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Tips To Get You Moving Into Your Storage Space!

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Making sure your items are organized yet protected requires a mixture of creativity and detail: stacking boxes to keep fragile items on top; keeping things you may need sooner than later in the front; figuring out how to maximize your unit space with large appliances. Packing and moving is stressful enough without having to think about how best to secure your stuff and plan your storage unit move-in!

7 Quick Tips To Keep In Mind When Packing For Your Move To Ojai Self Storage

1. Boxes are better at living in Storage Units than plastic bags.

Sturdy & stack well, taking up less space, boxes are just better at keeping those photos from curling at the edges. Plus, sealed plastic bags can trap humidity. Damaging mildew is the last thing you want to worry about when returning to your belongings.

2. Baking Soda makes Appliances feel good.

Baking Soda tips for appliance storageImagine coming to your storage unit ready to move out and finding mildew in your refrigerator! Gross! A simple (and inexpensive) trick is to wipe down the insides of ovens, mini fridges, washers and dryers with baking soda. This wonder powder helps keep them dry and smelling fresh. (Extra tip: use it for rarely used tubs and pool items at your new home to keep them clean).

3. Tag ‘em, Mark ‘em, Label ‘em. Boxes Need Names!

A sharpie pen will be your favorite gizmo during your home or business move. Remember to label them with helpful content references on every side of the box. Locating that can’t-do-without fairy cap will be so much faster. Plus when it’s time for your moving crew to work those heavy boxes into your new place, they can help you out by placing them in the appropriate room.

4. Bubble Wrap saves things from cracking up.

Carefully swaddle fragile dinnerware, wine glasses, holiday ornaments, picture frames with bubble wrap individually to ensure protection. Next, pack them tightly into strong reinforced boxes such as plastic bins. Fill the gaps with scrunched paper, left over bubble wrap, air pillows or Styrofoam peanuts. You can even recycle old newspapers and old clothes as filler to add cushion support for your delicate artifacts.

5. Books are meant to be flat

Book Storage tips

Those precious pages to distant adventures have delicate spines. Once the binding is damaged, the pages unravel swiftly. Older, antique books especially need extra care during packing. Lay your favorite books flat in moving boxes to prevent page bending and wear on book spines.

6. Make it an easy walk down the Aisle

Self Storage Space for Business UseWhen fatigue hits, it’s quicker to stuff everything in your storage unit and lock it up. But, when the time comes when you need to access a particular box, you will regret not organizing! If you’re storing your business files, making an aisle will make it easier to locate specific documents when needed. Organize it like an office space (read how storage units can provide extra space on a budget) and you will be in and out with the right files in no time!

7. Metal & Oil can work together Tips on Storing Appliances in Storage Units

To stop rusting, grease your metal items like toaster ovens by wiping the metal areas with a bit of oil. This will keep them still usable when you’re ready to shift them out of storage.

Serving Ojai, California:
Ojai Self Storage has a range of unit sizes

Whether or not you have the time (or energy!) to use these unit organizing and packing tips, our team is here to help you find the right storage space. Visit us to tour your options and our professional staff will help you budget and advise on your move-in plans.

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Summer plans for your self storage?

As we approach summertime, countless 20 something year olds are wondering “what am I going to do with my belongings over the summer?” There is always the option of “Mom and Dad’s Storage Unit” aka the family garage or attic, however, what if you don’t have that choice? What if your mom and dad converted that garage into a new gym (now that you’re not around, they have time to exercise!) and you have no space for all of your acquired belongings? That’s where self storage units come in. Not only are self storage units affordable but they are convenient too.

Having a self storage unit would be great to store last year’s text books, seasonal clothing, old trophies and any other items that don’t fit within your dorm. If you can find a self storage facility located close to your college, you can easily go back and forth between your unit and your dorm room, saving you the long trip of driving to mom and dad’s house. Additionally, it’s your storage unit, so you can organize it any way you like and more importantly, mom is not going to come in and “re-arrange some things” so it looks cleaner.

Just a tip: if you find yourself on a student budget, you can always rent a storage unit with your friends/dorm-mate and split the costs.

If you opt to rent a storage facility, please keep this information in mind:

  • Storage facilities, especially near large campuses, get booked fast as summer approaches, so make plans to reserve a unit well in advance.
  • Do not just throw your items inside the storage unit. Properly organize your belongings in labeled boxes so that you have easy accessibility to what you need to find.
  • Leave room in boxes of clothing for ventilation. Also, do not forget to wash your clothes after recovering them from the storage unit.

Check out your options for storage units at our storage facility: https://ecom.quikstor.com/OjaiSelfStorage/ShowAvailableUnits.aspx

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Bubble wrap and Padding: A guide to properly packing your fragile items

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For me,  the hugest pain of moving is not attaining boxes and packing all of my worldly possessions, but more so packing delicate items, specifically dishware; those china plates are fragile and will break easily. In order to protect your fragile items, I would suggest:

  • Individually wrapping each plate like a present with a thick layer of bubble wrap
  • Lining your boxes with a towel or a soft material to cushion your items
  • If you do not have a soft towel or soft material, try using wads of crumbled newspaper instead
  • Always place cups and glasses rim down
  • When wrapping glasses, do not only wrap the outside of the glass but the interior as well; you want full protection
  • Place dishes on their side and place smaller items inside of larger items for more storage space within your box
  • Make sure your box is packed evenly and tightly, i.e. no large unfilled spaces within the box, no loose space for your items to slide everywhere
  • Leave an inch or two of space towards the top of the box and then fill in this extra space with more padding (newspaper, foam, bubble wrap, a towel)
  • For extra protection, you can also invest in Dish Pack Dividers. Dish Pack Dividers are exactly that, dividers with multiple columns and rows to isolate your dishes to protect them more. However, please wrap your items even if you’re using a Dish Pack Divider. You can find Dish Pack Dividers online or at your local hardware store.

Furthermore, once you do move your boxes of fragile items into storage, make sure to:

  • Properly mark your boxes; I suggest using a different colored permanent marker for each type of dishware (red for cups, blue for plates, yellow for bowls)
  • Be sure to move boxes you do not need access to, to the back of your unit and place your boxes with fragile items towards the front. If there is not enough space, place the boxes of fragile items on top of other boxes you know you will not need access to anytime soon.

Follow the tips above to successfully store your breakables. Happy wrapping!

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Properly Organizing your Storage Unit

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Like anything in life, the more prepared you are, the better. Did you know the average individual wastes over 180 hours a year on disorganization? The 180 hours is spent looking for misplaced items. When it comes to storing your items, not only does organization help you better find your items, but it saves you money as well. Here are some tips for neatly organizing your storage unit:

  • Labeling – Labeling is very important. There is nothing worse than having to go through a pile of boxes, taking out everything, just to find that one tiny thing you need. Furthermore, if you label your boxes, it takes less time out of your day to find the item.
  • Correctly storing your boxes – When it comes to correctly storing your boxes, you should always place larger boxes on the bottom and smaller boxes on top. Make use of your storage space and neatly organize your boxes.
  • Prioritize your storage unit – If you know you are not going to need those Christmas decorations for another year, place the box labeled “Christmas Decorations” towards the back or perhaps under all of the other boxes. Place more important necessary items in front or on top of the other boxes, that way you have easier access to them and once again, don’t need to spend countless hours searching through boxes.                           

 Lastly, making sure you choose the right unit size is important. Ojai Self Storage has several options and you can reserve your unit online! Check out our handy storage estimator or use our storage calculator to determine which size best fits your needs! 

http://ojaiselfstorage.com/how_much_storage.html