Rethink Your Summer Storage
With the first day of summer less than two weeks away, you might be thinking about what you’re going to do this year for fun in the sun or what vacations you and the family are going to take. However, you may also be thinking about the garage or basement that needs to be cleaned out and items that need to be stored for the season. At EZ Storage® in Philadelphia, we can help you find the right self-storage unit for any items that you want to keep safe. Call or visit one of our locations today to get started!
1. Repack Your Boxes
When it comes to the garage, you might have boxes of stuff on the shelves and in the cabinets that have been there for years. Your holiday decorations, summer sports gear, and other items have been in the same boxes for perhaps 10 years or more, and every year, you put things back in the same box. One thing to consider this summer is to repack your belongings into new boxes that don’t have the flaps coming off or aren’t threatening to fall apart. This can also be a chance to go through things and decide what you want to keep and what can be tossed or donated. You can put new labels on each box, which will make finding things next summer much easier.
For any large boxes that you don’t want to keep in the garage any longer, you can bring them to your new storage unit. You’ll have plenty of room to store seasonal items, and you won’t have to worry about things taking up space that you’d rather use for parking vehicles or working on summer house projects.
2. Put Up New Shelves and Cabinets
As for the basement, storage space can be hard to come by aside from a small closet or utility room. If you’re planning on finishing your basement this summer, be sure to include new shelves and cabinets in your plan. Even a row of base cabinets along one wall of the basement can make a big difference when it comes to storing games, toys, and other items. Shelves will provide a place to display pictures and decor, and when installed in the right spots, those shelves can make your basement seem less cluttered.
When putting up new shelves and cabinets, make sure they’re sturdy enough to support the weight of the items you’ll be storing in them. Board games and toys might not weigh a lot, but when you start stacking things, they can put quite a bit of strain on a shelf. Whether you’re installing shelves yourself or hiring a professional contractor, be sure to check the weight limits for your new storage spots.
3. Create a Donation Spot
As you’re going through things in the garage and the basement this summer, you’ll more than likely come across items that you no longer want, but that could be useful to someone else. You might think about donating these items, but you don’t want to make a trip to your local donation center with just a few boxes of random things.
By creating a donation spot in the house — such as in a corner of the garage or a closet in the basement — you can accumulate several items to be donated at the end of the summer. Have everyone in the house add to the donation pile over the course of the summer, and by the time September rolls around, you can make one trip and donate everything. Obviously if the donation spot gets too full, you may need to make a trip sooner rather than later, and if there are summer items such as sports gear or water toys to donate, it can be better to take them at the beginning of the season.
4. Rent a Self-Storage Unit
During your summer organization, you might find things that you want to move out of the house, but not necessarily get rid of entirely. Whether it’s seasonal items, furniture, or appliances that you want to store, the team at EZ Storage® can help you find the ideal self-storage unit. Every space is available on a month-to-month basis, so you can rent one for the summer and then take everything home once the garage and basement are finished or reorganized.
With five locations across the greater Philadelphia area, we make it easy to find a storage unit that’s close to home. When you contact the facility nearest you, our team will gladly answer all of your questions to determine which unit size is right for you. Once you’ve rented a space, you can access it on any day of the year. Please keep in mind that certain guidelines might be in place to protect the health and safety of you, our team, and your fellow customers.
We look forward to helping you this summer!