7 Best Storage Unit Organization Ideas to Make Life Easier

Why you should organize your storage unit

No matter the size of your storage locker or what you plan on storing we realize that trying to find your belongings in a messy locker can be a lot of work and feel overwhelming. 

If you're not sure just how to keep your storage locker neat and tidy, don’t worry, we can help! We have come up with secen storage organization tips that will help you find your belongings easily and safely. Spending a bit of extra time organizing your storage unit will save your future self hours in searching for that box of Christmas decorations. 

Storage unit organization ideas

1. Choose your storage containers wisely

When you open your storage locker you should know exactly where everything is by first glance. This will save you from going through 50 boxes to find your one box of Christmas decorations. To help make this process easier make sure that the storage containers you choose are clear containers and not cardboard boxes so that you can see inside of them without opening them and they are stronger. You can also get containers that have a clear bottom but a coloured lid so that you can coordinate similar items by colour. 

2. Label your boxes

Labelling your storage containers will make your life so much easier. You may think that you will remember which box has your summer clothes in it but eight months later there is a very good chance you will have forgotten. Label every box with a thick black sharpy and make sure your labels are all facing the front of the locker.

3. Create an inventory map of your belongings

You have your clear containers that are colour coded with your labels on them, now we need to figure out which items are in which coloured containers. This is where your inventory map will come in handy. Create a map that you can put up on the wall in your storage locker that tells you where in the locker each of your items are and what colours go to certain items. Are all your clothes in green storage containers on the front right hand side of your locker? Perfect, put it on the inventory map and slap it up on the wall. Want to take it one step further? Take pictures of your items inside your containers and of the container itself as you put them into their designated areas. You can then add the pictures to your map or put them into a spreadsheet. 

4. Put your frequently used items at the front

This may seem like common sense to some people but when you're in a hurry it’s easy to throw everything into the storage locker and deal with the mess later… or never. Take a few minutes to make sure the items you will be taking out regularly are in the front of your storage locker. Still holding on to your Grandma's antique sofa? You're probably not going to need access to that regularly. Do you like going biking often? Then put your bikes in an area that is easily accessible from the front of your storage locker entrance.

5. Go vertical

When you are choosing your storage boxes try to get ones that are all the same size so that you can stack them on top of eachother. When stacking your boxes you want to make sure that your heavier items are on the bottom to create a strong base. Don’t stack them too high, you still need to be able to access them and we don’t want anything falling over. Another option is to add shelving to your storage unit so that you can easily access boxes on the bottom of the storage unit without having to worry about taking the top ones off or anything falling over. 

6. Upgrade the size of your storage unit

Having even a little bit of extra room in your storage unit to maneuver around will make a big difference when you are trying to locate boxes and items. If you have a larger locker you may be able to even make a u-shaped stack of boxes around the outside of the locker so you can easily stand in the middle and see all of your labels cleary making it a breeze to find exactly what you are looking for and not wasting valuable time by moving around boxes and furniture. 

7. Repack your boxes

Sometimes we pack boxes in a hurry or haven’t unpacked them from a previous move and don’t know what’s inside of them. It may seem like a daunting task at the beginning but unpacking those boxes to group similar items together and label them properly will save you tons of time and hassle in the long run. You don’t want to have your ski boots mixed in with your summer clothes at the back of the locker with no label on the box. 

Conclusion

We hope that the above tips inspire you to have an organized storage unit to make your life a lot easier. Don’t have a storage unit yet? Contact us today or visit our website for a quote. Not sure what size storage locker you need?