How to find a decent storage

All of us will need to use storage at least once in our lifetimes. Be it for easier moving, to declutter our home or even to start a business, there are many situations in which a storage unit can be a great solution. But, in order to make the most out of your storage unit you first need to know how to find it. There are many storage companies and not all of them will provide you with reliable or safe storage. In order to help you out, we have come up with a comprehensive guide on how to find decent storage. Well, without furder ado, lets jump in.

Figure out the type of storage you will need

What? There are different types of storage? Yup, there sure are. And, you need to figure out which one you need in order to make the most of it. Which storage is best for you will depend on two things. The items you need to store and the types of storage that the storage company offers.

Prepare your items

Without properly preparing your items for storage you cannot expect it to go without any issues. You will first need to sort your items. Some items may need special storage, like climate control or special containers, in order to keep safely stored. Others are simply impossible to store and you shouldn’t even try. As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t store anything alive. Apart from that, you should talk with a company representative before planning. Every item that is going to be stored needs to be packed properly. Even if you are only using short term storage. It is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure that every item is properly padded, wrapped and packed.

Trust only onsite estimates

Most of the planning and deciding, when it comes to storage, is best done with the help from a professional. The moment you know which items you are going to store you should call a storage company. They will send over a professional to give you an estimate on how much your storage will cost you. Do not trust online estimates for this. A company representative needs to be present in order to give you the right price and to tell you about different storage options. Online estimates are there to simply give you an “in the ballpark” idea on how much your storage might cost for a specific period. So, you should always take them with a grain of salt.

Which type of storage will be best for you

This is an important aspect that you need to discuss with the company representative. Different companies have different storage capabilities. And different situations require different types of storage. You, therefore, need to figure out if the company you are considering is the best for your situation. Storing furniture for a couple of months is much different from commercial movers using storage to move your office. Not all companies are equipped to fulfill every type of storage need and you shouldn’t stop looking until you find the one that is. But, before you do so, you need to be sure what storage suits you. The number of items you need to be stored, their type and the time required for storage will all play a big role.

How to find decent storage providers

Just like you cannot move without decent movers, you cannot properly store your items if you don’t find decent storage providers. It’s as simple as that. Mind you, preparing your items, getting proper insurance and knowing what you need are all necessary. But, if you don’t find decent storage providers, you cannot expect to store your items properly. That is why you need to be very careful when looking for them. You need to filter them so that you avoid incompetent ones and that you definitely avoid the bad ones. Scams are uncommon in the storage industry, but they do happen. And, you really don’t want to be in the minority to which it does.

Checking online

As it is with everything nowadays, you should start online. In order to find decent storage, you should check to see which storage companies are close to you and try to rank them according to the reviews they have. Use sites like Google, Yelp or Facebook to get unbiased reviews from people who have worked with the company before. Then you need to contact the top five. Why top five? Because you can don’t know how much storage is supposed to cost. By getting five estimates for your storage situation you will have a good idea on how much is fair to pay for your storage. After that, it is simply the question of deciding which storage company provides a plan which works best for you.

Look locally

Local storage companies should always take precedence over more distant ones. The first reason being that if the company is close to you, there is a good chance that one of your neighbors have worked with them before. This will give you an opportunity to further check your company and see how good they are. The second reason why you should look for storage locally is money. It will take less time to move your items to a local storage facility. And that means that it will take you less money to do so. This is true whether you are using professional local movers or moving the items by yourself.

Final tip

We mentioned this before, but it is so important that we should definitely mention it again. You need to get proper insurance for your items before you put them in storage. Many companies offer default storage insurance, but it may not be good enough for your items. It definitely won’t be good enough if you plan to store some family heirlooms or valuable items. Talk with an insurance company before you store your items.