4 Tips For Storing Dishes And Small Appliances In A Self-Storage Unit
If you wish for a more simplified and less cluttered life but your kitchen cabinets are stuffed with dishes and small appliances, you may feel stuck, especially if you don't want to sell or give away any of your belongings. A solution that might work for you is to rent a self-storage unit for keeping your seasonal dish sets and rarely used small appliances out of the way. Here are four tips for storing dishes and kitchen equipment so they are unharmed and ready for use when you need them.
1. Pack Like You're Moving
Since you'll be moving your dishes in your car to the storage unit and maybe stacking the boxes on each other, you want to pack your things well. Consider investing in moving boxes because they are sturdy and you can get them in a uniform size. Plus, you can buy boxes with cells for holding individual glasses to keep the glasses separated. Moving boxes are reinforced or made with corrugated cardboard, so they are strong, which is important for heavy items, such as mixers and food processors.
2. Keep Parts With The Appliance
Pack blades with the food processor rather than in a different box. Appliances should have their cords and parts in the same box so it's handy to pick up a mixer or food processor from storage. Rather than digging through boxes looking for blades or a cord, you'll find everything you need in a single box.
3. Label The Boxes
Writing the contents of the box on the outside is important so you'll always know where everything is. Since your things won't be in your home where you see them all the time, you might forget where they are in storage, especially seasonal dish sets. With all boxes marked and seasonal boxes placed next to each other, picking up boxes for Thanksgiving or another holiday will be easy and you'll enjoy your storage space much more than if you have to hunt down everything you need.
4. Keep Boxes Accessible
While you likely want to rent a smaller self-storage unit so you pay less, you also want the unit to be large enough that you can reach boxes easily and not have to remove several boxes from the unit to get to those in back.
Line the walls with boxes and create aisles in the middle of the unit so you can see each box if possible. Be careful about stacking boxes of dishes too high, and always place heavy equipment on the bottom. You may want to line the walls of the unit with storage shelves so the boxes are separate and not resting on each other.
To learn more, contact a self-storage facility.