1. Pick One Box Size For Most, If Not All Of Your Items.

Same-size boxes help with stacking and accessibility. Peoples Storage offers small and medium sized boxes that work perfectly for most of your belongings. Big boxes can be difficult to stack and to remove if you need something out of them.

2. Identify The Items You May Need To Access While In Storage.

Some items you might need more frequent than others such as: Camping supplies, Holiday Decorations, Seasonal clothing, Tools and Hobbies and kids toys. Keep those easily accessible towards the front of the unit.

3. Label Each Box You Pack.

Label each box on the top and at least one side with a unique box number, the room it came from, and the contents of the box. Remember to put the boxes you might need during storage last. Be as detailed as possible with the contents.

4. Create A Master Contents List.

Write down all of the contents of each box along with the box number on paper. This seems like a cumbersome step, but a master list becomes really handy when you need to find a specific item, especially if some of your boxes will be completely out of view.

5. Plan An Organized Layout For Your Storage Unit.

You want to make sure you have easy access to your items. Put furniture up against the wall opposite your boxes so you have a path in the middle, so you can access whatever you need without any hassle.

6. Consider Upgrading To A Larger Unit.

You might be able to squeeze in all of your belongings in a smaller unit, but if it is filled to the brim it can make accessing your stuff very difficult. A little extra room can give you extra space for shelving and putting pallets on the floor so your furniture and boxes are not resting directly on the ground.

7. Shelve Or Stack Boxes.

If this is a long-term storage solution, place sturdy shelves along one wall of the unit. Stack from back to front in order of need. Put larger, heavier boxes down first, and then you can stack lighter ones on top. Consider using a brick-wall pattern when stacking same-size boxes.

8. Place A Map Of Your Items Inside The Unit Where You Can See It

Divide your unit up into four or more sections and list the items and box numbers in each section on your map. Use your master contents list and map to find it without digging through boxes blindly.