If I Haven't Posted In Awhile, I'm Probably Moving

It's not unusual for a short stint in storage for your stuff to end up being a week or so longer than you thought. Maybe your house remodel took longer or you just needed more time to settle into your new home before bringing all your stuff in. But sometimes what starts off as a short time in storage suddenly turns into a much longer time. Maybe you're having more trouble finding a new apartment and are stuck in a residential motel, for example. If this happens, and you see your storage rental time start to extend noticeably, you need to change how you've got things stored so that your belongings better handle the climate and time spent inside the storage unit.

Cover and Wrap Immediately

If you were planning to have things in the unit for only a short time, they might be in rather unsecured states. Ensure all boxes are sealed, all papers are in boxes that don't have holes or untaped lids, and wrap everything in plastic. Literally take large plastic garbage bags and place smaller boxes in them, sealing the bag, or get a roll of moving-box shrink-wrap and wrap up larger items. The plastic will protect the items from leaks and from dust, which is a real issue if your storage unit is one of those with only a door between the contents and the outdoors.

Sort What You Can

As you go through the boxes, wrapping things up, see if you can peek inside some of them and sort out the things you really aren't interested in keeping. This doesn't have to be a Marie-Kondo-style clean out. But when you threw things in boxes for that initial short storage time, you likely weren't thinking about whether you should actually get rid of something. If you're going to have to keep things in there for a while, though, you have to start re-evaluating what's in there. This will not only give you more space, but it will also allow you to move things into a smaller unit if your rental fees rise.

Re-evaluate Storage Unit Size

And speaking of re-evaluating, you may need a bigger space instead. For long-term self storage, shelf units are indispensable, but those do require a little more space if you have a lot of items.

Add Anti-Humidity Packs

Definitely place an anti-humidity pack in the unit. These are often containers full of crystallized material that absorbs moisture. Storage units can get a little humid, and the packs help keep that under control.

Also talk to your storage facility's management to see if there are limits on paying fees ahead of time, which can help erase some stress. Storage facility staff see situations like this all the time, so they can help you with questions and supplies.