If you care about the security of your belongings, it’s important that you find the best storage facility in Palo Alto. What separates the great storage facilities from the rest? One thing you should look for is on-site managers who make sure your belongings are safe well after the gates close. Speaking of security, look for a storage facility that offers electronic keypad access. And because your storage needs can change suddenly, look for a facility that doesn’t require a minimum stay or penalize you for early move-outs. Watch this short video clip for more things to look for in a storage facility.

4 Signs of a Quality Storage Facility

You can find everything you’re looking for in a great storage facility at Independence Storage of Mountain View. Independence Storage has nearly two decades of experience offering secure, ground-level units for individuals in Palo Alto and the surrounding areas. There is no minimum stay at Independence Storage, and customized billing and payment options are available to meet your needs.

A self-storage unit in Mountain View can be used to store away all kinds of items. However, there are some things that you just shouldn’t put in storage. Whether for the sake of safety or for the benefit of your belongings, some items are better off stored in your home or special kinds of storage units. To help you prepare for renting a storage unit in Mountain View, here is a list of items and materials that typically are not allowed in storage. Call your self-storage facility ahead of time to find out specifically what you can and can’t put in storage.

Combustible and Flammable Materials

Gasoline, compressed gas, propane tanks, kerosene, and fertilizers are common examples of combustible and/or flammable materials that are considered inherently dangerous and not allowed in storage units. You also shouldn’t store fireworks, explosives, weapons, or live ammunition. Ask your storage facility for additional information on storing combustible and flammable materials, as your facility may have exceptions for certain materials.

Hazardous or Toxic Materials

In addition to combustible and flammable materials, hazardous and toxic materials are also considered inherently dangerous and usually prohibited from storage. Common examples of hazardous or toxic materials people usually mistake as safe for storage include cleaners, chemicals, paint, acid, motor oil, and grease. Your storage facility may be able to recommend hazardous or toxic material storage or disposal facilities in Mountain View.

Perishable Food

If you will be keeping canned food in storage, make sure the unit is climate-controlled to prevent the canned food from overheating and exploding or spoiling. Perishable food products such as cereals, produce, and meats should never be kept in storage, as these may spoil or attract pests. Ask your storage facility for specific information regarding climate-controlled storage for non-perishable food.

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.

A cluttered home typically leads to a cluttered mind, which in turn can cause a cluttered life. Fortunately, there are storage facilities in Palo Alto that can help restore order by providing extra space to store your belongings. So, how do you know if you could benefit from a self-storage unit? If you recognize any of the following signs, contact a storage facility in Mountain View.

You Can’t Use Your Garage

If you have a two- or three-car garage, it was probably one of the biggest selling points when you first bought your home. And while it’s perfectly acceptable to use your garage as storage, you’re missing out on the great benefits of using your garage for your vehicles. Not only will storing vehicles in a garage preserve their condition, but it will also prevent theft and vandalism. If your garage is full of boxes and items you don’t need on a regular basis, place them in a storage unit and start getting the most out of your garage.

You Can’t Easily Find What You Need

Are you always searching for something you need only to find something you don’t? Having a lot of stuff in your home can cause your life to become disorganized and cluttered, which can make it hard to find good spots for the things you use on a daily basis. Streamline your space by placing rarely used items in a self-storage unit. You’ll be amazed by how much time and frustration you’ll save once you can actually find what you need!

You Aren’t Ready to Part with Your Things

What other people see as junk maybe some of your most valuable possessions. If your closets are overflowing with things, you really only have three options if you want to organize your space: donate your belongings, hold a yard sale, or put everything in storage. If you aren’t ready to part with your things just yet, you can keep them and clear up your space with a self-storage unit.

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.

Are your quarters feeling a little cramped? Do you need someplace to store your dorm room belongings during the summer months? If so, a storage unit could be right for you. There are many benefits to renting a storage unit in Mountain View , and the price is more affordable than you think. If you’re thinking of renting a unit, consider these benefits.

Storage units give you the ultimate flexibility in keeping your belongings organized regardless of the space you have at home. Instead of getting rid of things you’d really rather keep, you can put them in storage until you have space for them. A storage unit can also come in handy for students who need to move furniture out of dorms for the summer or who need to clear out an apartment for a semester as they study abroad. Storage units can also be used for holiday decorations, sporting equipment, and seasonal use items. Avoid home clutter and parting with treasured belongings by relying on self-storage facilities.

When you are choosing a storage facility, it’s important to select the best one for your needs. If you rent a unit that is too small, you may not be able to fit all your belongings inside or will at least struggle to keep them organized. If you get a storage unit that it too large, you could be spending more than you have to. As you review your options for a storage unit rental in Mountain View , consider these factors.

Decide What Kind of Unit You Need

There are many different types of storage units available, so first decide what your priorities are. A ground level storage unit is the top choice for many people because it is easy to access and makes loading and unloading as convenient as possible. Some storage units are housed in large buildings with several floors that require you to use a dolly and elevator to move your belongings in and out. These units are usually best only if you need climate control for your belongings.

Size Up Your Space

Choosing the right size of storage unit is easier than you think. Start by checking out the recommendations provided by the storage unit facility. Most offer guidelines to help you figure out how much specific units will hold and how to measure your belongings. Next, consider ways you can maximize the space in a unit. Often, adding shelves to a unit can boost the storage capacity and help you keep things organized.

Consider Security

Security is one of the most important aspects of a storage facility. You will usually need to provide your own padlock for the storage unit door, but what additional security does the facility provide? Look for things like electronic keypad entry and security cameras. It also helps to choose a secure storage facility with onsite managers who can react quickly to any problems.

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

Moving to a smaller home might seem like a stressful process, but with the right tools and resources, you can do it with minimal hassle. Keep reading to see how a little bit of planning and a self-storage unit rental in Mountain View can help you downsize with ease.

Think About What You Really Need

One of the hardest parts about downsizing is saying goodbye to items that you think you need. Take a mental inventory of your belongings to think about the items that you actually need and those that you merely want. Consider if you were to lose all of your belongings and think about which items you would replace immediately. This helps you determine the possessions that have real meaning and importance in your life.

Sell the Items You Do Not Need

If you want to give yourself the incentive to get rid of some of your belongings, you should plan a yard sale that allows you to make money for these items that you cannot take. When you can put a positive spin on purging some of your belongings, it makes it much easier to decide which items you really need. The extra money you earn from the sale can help you find space-appropriate items for your new home.

Consider the Size of Your Furniture

Before you hire a moving company to transport your belongings to your new home and your new self-storage unit in Mountain View, think about how well your furniture will fit into the new space. If you have a lot of big pieces, you might want to trade them out for smaller, multifunctional furniture that will work better with your new home.

Get a Storage Unit

Storage facilities provide a hugely valuable resource when you are trying to downsize. With a high-quality storage unit, you have a safe place to store the belongings that you want to keep without taking up valuable space in your new home. If you know that you will not have room for some of your most treasured belongings, you might want to look into storage units that make it much easier to downsize.

Independence Storage is proud to serve as the premium self-storage facility serving Mountain View . With our dedicated staff and high-quality storage units, we give you all of the tools you need to safely store any of your belongings.

With 18 years of experience in the industry, we understand how to offer reliable and convenient storage units. We always have professional managers on-site to ensure that everything runs smoothly. With electronic keypads, we can ensure the best security. Our staff is ready to help you find a unit that meets your needs. Since our facility only handles storage units, we are able to dedicate all of our attention to giving you the optimal storage experience.

Whether you need short or long-term storage, we provide the units and the facility management that you need to feel comfortable about the condition of your belongings. We do everything we can to give you the best storage experience in the Mountain View area.

When you are trying to clean out your home or office, it’s hard to decide what items to keep and which ones you can live without. Before you start loading up your storage unit rental near Mountain View , use the following tips to help you decide what to store and what to purge.

Use the One-Year Rule

As you start to go through your belongings, think about the last time you used each item. If you have not found the need for a particular item in more than a year, you can probably purge it. You can use this rule to help you decide whether to keep or toss anything from clothing and jewelry to sports equipment and electronics.

Think About Sentimental Value

Certain belongings hold a sentimental value that makes them more important than other items. If you can associate a sentimental value to certain items, you probably want to put them into the storage unit. If you like something but it does not hold a special place in your heart, you might want to purge it.

Look for Duplicates

If you find any duplicates of certain belongings as you start to browse through your closet, you might want to consider purging the extra one. If you can get rid of duplicates, it helps you clear out your belongings without having to sacrifice the items that you really want to keep.

Determine the Best Value

There might be some items that you do not use regularly but you find it difficult to consider parting with them. If you find yourself in this situation, try to determine if it is more valuable to you to keep them or to sell them and earn some extra money.

Get a Bigger Storage Unit

If you have gone through your belongings and purged everything that you can but still cannot fit everything into your storage unit, you might want to consider getting a bigger one. The Mountain View storage facility has plenty of unit sizes to make it easy to find the space to store all of your belongings.

People downsize their homes for a variety of different reasons. Some decide that they would rather live in a cheaper house, while others require less space after their children move out. There are several ways that you can downsize, such as using a high quality storage unit in Mountain View . Keep reading for a few tips for downsizing your home.

Decide What Stays and What Goes

Before you move, make sure that you have a game plan. Make a list of all the items that you will be taking with you, and then make a separate list of all the items that you can get rid of. Doing this in advance will help you establish which items will be coming with you to your new home. Unless you have an abundance of extra space in your current living arrangement, you will likely need to part with some of your belongings.

Start Early

Moving is stressful enough as it is, so you don’t want to be scrambling to get rid of unwanted items and pack up your important items the day before your move. Make sure you get a head start by preparing well before you move out of your current house or apartment. Give yourself a few months to donate, sell, or otherwise discard of the belongings that will not be coming with you to your new home.

Utilize Self-Storage Units

If you have a great deal of belongings on your list of things you will be keeping, consider how much space you will have in your new home. In the event that you cannot comfortably fit everything at your new place, consider a self-storage unit in Mountain View. A self-storage unit can be a great help when it comes to storing belongings that you do not use on a daily basis.

Before you rent a storage unit in Mountain View , you will need to determine what size unit will be appropriate for your needs. Most professional storage services will help you decide on the perfect size based on the amount of belongings you need to store.

A 5×5 storage unit can be ideal for storing smaller furniture and boxes. If you need to store a studio bedroom worth of belongings, a 5×10 unit will be more useful. A 5×15 unit can handle a full one bedroom apartment’s belongings; a two bedroom apartment will require about a 10×10. If you are moving out of a three or four bedroom house, you will need a 10×15 space or larger.

Ask your Mountain View storage facility to help you decide on what size storage unit you will need in order to comfortably and safely store all of your belongings. You can get an idea of how much space you will need by considering your current living space.

As the days become shorter and the nights become colder, your choice of clothing tends to gradually change. The right storage rental unit in Mountain View will help you store your summer clothes until the weather warms up again in the spring. Watch this video for tips on how to pack your seasonal clothing for storage in a secure storage facility.

When it comes to packing your clothes for student or self-storage, there are a number of ways that you can do so efficiently. Use strong shopping bags to store your belts, shoes, pocketbooks, and bags. Invest in a few wardrobe boxes; the clothing rods that come inside them can help you store your clothes without wrinkling. Group together several hangers of hanging clothes and link them twist ties, and then cover them with garbage bags. Ask your Mountain View storage facility for more tips on preparing seasonal clothing for storage.

How to Pack Clothing for a Move

A storage unit rental in Mountain View can be very helpful in a number of different circumstances. You can free up a significant amount of space in your home by dealing with your clutter. Keep reading for a few signs that you should talk to a storage facility and get a self-storage unit.

You Are Running Out of Closet or Garage Space

If you have already used up all of your in-house storage space, you have a few options. You can hold a garage sale, donate some of your clutter to charity, or invest in a self-storage unit. If your closets and garage are filled to the brim with belongings that you are not open to parting with, your best bet is to rent a storage unit . This will allow you to save your closet space for hanging clothes and storing shoes, and your garage can be reserved for your car.

You Cannot Locate Important Things

When your home is full of clutter, it can be important to locate the items that you really need when you need them. The more belongings you have laying around the house, the more items you will find that are not what you are looking for. A storage unit can help you in this respect. Storing less useful belongings in a storage space can help you quickly and efficiently find the things you do need, when you need them.

You Have Many Seasonal Items

Is your house full of Fourth of July, Halloween, and winter holiday decorations, you are using up a great deal of space that could be reserved for more day to day belongings. Consider storing your seasonal items in a storage unit in Mountain View so you can access them during the appropriate holidays and keep them out of sight when they are not needed.

At Independence Storage in Mountain View, CA , your satisfaction is our ultimate goal. We offer all ground level storage units, and all of the units are 10-feet tall. Electronic keypad access ensures that your belongings stay safe, and you can access your storage unit 24/7. On-site managers also help keep your belongings secure. There is no minimum stay at Independence Storage. We also offer customized billing and payment options for your convenience. If you are moving your belongings with a semi-truck, you will find that our storage facility offers easy truck access. And if you have a boat or trailer, our extra-large spaces will accommodate your storage needs.

Although California offers ideal boating weather virtually year round, you probably won’t be on the water every day. Thankfully, you can keep your boat safe and secure at a boat storage facility in Mountain View. But while keeping your boat at a storage facility will protect it from theft and vandalism, you will also need to maintain your boat to make sure that it stays in tip-top shape. This is important, because when items like this are stored, they must be maintained as if they’re being used. Here are some basic boat maintenance tips that will pay off in the long run.

Wash Your Boat Regularly

The first and simplest task is to wash your boat regularly, especially if you boat in saltwater. Rinse your boat with freshwater after every outing before you return to the storage facility to remove salt residue. Salt will corrode metal and other hardware, and can mar your boats gelcoat as well. Use specially formulated marine boat wash to remove the salt residue from your boat before putting it back in storage.

Change the Oil

Just like your car, your boat needs to have its oil changed regularly. The frequency will vary depending on the type of engine your boats has, but a good rule of thumb is to change the oil every 100 hours of operation or at least once a year. It’s best to change the oil while your boat is still in the water, before you load it on the trailer and head to the storage facility.

Check the Propeller

If you have an outboard or stern drive bot, check the propeller as part of your pre-launch routine. Make sure discarded fishing line hasn’t become wrapped around the propeller shaft, and inspect the blades for nicks, dents, and other signs of damage. The smallest imperfection in the propeller can cause your boat to lose performance and burn excessive fuel.

Know more about Know more about boat storage

Mirrors and artwork are extremely fragile. Before you put mirrors and artwork into storage, you need to pack them to keep them safe. Although they make boxes specifically for large mirrors and artwork, you will need to do some preparation to the items before putting them into the boxes. Wrap bubble wrap around the mirror or artwork and tape around the item to keep the wrap in place. Then line the bottom of the box with packing paper to create a cushion. Place the mirror or framed artwork inside the box and fill in the space around the item with more packing paper.

Visit your self-storage facility in Mountain View for boxes, packing paper, and other packing supplies. Your self-storage facility should also provide packing tips to help keep your belongings safe while they are in storage.

Mirror Mirror: Learn How to Pack Mirrors and Artwork

Packing boxes for storage isn’t exactly an art form, but it’s pretty close. By making sure to properly pack your belongings, you can expect them to come out of their boxes in good shape. Good packing techniques can also help you conserve space so you can get the most out of every box and fit more items in your storage unit. Here are some tips for packing boxes before you move everything into a self-storage facility in Mountain View .

Use the Right Boxes

The right box makes all the difference. Heavy items should be packed in small boxes, while light items should be placed in bigger ones. Large boxes packed with heavy items not only make for back-breaking work but also have a better chance of breaking during transportation.

Pack Heavy to Light

When packing the boxes themselves, place heavier items at the bottom of the box and lighter items on top. This will prevent light, fragile items from breaking and will add stability to the boxes. The same concept applies when placing the boxes in the storage unit, with lighter boxes stacked on top of heavier ones.

Fill in Empty Spaces

Empty space inside packing boxes allows items to move around and potentially break. To keep everything in its place, fill in gaps with clothing, towels, or packing paper. Boxes that are loosely packed or unbalanced can also be hard to move due to the shifting weight inside the box.

Label and Tape Boxes Well

Label each box with the room it’s destined for and a description of its contents. This will help you quickly find a particular item, especially when the time comes to take your boxes out of storage. Once the boxes are labeled, tape close the bottom and top seams and make a couple of wraps around the box’s top and bottom edges, where stress is concentrated.

If you want to save money and make it easier on yourself to move in and out of a self-storage unit, you need to learn how to pack it before you bring truckloads of furniture and boxes to the storage facility. For starters, make sure to use uniformly sized boxes. This will make it easier to stack items vertically, thus conserving space. You should also pack tall items like couches and mattresses along the walls around the unit. Finally, make sure to keep an inventory of everything inside your unit and a diagram of where your belongings are located.

Once you know how to pack your storage unit, you need to find a self-storage facility in Mountain View that you can trust with your belongings. Look for a storage facility that promises high-tech security to keep your belongings safe. An online account system will also be beneficial in scheduling and making payments while on the road.