Spring cleaning tips for your storage unit
As we move away from winter, and into spring, you may have already felt inspired to clean your home from top to bottom. And, while your house looks amazing, you may have a few items that need to be moved to your storage unit. But, when was the last time you cleaned your storage unit?
You will want to make sure that your storage unit has enough room for the latest of your belongings. The fact is that your storage unit needs to be cleaned every now and then too. And what a better time to do it than spring. Read further as we discuss our top spring cleaning tips for your storage unit.
First Step: Look Through Your Old Boxes and Label Them Accordingly
Cleaning Tips For Your Storage Unit includes taking a peek inside the boxes in your unit to refresh your memory of what is being stored. If the box does not yet have a label, do it now to keep your items organized. Make sure to bring with you brightly colored markers to color code the boxes by rooms in your home.
Then, round up the clutter to make more room inside of the storage unit. A good rule to follow: If you haven’t used an item that is not seasonal in a year, it may be time to sell it, donate it, or get rid of it. Then consolidate what you have chosen to keep, as this will free up room in your storage unit for new items.
Reorganize Your Storage Unit
As you begin to reorganize your floor plan, leave pathways clear so you can get your work done. Store collections, and other things you do not need easy access to in the back of the storage unit. This will free up room for incoming winter gear to be stored. Make sure to retrieve your spring and summer seasonal items.
Move out your sportswear and move in winter coats and other cold-weather items. Once you switch out your seasonal gear, you can move on to cleaning. You will also want to check on your items. After you open boxes to label them, you should take a moment to notice if they are being properly stored. If damage is present, try to store the item in a different way, or get a new storage box or bin to place it in.
Start Your Spring Cleaning – Cleaning tips for your storage unit
Climate-controlled or climate-enhanced storage units keep your belongings in great shape. However, even these kinds of units will have dust accumulate. This is the time to clean all surfaces and sweep the floors. You can also keep the air inside of your storage unit fresh-smelling by placing open containers of baking soda in corners and underneath shelves.
Spring cleaning your storage unit can be just as overwhelming as spring cleaning your home. After the surfaces and floors are clean, focus on organizing books, papers, and other miscellaneous stuff that have piled up. Make a pile of things that stay in the unit, things that you are taking home, and things that are getting thrown out and/or donated.
You may also have a pile of items that you no longer use and can be sold. Finally, put away large seasonal items.
6 Spring Cleaning tips for your storage unit
Take a look below as we break the cleaning process down into steps:
- Remove all dust and dirt. The best way to do this is to use microfiber towels on plastic items and boxes, furniture, and electronics. Bring a broom and dustpan and a vacuum to help you remove dust and dirt. Perhaps you even purchase these cleaning tools to use exclusively in the storage space. If there is room, you can even store these cleaning tools in your storage space to ensure that necessary cleaning gets done from time to time. Remember that storing some items will maximize your space at home. However, it is not enough to move lesser-used items to your storage unit and just call it a day. Organizing and cleaning your storage unit space will help keep your belongings in very good condition.
- Next, it is time to purge all the items that you do not need or use. Purging creates more space in your storage unit. Make sure to have boxes or bins or garbage bags to store your keep pile, your donated pile, and your sell pile.
- Start to rotate your items. If a delicate or flimsy item is in one position for too long, it can develop flat spots or creases. As you sort through your things, look for items like this. Move then to another location and position so they do not lose their shape. Linens, clothing, and rugs are examples of items that need to be moved and rotated.
- Make an inventory of your items. As you begin to sort through your stuff you should also create an inventory of everything that you are keeping. This will help you the next time you need to retrieve an item from storage or do some more cleaning. You will have a list of everything that is kept there. You should also note wherein the storage space is located, which will save you even more time.
- Check your belongings too! Spring cleaning your storage unit is a great chance to make sure that the items you have stored are still in good condition. If you notice any damage, find a better spot for your items, or consider a better way to store them. You can get a different box or bin or add covers to the items. You can move the box of belongings to a different place within the space, or go with a container that is more sturdy.
- Try to store the things you do not need easy access to in the back of the unit. Belongings that you do need fast access to should go in the front. This will probably change from season to season, so adjust accordingly.
We hope you enjoyed our cleaning tips for your storage unit.
See our quick guide to self-storage.