How Self-Storage Can Make Moving Easier

Moving home is not only an intense administrative task, it’s also a deeply personal and emotional effort. After all, transitioning the orbit of your entire lifestyle to a new location, even if it’s not too far away, is a big change.

On top of that, packing all of your belongings, finding the right removalist service, planning to transfer your serviced utilities, and preparing your family for the life change takes time, effort, and upfront cost.

For this reason, it’s good to look for methods that make this process easier to deal with. To offer an example, you could ask an adult member of your family to fly to the new household to greet the removalists as you drive your car to the new home.

However, one of the best methods of reducing packing and moving stress is to utilize self-storage services. In this post, we’ll go over why that is, and how to best use them.

What are self-storage services?

Self-storage companies offer serviced storage units you can rent out for particular lengths of time. They’re usually secured around the clock, and are clean, well-maintained empty spaces you can keep your possessions and physical assets safe in. Depending on length, size and any additional features offered, the price can differ. They offer convenience in a pinch, or even long-term safe harbour for your most valued possessions.

Why are self-storage services suitable for moving?

Self-storage units provide a clear benefit in that they help you keep your items safe when you may not have convenient space to keep them. For example, if you’re trying to do a full clearout of your property before packing and moving on, this can be a good way to protect valuable possessions.

But there are many more benefits than this. In this post, we’ll discuss a few methods of moving forward:

Benefit 1: Avoid packing “Tetris.”

We all know it can be a heavy logistical task to pack up all of our belongings ready for a move. Even putting together a suitcase for a business trip or holiday can be a big ask. However, when you place your items in boxes and try to categorize them into separate, distinct piles, you’re also taking up space in your bedroom, kitchen and living room. This can de-incentivize packing up early so that you can enjoy the space in your house for as long as possible.

With a storage unit, you don’t have to worry about any of that, nor about playing inventory Tetris with your belongings, moving items around each other just so you can live in your home normally until moving day. Simply pack up your least-used items, place them in the storage unit, and they’ll be ready to collect any time. This can help you with other efforts, such as conducting easier-to-reach and last-minute maintenance before you leave, or giving the house inspector more convenience as they perform their duties and confirm the sale.

Benefit 2: Don’t Worry About Expensive Items

For some movers, expensive and valued items are possessions they wish to transport themselves. Sure, they may be insured if sent with a removalist, but if an issue occurs even insurance money cannot replace an irreplaceable belonging.

This is why it’s smart to carefully pack up and store prized or high-value possessions in your storage container before you move. This way, when all of the packing and moving has been done, you can return to these essential possessions and travel with them at your own pace, unimpeded and unstressed. Having that option available can grant you real piece of mind, especially if transporting items with particular transportation needs, such as artwork or antiques.

Benefit 3: Flexibility Is Key

One of the main benefits of using self-storage services is that they’re so flexible. Storage services tend to have fairly uniform and predictable overheads, meaning they can store your items for some time at a very reasonable fee. This means that you can store an item for days, weeks, months or even years if you wish to, and provided you keep the rental rolling over, you won’t have to worry about it.

This means if it takes a few months for you to get settled in the new home, you can then return to visit family, and on your way back pick up those items you stored. Alternatively, you might decide to switch out stored items here and there depending on your moving needs. Perhaps you don’t have room to bring that piano with you right now, but once you build that addition to the new property, you can. As you can see, the flexibility is highly beneficial to a range of homeowners with diverse needs.

Benefit 4: Optional, Beneficial Features

Some serviced self-storage companies offer a range of optional features for the upkeep and maintenance of your unit. For example, you may be able to request 24/7 access to your possessions which can add even more flexibility. Your possessions will be insured when renting out space, but if your items exceed a certain value then you may be able to upgrade that insurance plan more carefully.

On top of this, some companies offer climate-controlled support, which can be ideal if storing fragile or old items like artwork, antiques, and other items that need to be kept at a worthwhile temperature. In general, these companies will offer basic services as part of your rental package, for example round-the-clock security, cleaning the unit between uses, and pest control efforts are all standard.

Benefit 5: Convenient Supplies May Be On Offer

Self-storage services understand the needs of their clients, and so they often make sure all provisions and utilities are accounted for. For example, if you need to purchase boxes, bubble wrap and labels, then they’ll most likely be able to provide that. 

They will also design their units in such a manner that transportation and loading your vehicle is easier. With box movers, wheeled transports, and loading bays, getting your possessions in and out can be a breeze. In some cases, they may even help you depending on the package you’ve selected.

Benefit 6: Confidentiality At All Levels

Of course, if a self-storage service has reason to believe you’re storing illegal property or are acting suspiciously, they have a duty to investigate and report it. However, in 99.9% of cases, they are content to give you your privacy. A basic inventory list of the items you have in storage may be necessary for insurance and security purposes, but for the most part you will be free to come and go as you please, with the right access.

This way, you won’t have to worry about storing highly valuable items nor having your items retrieved without your consent. Self-storage services will use many layers of internal security protocols to ensure your items are stored reliably. Having one less thing to worry about is certainly ideal at this very busy time.

Benefit 7: Save Money Over Time

Removalists provide an excellent and necessary service, but it can get expensive to book multiple trips back and forth to get everything you need. On top of that, you might not be able to run on their timeline as well as you’d like. What if you need to move out of the old house by a certain date, but you can’t move into your new home for two weeks? Sure, you might have arranged hotels or to stay with family members, but what about your possessions?

With self-storage services, your goods are protected and will wait for you. This way, you can move items in stages, like your essentials first, then your nice possessions, and then your long-term stored possessions. Over time, this can save you money, or at least allows you to use removalist services on your own terms.

Benefit 8: Downsizing Is Now Easier

Downsizing can take some getting used to. There are many reasons as to why you might move to a smaller property, be that hoping to save some money, moving to an area where real estate is more expensive, or perhaps readjusting your needs after your children have flown the nest.

However, we tend to fill up the homes we live in, meaning you may have more possessions than space in the new property. When planning a move, this can be stressful, because of course, you need to bring all of your possessions with you. Instead of tripping over boxes in your new house for the foreseeable future, or having to sell off items you still need, a storage option can serve as a nice interim alternative. This way, downsizing doesn’t have to be a huge logistical task, but a comforting change.

Benefit 9: Avoiding “Packing Box Irritation”

If you’ve ever moved into a new property, you may be familiar with what it’s like to unpack slowly over the course of months. Your spare room could even be filled with boxes you’ve been meaning to get to for years, yet you’ve never made the time to unpack and store those items.

It can be annoying to live amongst packing boxes for too long, especially if you’re just trying to find space for the items held within before you do. With storage units, you can keep your items safe for some time, meaning you don’t even have to look at the boxes you didn’t immediately need, until you desire that is. Then, when you’re ready, you can bring those boxes and decide your next steps.

Benefit 10: Separate Items To Sell Or Donate

When you begin packing for your moving effort, you’ll likely categorize your possessions into multiple piles. You may first identify the possessions you wish to bring with you, subdividing those into ‘must-haves’ and ‘luxuries.’ Next, you might categorize the items you wish to sell or donate. Finally, you’ll find many items that you’ve collected over the years which can be thrown away. After all, you won’t need to bring three backup and outdated microwaves with you “just in case.”

Throwing items out is easy, as is packing your must-have possessions. But selling and donating items takes effort, especially the former, and you might not have time for this right now. The last thing you need is to run a garage sale or dozens of eBay listings simply for convenience sake – after all, you have a house move to plan.

For this reason, it’s wise to use self-storage services for the time being. This way, you can ensure those possessions are kept in exactly the same condition you found them. When you finally come to sell them, you can return to the self-storage unit at your own convenience. Perhaps the effort will pay off the cost of using such units, as well as some of your moving costs. This is a rare win-win, and important to consider.

Benefit 11: No Storage Too Large Or Small

Storage services tend to offer a range of adaptable units, from full-scale serviced units to small lockers you can fit a set of golf clubs in. This means you won’t have to rent out a huge space if you only have a few items to keep safe. It also means you can reduce your cost to the reasonable degree of space you need.

In addition to that, multiple or large units can provide you with ample space to bring everything you own. You might have a set of antiques, collectors items like a suite of old pinball machines, or even just your family bicycle collection. What matters is that here you’ll have space for them, without having to stuff them in a corner, pack them up too tightly, or stack them unsafely. This can be ideal as you figure out your own storage effort in the new property, as perhaps you need time to renovate the new garage or outdoor shed.

Contact Mammoth Self Storage today!

At Mammoth Self Storage, we are proud to service a range of our amazing clients, both new and returning. Please contact us today at [TEL] or visit our physical locations to talk through your options!

We’ll keep your prized possessions safe.