By UStorage.com Staff
Storage is an excellent way for many people to secure their household items for a short or long period of time. There are numerous reasons why people opt to store their items in a storage facility. Some people use storage to temporarily hold their items in between moving or they use them to hold onto items they treasure, but no longer have room for anymore due to space constraints. Others may seek a storage option to remove excess items or “clutter” from their homes or use them to safely secure valuables.
Whatever the reason may be, storage is a clean, safe and secure option for your belongings. Depending on the services you require, many facilities allow customers to have 24-hour access to their goods, as well as feature on-site security with CCTV screens (high-security cameras), which is becoming the norm in this highly competitive industry. Many facilities also have pest control systems and climate controlled options to store environmentally sensitive items such as books and furs.
Finding a facility may be easy for those moving, since many companies have storage options available or they can offer recommendations to a nearby self storage facility. If you choose to store with a moving company, you should benefit from this since movers will move your home belongings and stored items in one day. If you are searching on your own, be sure to ask storage companies about when you can collect, rearrange or add more items to your unit, as well as if you have to give them notice to do this. You should also ask about their climate control settings, observe the lighting and cleanliness of the facility, look for fire alarms, as well as note the professionalism of the staff.
Many storage operations also offer a multitude of other services including truck rental or the use of the companies’ truck (for a set time) in order to transport your items to the facility. Many companies also specialize in mobile storage where a large storage container is delivered or dropped off to your home. You then load it up with what you would like stored. This then gets picked up and then unpacked by the company. There are also companies whose workers load up and pack up your goods professionally, load up a truck and drive it to the storage unit. They will then unload your goods and pack them into the storage space efficiently. Remember these people are professionals and can do the job more effectively and efficiently than you may be able to. Of course this convenience comes with a fee; however it may be worth it for not having to be involved in manual labor, as well as the peace of mind that your items are secured safe and sound.
What can I store?
Almost anything can be stored for a certain period of time in the correct environment. Perishable food is an exception to this and will not be accepted by a warehouse for storage. The following list gives you some idea of what items can be stored in the correct environment with no negative effects:
- Computers
- Home furnishings
- Antiques—(furniture, artwork, clothing, etc)
- Furs—You may want to store summer garments in winter and vice versa
- Linens
- Mattresses
- Electronic equipment
- Musical instruments
- Pianos
- Boxes of books