How to choose what to put in a storage unit?
Storage preparationSeptember 3, 2020
Choosing which items to store and which to keep can sometimes be quite tricky. There are no hard rules for it and it will depend a lot on your personal preferences. That being said, in order to figure out what to put in a storage unit, you will need to figure out what you use the most. The items that you don’t use that much can safely go into storage Columbus Ohio and you can retrieve them on “when you need them” basis. However, there are some items that you will want to put inside a storage unit when relocating or renovating, for example. This article is going to go over such items and the reasons for placing them within a storage unit.
What to put in a storage unit when moving?
Here is the list:
- Furniture
- Seasonal items
- Small and large house appliances
- Books and magazines
- Documents and files
- Artwork and collectibles

Furniture
When moving to another home, the furniture usually gets in the way. First off, it is much more difficult to clean your home with all that furniture in place. You will be able to do a much better job of it if your furniture is safely within a storage unit while you clean. Depending on how much furniture you have, you may want to store all of it or just a part of it in a storage unit. For short-term storage, the best thing to do is see what your moving and storage Columbus Ohio options are. You will want your stuff to be as close as possible to your home so you can bring them in faster.
Most of these pieces can be quite heavy and difficult to move so you might need some assistance, as well. Make sure that your storage unit has these additional services before you place your stuff in there. You may need them and figuring out that they are not available when you do is not something you want to go through. Especially if you are relocating as you will have quite a bit of stress accumulated already.
What to put in a storage unit when moving – Seasonal items
When it comes to seasonal items, we can divide them into three categories:
- Shoes and clothes – Simple enough, just put all the stuff from the opposite season (summer and winter) in the storage unit and retrieve them when their season comes.
- Decorations – All those Christmas decorations you don’t really need before Christmas, for example. Ditto with many other decorations that you might have. Simply put them in a storage unit and retrieve it when the time comes.
- Seasonal equipment – If you have any equipment that is tied to a particular season, store it when that season is not around. It can save you a lot of space, depending on your hobbies.

Small and large house appliances
Appliances of all sizes can go inside a storage unit. You want to make sure that your new home, in case of moving, is ready for their placement. The best way to store home appliances is to properly prepare them for their stay in the unit and to choose a suitable unit for them. Obviously, don’t stack large appliances on top of each other and similar. It is not really that difficult to store them, but transporting them might give you some pause. If you want to do it on your own, you may need some moving equipment.
If your items are transported by a moving company, however, you can simply direct them to transport them to storage. Usually, you will get this storage from the same moving company at a discount, so it is never a bad idea. You can even make an agreement with them, in order for them to bring the items to your new home (or your old one, in case of remodeling) after everything is over.
Books and magazines
Books and magazines you’ve read several times can safely go into a storage unit. Keep the ones that you want to display but all the ones that are just there, waiting to be read again, are best kept within a storage unit. Depending on how avid a reader you are, you may have quite a number of them in your home. You will be amazed at how much space you can save if you put them into storage. There are some considerations to storing books inside a storage unit so make sure you at least know of them. You can always ask your movers for advice if you need it. They will be happy to assist.

What to put in a storage unit – Documents and files
All of us have plenty of paper documents that we actually never need. But when we do need them, we really need them. Having them inside a storage unit will guarantee that you always know where they are. Inside a home, things always get moved left and right and it can be quite difficult to always know where everything is. Storage units are a lot more static than that. Usually, where you place something is where you can expect to find it the next time. And finding these documents in quick order will reduce the stress that comes with the need for them. Because let’s face it, you will never look at those documents without a problem of sorts. Sure, there are some exceptions but they are few and far between.
Artwork and collectibles
Finally, you may also want to store your collectibles and artwork in a storage unit. You may even want to make a “showroom” out of it. However, storing artwork has some rules of its own, and following those rules is a prudent thing to do. These items can be quite valuable, after all, and deserve some extra consideration. But the proper storage unit is definitely the perfect place for them.