You’ve probably driven past the long rows of buildings with miles of garage style doors hundreds of times on the freeway or seen them while cruising around in your neighborhood, but never actually checked out a self storage business to see what they’re all about. A self storage facility is simply a business which allows you to store virtually anything you want at any time, and can be found throughout the United States, including many locations in the greater Virginia area.

Self storage businesses allow you to rent your own storage unit, which come in many different sizes and can be contracted for any length of time. Self-storage is designed to be completely flexible to meet your needs. You are the only key holder or holder of the combination to your unit’s lock and only you have access to the unit -- whenever you want, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Self storage facilities are available in many locations across Virginia, whether you live in a rural farm community, small town, or large metropolitan city. Better than storing your items in your own home, garage, basement or attic, where they are susceptible to the weather, pests, mold or other dangers, in a self storage facility, whatever you choose to store is kept clean, dry and safe in security controlled units.

What are the benefits of self storage?

Self storage is an ideal storage solution for Virginia residents moving between homes, or for people just looking for a way to reduce clutter in their home or business. You can bring your items in and out of your leased storage space as often you wish, 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and as long as you aren’t storing illegal or prohibited items, the owners and staff of your self storage facility will never know what you are keeping in your storage unit, making it a very private and discreet transaction.

Peace of mind

In addition to providing a convenient place to store important belongings, self storage clients are also afforded the peace of mind that comes with keeping their belongings in a high security facility which is clean, dry and safe. Many facilities also have on site resident managers who are available at any time to assist customers.

Safe, insured, and close

With available insurance and competitive rates, self storage is a far better choice then storing your important items at your home or business. And with locations throughout Virginia, you’ll never be far from your stored items.

Easy access

Vehicular access is offered in self storage facilities for cars, vans, trucks, and rental vehicles such as moving vans. There’s even space to store recreational vehicles like RV’s, ATV’s and boats.

The right size for your needs

A 150 square foot self storage unit will hold the contents of a standard three-bedroom house or over 400 standard packing boxes. Larger units will comfortably lodge the contents of a five bedroom home. Self storage units are for more than furniture. They are also the perfect place to house records and documents or business goods.

Reasons to use a self storage facility:

1. Flexibility of move in and move out with easy access

2. Free 24 hour, 365 day per year availability

3. Free parking

4. Experienced, helpful staff

5. Low cost compared to building your own storage space or other traditional storage solutions

6. Security facilities including amenities like keypad gated entry and video surveillance

7. All units are ground level providing easy access for heavy or bulky items

8. Discounted removal/collection service for customers

9. Convenient locations throughout Virginia

10. Storage insurance availability

Securing the services of a self storage facility

There are several considerations to take into account when employing a self storage facility in the state of Virginia.

Keep track of your stored items

If you’re moving a lot of items into storage, it’s advisable to keep a detailed inventory and even take photos of the items. Keep good records so you won’t forget what you put into storage. This will also help you with any future insurance claims. The best way to do this is to buy a spiral notebook that you label “Moving and Self Storage” so you can make notes about the details of the move.

Storage supplies

Get together moving supplies that you will need such as packing tape, markers to label boxes, and scissors or a pocket knife. Packing paper, (similar to newspaper except it doesn’t have the printing on it) is better to use because it won’t leave ink on your dishes and other items when you pack them. Many self storage facilities or rental truck companies will stock packing supplies like packing paper, bubble wrap, and specialties boxes which you can purchase.

If you’re on a budget, you can get strong boxes for free from a supermarket or liquor store. Ask your grocery store manager for apple or pear boxes. They’re heavy duty and best for moving. They don’t have a top to them, but are very hard. You may also able to find free boxes and free packing paper on Craig’s list.

Blankets and old clothes are a simple and economical way to pack fragile kitchen items like dishes. Use plain plastic bags to pack in rather than black or white trash bags because you can see inside of them without ripping them open. It’s easy to forget what you’ve stored after a few months or weeks, so you’ll be glad you did this.

You may want rope or heavy string and a hand truck or dolly so you can move the boxes more easily. These are also available from many self storage facilities and rental truck companies.

Renting the right space

The amount of self storage space you need will depend on how well you pack. If you will require self storage for only a month or two, consider renting a little more space than you need in order to give you room to get to the things in the back of your storage unit.

If you require space for several months or do not plan to move things in and out of your storage space very often, you can save money by getting the smallest sized unit that will handle your needs. Most facilities will let you upgrade or downgrade to different sized spaces during your lease, so that is an option as well if your needs change.

Stacking and packing

Keep the weight of your boxes at less than 35 or 40 pounds because this will make them much easier to handle and lighter boxes are less likely to tear. It’s a good idea to keep lighter items such as stuffed animals, bedding, and pillows in the larger boxes.

Mark your boxes according to the room they came from in your home so you’ll know where to put them when you go to unpack the boxes again. Make sure to label delicate boxes “Fragile” in large bold letters and be sure to stack these boxes in a separate place so that they are less likely to become damaged during load in or load out.

Pack pictures frames containing glass with the front facing away from potential danger; do not lay them flat. As you pack boxes, ensure that you pack them full, even if you have to put crumpled paper or packing peanuts on top. If you don’t fill the boxes all the way up, you’ll encounter problems as you stack other boxes on top of them. The tops will flatten out, the boxes won’t stack very well, and potentially may fall over as time passes.

The growth of self storage facilities

With a difficult economy in much of the U.S. (including the state of Virginia) plus a home mortgage crisis creating additional home foreclosures and other economic woes daily, many more customers are calling upon the services of storage facilities to help with issues such as downsizing or relocating for employment reasons.

Many reasons to use self storage

Storage facilities offer a flexible, safe and cost effective solution when a homeowner wishes to create a little extra space in the home or perhaps when furniture needs to be stored between house moves or during decorating. Another common self storage customer is the student looking to store belongings in between terms. Larger self storage firms generally tend to offer a whole range of related services such as packaging, boxes and bubble wrap, or even rental truck services, allowing them to offer the complete solution to your household, business and student storage needs.

How to find self storage facilities in Virginia

There are lots of websites available to those looking for a good self storage facility in the state of Virginia. It can be difficult if you aren’t familiar with Virginia, especially if you’re located in another state. When searching online just enter the city or zip code to find the self storage facility closest to you.