Even a little extra space offered by a self-storage unit can make life easier on a day-to-day basis for most homeowners. Having room to breathe, organize, relate, work and play at home brings peace of mind and freedom to solve life's bigger problems. Here are 10 ways self-storage units can help with household issues:
1. Not enough room for day-to-day items
Limited space inspires organizational skills and creative problem solving, but even the most organized of homeowners can run out of space at some point. Freeing up space within your closets, rooms and garage will literally give you breathing room.
2. Saving family heirlooms and hand-me-downs
Perhaps you are struggling like many families to find space to keep valuable antiques or heirlooms to pass on to their children and grandchildren. Or your family is young and you're living in a smaller home, hanging on to hand-me-down clothes and furniture for growing children and future new arrivals. Even if you just want to hang on to valuable personal belongings that don't suit the current décor of your home, a self-storage unit can provide the "archival" space you need to keep valuable space in your home free for new growth and change.
3. Downsizing to a smaller home
If you are reducing the number of bedrooms, basement or attic space where you can store extra furniture, a storage unit is a great place to store extra mattresses and bed frames, dressers and mirrors, coffee tables and couches, and TVs and stereos.
A new home, condo or apartment can come with appliances and furniture that you already have. Until you have time to sell or donate your unwanted appliances, or if you wish to keep them until you're sure what your plan is, a self-storage facility can be an ideal option. A drive-up garage-style self-storage unit works well for storing an extra car, motorcycle, truck or van.
4. Extended absence
Being able to take a long trip without paying rent or a mortgage can free you up to explore the world, or give you peace of mind as you leave for military deployment or temporary work assignment. Self-storage units are an affordable way to be flexible and adaptive during these extended absences.
5. Life in limbo
Whether you're caught between two house closings, living in the upheaval of major renovations, or a student preparing to move home for the summer, a self-storage space can be a convenient answer for storing your belongs in the interim.
6. More room for toys
If you love the outdoors, you probably have lots of equipment that you use during certain times of the year. A self-storage unit can give you the extra square footage you need to keep the kayaks AND the jet skis easily accessible while keeping room in your garage for toys you use frequently or all year long.
A self-storage unit is a great place to store:
o Camping and climbing equipment
o Boats, inner tubes, rafts, canoes or kayaks
o Skis, snow boards or surf boards
o Jet skis, ATVs and other small-engine vehicles
o Golf carts and clubs
o Recreational vehicles (RVs)
o Classic and show cars
For hobbyists, a self-storage space can mean more room to keep:
o Photos and photography equipment
o Musical instruments and DJ / production equipment
o Collections of books, magazines, wine, comic books, collectibles, videos, etc.
o Craft and hobby supplies
7. Selling a home
As you prepare to sell a house, a self-storage unit can be useful in hiding away personal belongings for proper staging.
8. Seasonal storage
A self-storage unit can be used to store away household items you only during certain times of the year, such as:
o Artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations
o Patio furniture
o Pool equipment and supplies
o Lawn mowers and other yard equipment
o Off-season clothing and outerwear
9. Offsite security
Storing copies of important documents and data in a separate physical location is a smart idea. In case of flood, fire or other catastrophic damage affecting your home, having a second set of medical, legal, financial and insurance-related documents, as well as backups of computer hard drives and software in your self-storage unit can prove critically important.
Keeping a stock of canned and other non-perishable food, a generator and other emergency supplies can be beneficial not just in your home, but also in a self-storage unit, especially in areas prone to natural disasters.
10. Paying the bills
If your home is also your place of business, a self-storage unit can give you the equivalent of an inexpensive warehouse to store:
o Inventory for home-based businesses
o Home office supplies
o Farming equipment
o Saws, tools and equipment
Storage facility managers are pros at putting self-storage space to the best use. Be sure to ask them any questions you may have about making your extra space work for you.
Jim Stevens works for Extra Space Storage a team of experts in the self storage industry. Collectively, they have been helping consumers and business people find and efficiently utilize offsite storage units as a company for more than 30 years. These experts know how to do things like store furniture and valuable possessions until they are needed as well as excess business inventory and give storage advice on surviving a move to a new house.
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