thankfully, this app will help you to organize everything you have packed to ensure that nothing gets left behind. With the Moving Day app, you can record information including specific details about every item in each box in order to avoid any problems and further protect your property in a storage unit.

Moving can be stressful enough as it is without having to worry about items being broken or damaged during shipment and storage. In addition to looking for a dependable self-storage unit in Palo Alto, there are other steps that you can take to safely package your goods to ensure their protection. It’s easy to make a mistake in packaging that can make moving even more difficult, so keep these tips in mind to avoid problems during the process of moving.

Safely pack boxes

A well packed box will be easy to move from one location to another. For this reason, it is important to remember to keep boxes as light as possible. To avoid any struggles with heavy boxes, make sure to pack heavy items into smaller boxes while lighter items are packed into bigger boxes. If you do have to pack hefty valuables with delicate items, make sure to put your weighty items in the box first to avoid damage and use boxes efficiently.

Properly seal boxes

When you’re finished packing a box, it can be tempting to just put a few pieces of tape on the top and bottom and call it a day. However, depending on how heavy the box is, you will probably want to wrap both the bottom and top edges of the box in tape to ensure that the package is secure. This strategy can come in especially handy if you plan on storing any of your valuables at a storage facility, as it will protect them from potential water damage.

Label each box

While packing, it is a good idea to keep items intended for one specific room in the same box. Taking this approach allows you to label the boxes with not only the items inside, but also the room in which they will most likely be placed. Should you need to use a ground level storage unit, informative labelling will help you to keep track of everything you need to do in the moving process.

If you’re putting fine china in a storage unit , you need to take extra care to make sure these fragile belongings come out in one piece. For starters, layer a compact box with packing peanuts. Wrap each piece of china individually using bubble wrap and place inside the box. Fill extra space between china with packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper. Finally, seal the box, mark as “fragile,” and use arrows to indicate which side is up.

Watch this short video for more tips on packing fine china and other fragile items. With these packing and moving tips, you’ll have no problem moving into your self-storage unit in Palo Alto. You can also find boxes, packing peanuts, packing tape, and everything else you need to pack up your belongings at a storage facility in Mountain View.

How to pack and move fragile items

Whether you’re moving a few items into a self-storage unit or moving all of your belongings to a new home across the county, staying organized is the key to a successful move. As your home begins to fill up with moving boxes, keep a home inventory sheep to keep track of your belongings and color code the boxes so you know which items are in which box. Simple organization tips like these are easy to accomplish and can save you lots of time and frustration during your move. Watch this short video clip from MyMove.com to learn more about these and other smart moving tips.

Home Inventory and Color Coding for an Organized Move

Your storage facility near Palo Alto will have everything you need to stay organized during a move. From packing tape and permanent markers to moving boxes and inventory sheets, you can find all the materials you need to pack up and prepare items for storage at Independence Storage.

Moving into a storage unit in Mountain View isn’t the same as cramming your things in a closet. For starters, you want to avoid wasting space as much as possible. Use uniformly sized boxes to protect your goods and help you pack your unit in the most organized and efficient manner. Store lightweight items near the back of the unit and heavier items near the front, and plan around the amount of access you need to your unit and the belongings in storage. Keep a list and descriptions of all belongings in storage. Ask your insurance company and storage facility about insurance coverage for your stored belongings.

Your storage facility can share more tips for an easy and stress-free move into your new self-storage unit. You may be able to pick up all the supplies you need for an easy move at the facility, so call ahead before you drive all over town looking for moving boxes, packing tape, and bubble paper.

Are you moving some belongings into a secure storage facility? No matter the size of your self-storage unit, there are a few strategies you can use to make sure you’re getting the most out of your space. When you move into your self-storage unit in Mountain View , use these tips to pack your space the right way.

Create a Walkway

You might be surprised to learn that the best way to use your storage unit rental isn’t to fill every bit of space. The parts of the unit you don’t fill with boxes are as important as those you do. When you’re unloading your boxes, be sure to leave room for a walkway around your belongings. Remember that you’re going to need to be able to access those belongings at some point, and when the item you want to take out is in the very back of the unit, you’ll be relieved if you can walk to it instead of having to unload the entire storage space to reach the right box.

Pack the Right Way

Big pieces of furniture don’t need boxes of course, but most of your other belongings do. Don’t stack books, dishes, and other belongings outside of a box or container. Instead, pack everything into boxes that are clearly labeled. Be very specific with your labels and make sure that the labels face outwards or towards your walkway. It can also be helpful to number your boxes and keep a corresponding inventory sheet so it is even easier to find your things.

Load from Tallest to Shortest

The tallest items you have—such as mattresses and furniture—should be packed against the wall. Then, stack your boxes so that the tallest boxes are in the back and the shortest are in the front. This will give you the best view of your items when you go to your storage unit.

Before you bring your belongings to the storage facility in Mountain View , you have to properly pack your items so they remain safe while they are in the storage unit. Be sure that you have sturdy boxes so they properly protect your items while they are in storage.

Place the box on its top and fold in all of the flaps of the bottom. Make sure they connect before you use a tape dispenser to close the box securely. Do this a few times along the seam of the box, and then add a few lines in the opposite direction to ensure that it is very strong. Once you pack the box with the items that you want to take to the storage unit in Mountain View, repeat the process on the top. Check out this video to learn more about the right way to tape a box.

How to Tape Moving Boxes