A deployment can be a tough time for every member of your family. If you are getting ready for a long deployment, you will need to deal with practical matters, such as where to keep your belongings while you are overseas. A storage unit rental facility in Palo Alto will provide you with a secure storage unit to keep all of your household items while you are on deployment. If you are gearing up for a deployment, keep the following storage tips in mind:

Consider Downsizing Your Home

If your deployment will last for 12 months or more, your family may want to choose to move into a smaller home while you are away. As you are choosing what to place in storage, and what will remain with your family during the deployment, consider downsizing some of your items. By donating or eliminating some of your family’s stuff, you will have an easier time during the moving and storage process.

Ask About Auto Storage

For many families, auto storage is necessary during a long deployment. Rather than having your car sit in the driveway while you are away overseas, you can protect the value and safety of your vehicle by placing it into storage. Many self storage facilities have auto storage options that are perfect for military members and their families. After you have placed your car into storage, you will not have to worry about keeping it protected while you are away.

Evaluate Your Security Needs

Since you will be far away from your family during your deployment, you will need to make sure that you choose a secure storage facility for your belongings. High security storage units are equipped with advanced safety features that will protect your stuff during your deployment. Before you leave for your trip, take the time to inspect the storage unit and ensure that it offers all of the security features are needed to provide you with peace of mind while you are away.

A piano is a cherished item that may stay in your family for generations. However, there may come a time when your home does not have the space necessary to store this large musical instrument. As you are reviewing your storage options in Mountain View , consider renting a self storage unit that is large enough to house your piano. By placing your piano in a storage unit, you can rest assured that it is in a safe and secure location. To help you prepare for storing your musical instrument, here is a look at some piano storage tips.

Prevent Dust Accumulation

Dust can cause significant damage to your piano’s keys and other delicate components. When you are preparing to store your piano, you will need to take the steps that are necessary to prevent dust from accumulating within your instrument. A special cloth pad can be placed over the keys to keep dust away. Before you cover your piano, take the time to ensure that it has been dusted thoroughly.

Clean and Polish the Surface

Before you move your piano into your storage unit, you will need to take the time to make sure that is has been properly cleaned and polished. Placing a dirty piano in storage can lead to the deterioration of its exterior surfaces over time. A special piano polishing product can be used to clean, buff, and protect the body of your piano. Once you have taken the time to clean any dirt or residue from your piano, you will be ready to start the moving and packing process.

Use a Protective Covering

Pianos are very delicate, and they can become seriously damaged if they are not moved with the utmost care. If you are planning on placing your piano into storage, consider investing in a protective covering that will prevent bumps, scratches, and other forms of damage. Along with protecting your piano during the move, the cover can provide another layer of protection against dust and humidity.

When a loved one passes away, you may be faced with the difficult task of sorting through their belongings. If your friend or family member has a storage unit near Mountain View, you will need to contact the storage rental company as soon as possible. Your storage unit company will be able to provide you with a prorated rental discount while you take the time to sort through the items that were left in the unit. Let’s take a look at what happens to a storage unit after the renter dies.

The storage center is contacted.

After a renter passes away, their next of kin will oversee contacting the storage rental company. Ideally, the initial contact will occur within weeks or months of the person’s passing. When the storage rental company is contacted, they will be able to start making the necessary arrangements to either clear out the storage unit or renew the contract in the next of kin’s name.

Unit access is granted.

You or your family members will need to be provided with access to the deceased’s storage unit rental. If your loved one provided you with access before he or she passed away, you will be able to find the storage rental location and unit number easily. If your loved one did not pass on this information, you may have to obtain special access from the rental company.

Rent is prorated or refunded.

A storage rental company will typically work with you to provide you with a prorated refund of the rental cost. Rather than having to continue to make payments on the price of the storage unit rental, you can typically receive a refund for the time remaining on the rental. If you have questions about clearing out a storage unit rental after a loved one passes away, do not hesitate to call your local storage facility.

As the summer season winds to a close, many students are gearing up to move into their college dorm rooms. This video from Meredith Grace provides essential tips and tricks for saving space in a dorm room. If your closet is crowded with clothing, consider doubling up your hangers and packing them in storage bags. A storage unit in Mountain View can also provide you with additional space for your college items.

If your son or daughter is getting ready to move into the dorms, consider renting a student storage unit . A storage unit rental will provide your college student with plenty of storage space throughout the school year and during the summer season.

After the birth of your first child, you may be surprised at the sheer volume of stuff that is required for parenting a newborn. As your child gets older, many of your essential baby items will no longer need to be used. Rather than donating or tossing these items, however, you may want to place them in a storage unit near Palo Alto . A storage rental company that offers mobile storage can house your baby gear for future children or grandchildren. Read on for a look at what new parents should know about storing baby gear.

Baby Clothes Should be Clean and Folded

When you decide to have another child, you can save time and money by reusing many of the baby clothes that were worn by your firstborn. To prepare your baby clothes for storage, you will need to clean and fold them prior to packing. Ideally, you should wash baby clothing in unscented laundry detergent, as strongly scented cleaning products can attract moths and other unwanted pests.

Baby Swings and Cribs Can Often Be Disassembled

Prior to placing larger baby items, such as cribs and swings, into storage, you may want to determine whether they can be disassembled. Many baby items are specifically designed to easily break down for compact storage. If you are unable to disassemble a larger baby item, it is a good idea to cover it with a drop cloth once it has been moved into the storage unit.

Baby Toys Can be Stored for Future Generations

If you have invested in quality toys for your young children, you may want to consider storing these items for use by future generations of your family. Once your children have grown old enough to have families of their own, they may be delighted to discover that you have kept some of their favorite childhood playthings. Long term storage will allow you to keep these items around for many years, without having to take up valuable closet space in your home.

Moving to a new home can be a stressful process, but there are many ways to help ease the stress and make moving easier for you and your family. Using temporary storage near Mountain View is one way to take off some pressure to move items right away or store belongings you are not ready to part with. Let’s take a closer look at how self-storage can ease your moving process.

The moving process involves a lot of organization. In addition to organizing your daily life to move from one place to another, you must organize the furniture, decorations, dishes, and personal belongings in your home. You can make this process much easier by renting a storage unit throughout the moving process. For example, if you must wait to move into your new home, then you can store many of your belongings into temporary storage until you can move into your new home. If you need to move right away, then you use temporary storage to keep items safe until you have the time to sort through them. Self-storage gives you more control and eases the moving process for you and your family.

Whether you are transitioning between homes, or simply need more storage space for your existing property, renting a storage unit is a great way to take charge of your household clutter. After you rent self storage in Mountain View , it will be your responsibility to make sure that your unit is properly arranged. By reviewing the dos and don’ts of storage unit arrangement, you can avoid an organizational problem at some point down the line. Read on to learn some important mistakes to avoid when you arrange your storage unit.

Forgetting to Label Boxes

As you are getting your belongings ready for a move into storage, you may need to organize them into various moving boxes. When you are in the process of placing items into boxes, do not forget to create a detailed label for each box that you pack. Without informational labels, it will be impossible to know which items are located in your various boxes. Taking the time to label each box will prevent organizational problems in the future.

Neglecting to Put Large Items in the Back

Size is an important consideration when you are arranging your storage unit. Rather than simply moving your items into storage at random, you will want to take the time to organize them by size. Large items, such as pieces of furniture, should nearly always be placed in the back of your storage unit rental. Putting bulky items in first will allow you to organize smaller stuff more easily.

Placing Essential Items Out of Reach

While some items that are in your storage unit may not be useful to you very often, others may need to be easily accessible. If you can anticipate needing to take out an item from storage within a few months of your initial rental, you will want to place it as close to the front as possible. Taking the time to sort your stuff by importance will allow you to achieve the best results from your storage unit arrangement.

If maintaining a clean and tidy workspace is among your New Year’s resolutions, you may want to take the time to declutter your office environment. Removing excess office supplies, paper, and other items will make your office much easier to clean. With a storage unit rental in Mountain View , you can safely store any essential items that may be cluttering up your workstation. Storage units are great for housing paper, office supplies, and any other materials that are crowding up your office. To highlight the terrific benefits of a storage unit rental, here is a look at three quick ideas that will help you declutter your office.

Clear Off Your Desk

One of the most effective strategies for decluttering your office is to make sure that the surface of your desk remains as clean and tidy as possible. Rather than stacking mail, documents, and other nonessential items on the surface of your desk, you can file them safely away. By taking a minimalist approach to your desk, you can provide your office space with a tidier look and feel.

Organize Your Electronics

A modern office typically contains several different electronic devices, including computers, printers, fax machines, and phones. When you are decluttering your office, you will want to make sure that your electronics are as organized as possible. For example, it is a terrific idea to take the time to tame your power cords using twist ties or other forms of housing. Getting electronic cords off of your desk will free up additional empty space.

Rent a Storage Unit

Rather than facing the hard choice of having to throw certain items away, you may want to instead rent a storage unit for those excess materials that seem to be cluttering up your office. When you place your extra office items in storage, you can rest assured that they are secure and protected from water and sunlight. Your storage rental facility can provide you with additional information about the benefits of renting a storage unit for your office.

A temporary storage unit can provide you with valuable space during your next transition. When you are choosing a storage rental company near Palo Alto , you will want to make sure that your storage options include high quality security features. With advanced security and safety systems, your storage rental company will be able to provide you with total assurance that your valuable belongings are protected from theft and harm. If you are gearing up to rent a storage unit, be sure to read on to learn more about how to judge the security features of a storage facility.

Alarm Systems

One of the most important security features for any storage unit is a quality alarm system. A security alarm will deter burglars, and will also notify the proper authorities immediately when a break-in takes place. As you are considering renting a storage unit, you may want to ask your storage company about what type of alarm system they have installed in their facility.

Video Surveillance

Video surveillance is another must for any quality storage unit facility. Since there are typically many people coming and going from a storage facility throughout the course of a given day, a video surveillance system will allow the security personnel at your facility to keep track of who enters and leaves. Additionally, in the unfortunate event that a crime occurs at a storage facility, video surveillance will provide valuable assistance towards identifying and apprehending the criminal.

Advanced Locks

Finally, you will also want to evaluate the quality and condition of the locks that are installed throughout the storage unit facility. For example, you may want to seek out a storage facility that offers password or passkey access to each individual storage unit. With a passkey access system, you can rest assured that you are the only person who has access to your stored belongings. Additionally, you may also want to determine whether your facility has secure padlocks or other physical locking mechanisms.

Storing items is a great way to keep them safe without taking up valuable space in your home. You’ve made the decision to rent a high quality storage unit in Palo Alto, but you need to know exactly what you can, and cannot, keep in your new storage unit.

For the most part, almost anything can go in a storage unit rental. This means that your possibilities are endless as long as it can fit in the unit. However, there are only a few kinds of products that can’t be stored no matter their size. If you’re storing something toxic or living, such as chemicals or an animal, then you need to look elsewhere for storage. The same goes for edible items and flammable products. These are all potential hazards, either to the people or items in the storage facility. Your storage facility might have further restrictions on their units, but these are the most common. Always follow the rules of your facility.

Moving items into your first self-storage unit in Palo Alto can be a stressful time. Usually you’re moving or downsizing your home, and you might already feel frazzled. Don’t let yourself get caught in common, yet less-known, mistakes when packing your storage unit for the first time.

Not Enough Room for the Moving Truck

Whether you’re using a professional moving company or your own group of friends, make sure the moving truck will fit through the aisles and roads of the self-storage facility. To make room for as many units as they can, storage facilities may have tight corners and narrow aisles, big enough for a standard truck, but not a professional moving truck. If the truck may not fit well through the facility, ask if there is another entrance closer to your storage unit rental. If the truck won’t fit, ask the moving company what their options are for transporting your furniture and possessions from the truck through the facility to the unit.

Not Providing Direction

You need to give your movers directions, not just to the facility, but for moving your personal objects. Planning ahead is one of the foundations of moving effectively. You need to tell your movers exactly where to put your kitchen supplies or bedroom furniture in the storage unit. This is going to save them a lot of frustration and you a lot of unneeded stress when you’re trying to find something later. Movers, professional or personal, can’t read your mind, so you need to provide clear, organized direction.

Not Having Enough Space in the Unit

There’s almost nothing worse than packing everything up to go in the storage unit and finding out the unit isn’t big enough for what you have. The best ways you can combat this annoyance is to heed the advice of the storage facility and measure your belongings. If everything is in boxes or large furniture, judging how big of a unit you’ll need will be easier, but when in doubt, rent a bigger unit.

Are you worried about packing up the glassware from your kitchen and placing it into a self-storage unit ? It’s not as difficult as you might think, and as long as you use plenty of packing paper, your glasses will survive their trip to your storage unit rental in Palo Alto. Watch this video to see the best ways to pack glasses up for storage.

Before you start packing glasses, you should obtain dish pack boxes that are designed to handle glassware. You should also purchase packing paper to wrap your glassware up. You can then begin the process of preparing each of your glass items for your self-storage unit. By taking these simple steps, you can keep your glasses safe once they are placed into your self-storage unit to be stored.

How to Pack Glasses for Moving

If you are preparing for a move or heading home from college for the summer, you could benefit from renting a storage unit . It doesn’t matter if you only need a high-quality storage unit in Mountain View for a month or two.

Independence Storage would love to work with you, and we don’t place any restrictions on how long our customers have to rent a self-storage unit from us.

There are many advantages to renting a short-term self-storage unit. It can help you clear out your home when you’re trying to sell it. It can also make it easier for you to move back to your parents’ house after a semester at school. Regardless of the reason, we can help you obtain a storage unit from us, even if you only need it for a short amount of time. Whether you want it for a month, a year, or a decade, Independence Storage can provide you with the storage unit rental that you need today.

Before you pick up everything that’s in your dorm room and attempt to take it home during your summer break from college, you should think about using student storage. It will prevent you from having to transport everything that you have at college back home and make it easier for you to move back to school in the fall. Check out some of the things you should store as well as some of the things you should take home when you decide to rent a self-storage unit in Palo Alto this summer.

Store: Furniture

Chances are, you won’t need that big, bulky dresser that you have in your dorm room once you move back home. Why take it all the way back to your parents’ house when you could put it into student storage for a few months and make your move that much easier? You can store a dresser, a bed, a desk, or any other kind of furniture in a self-storage unit for the summer and move it back to campus when the fall rolls around again.

Take Home: Food

When you rent a student storage unit, you want to do whatever you can to keep pests out of it. That means that you shouldn’t store food in your unit. Keep the potato chip bags and other snacks out of your self-storage unit, and you will reduce the chances of pests getting into your unit and making a mess.

Store: School Supplies

Unless you plan on taking classes over the summer, you won’t need any of your school supplies at home. You should probably take your laptop and electronics home, but you can leave books, pens, notebooks, and other supplies in your storage unit so that they’re ready to go once school starts.

Take Home: Summer Clothing

You can use your storage unit to store anything that you won’t be wearing during the summer. However, you shouldn’t leave your summer clothes behind. Now is the time to wear them, so make sure you bring them home with you.