First-Time Renter’s Guide

Renting Your First Storage Unit

So the time has finally come to rent your first storage unit. Maybe you’re moving, getting deployed, getting married or you’re a growing family that needs to temporarily downsize as their new home build is finished. No matter your reason for renting a storage unit, it can be an overwhelming task. It’s as overwhelming as moving because well—it is in a way. You’re moving a portion of your items to a new home away from home. It can be a small transition or it can be a big transition. No matter your reasons for needing storage, being prepared for your new storage unit is essential to having a convenient, hassle-free storage experience. At Arizona Self Storage, our managers have years of experience to guide you every step of the way.  Our goal is to make your transition and storage experience a bit easier. 

Why do I need a self storage unit?

Storage units are an invaluable tool when you’re dealing with a cluttered home or are going through a planned or unexpected life transition. Whether you just need additional space to store household landscaping tools, are planning a move, helping your parents downsize their home for retirement, planning a family, attending college, and beyond, storage can help you get the space you need quickly. 

Choosing the Right Storage Unit

Choosing the right unit comes down to what you want to store. If you need to store items like wooden or leather furniture, antiques, and vintage clothing, an air-conditioned unit will maintain a comfortable environment for you and your items and protect them from the Arizona heat. For items that aren’t really affected by extreme temperatures, a standard, non-climate controlled unit should be perfectly suitable.

The amount of items you plan to store also makes a difference as to which unit is best for you. If you plan to use your storage unit as an extended closet, a small 5×5 unit would be more than enough space. If you’re planning to move items out of your home to clear out space for a baby or decluttering project, a 5×10 or 10×10 unit would get the job done. Need to store the contents of your home for a move? A 10×20 or 10×30 unit will have all the space you need. For more guidance on the best storage unit for your items, our storage estimator can make a recommendation based on what you plan to store.

Packing Your Items for Storage

Properly packing your belongings for storage not only ensures that your items aren’t damaged, but also provides a sense of organization so it will be easy to go back to your items whenever you need to retrieve them from your storage unit. Perhaps the most important part of packing is taking care not to overpack or under pack your boxes and labeling boxes accordingly. You also want to make sure items like furniture, your bed, and more are packed properly for storage.

A helpful tip for keeping track of what you have in storage is to draw a map of your storage unit and keep a running inventory of what you have in which box so you always know where your items are.

How should I pack my storage unit?

Once it’s time to move into your storage unit, it’s best to have a plan on how to organize your storage unit rather than haphazardly packing in your belongings. Before loading everything into storage, decide if you will be making frequent visits to your storage unit. If so, make sure to leave an aisle through the middle of your unit and store the items you will frequently come back for towards the front.

If you don’t plan to make many trips to your storage unit, fill your storage unit as you wish, taking care that all of your fragile items are stored in a place where they won’t be damaged and there is at least a few inches between your items at the perimeter of your unit. This will ensure proper air circulation.

Regardless of how often you visit your unit, you should always lay down a tarp and add crates to stack your boxes onto with the heaviest boxes on the bottom and the lightest boxes on top.

Rent your First Storage Unit at Arizona Self Storage Today

If you’re experiencing cluttered closets in your Arizona home, moving your aging parents in with you, or something in between Arizona Self Storage has a variety of storage units for your long- or short-term needs. Plus, our assortment of amenities ensures that your storage experience is easy from beginning to end. Don’t be overwhelmed by clutter, rent an Arizona storage unit near you today!