Self Storage can be a great investment in terms of storing items you can’t store at home or work, but make sure you are paying for working space not empty space.

The bottom line is, the better you can stack your possessions in your Self Storage space, the less space you will need – meaning the less space you are paying for!

Before you start stacking, however, you need to consider how often you need to access your Self Storage space.

If you’ll need regular access to your Self Storage space, then allow plenty of room to move, so that when you open the roller door, it’s easy to get to your possessions. Make sure the things you need ready access to, are at the front and easy to reach.

Plan your floor space by placing the heaviest items on the bottom, and any large items that you don’t need on a regular basis should be stored at the rear of your Self Storage space.

If you have to stack high, make sure the items higher up the pile are on level ‘ground’. It’s safer – you don’t want to risk high-stacked items falling on you or other people accessing your Self Storage space.

Most Self Storage spaces are either square or rectangular, so work with that. Stack boxes that are the same size together, to maximise every square metre of the space you are paying for, and always put the heaviest ones on the bottom.

While you do want to maximise space and minimise what you are paying for that space, be careful just how high you stack. Remember, you have to get things down when it is time to move out.

Be very careful with items such as paintings, which can easily fall over. Avoid wrapping them in newspaper, which could damage the painting or the frame. Use acid-free paper, which we can provide, and ensure that the paintings are stacked in a way that they cannot fall over, or be damaged by something else that could fall.

Awkward items, providing they are light or easily seen, are the things that you can stack close to the ceiling. Consider your clothes hoists, strollers and anything else that is not able to be packed in a box but can be identified before being removed from the Self Storage unit, and suitable care taken.

Make sure you label each box with a summary of its contents, or make a map or list of where you stored each one, so it is easier to retrieve them when you need them. This is a particularly good idea, if you are hiring a removalist to clear the Self Storage space – you can then give them specific instructions about what is to be moved, and where, which will make the exercise more efficient and faster for a team that you are paying by the hour.

If you think smart before you pack your Self Storage space, you can save money. Careless packing means you are wasting rent on thin air.