Moving and Self Storage in Orange County

6 Things to Do When Using Self Storage

When you’re moving, it’s not unusual to have your Orange County moving company take at least some of your things to a self storage unit. Maybe your new home isn’t quite ready yet. Or maybe you’re couch surfing until you settle into your new apartment.

Whatever your reason, you should know that you’ll need to think a little differently when you’re moving things into a self storage unit, rather than straight to your new home. Here’s what you need to know about using self storage as part of your moving process:

1.Get insurance

If you’re working with licensed movers like Executive Moving Company, you don’t need to worry about extra insurance while your stuff is in transit. Your homeowners or renters insurance will cover your items while they’re in your home. And the moving company’s insurance will cover it while it’s in transit.

But self storage units specifically have clauses in their contracts saying that their insurance does not cover your personal goods. If you don’t have an active renters or homeowners insurance policy, ask your insurer about a small personal goods policy specifically to cover your items while they’re in storage. Otherwise if the unit floods, catches fire, or is broken into, you’ll be out of luck.

2.Use real packing paper

Using newspaper to pad your fragile items during a move isn’t the worst idea. It can be a cheap way to keep your items safe.

But if you’re moving your things into a non-climate-controlled storage unit, newspaper might not be the best idea. Heat and humidity can cause the ink to bleed onto your things. In most cases, it can be wiped off again, but that’s another step during the unpacking process. In other cases, it can actually stain your belongings, causing some serious problems when it’s time to unpack.

3.Skip packing any food

The best Orange County Moving Companies will have limitations on food they’ll move, anyway. But most will handle sealed, unopened boxes, bags, and cans. Still, you may want to think twice about moving even new boxes of pasta into a storage unit. Any food items can attract pests into your storage unit, where they might wreak havoc.

One exception to this rule could be canned goods. They can withstand a great deal of temperature variation, and are less likely to attract pets. Still, though, they can be a pain to move, especially if the cans become damaged or dented during the move without your knowledge. It’s better to just skip putting food into your storage unit altogether.

4.Label your boxes extra well

Any time you move, it’s best to make sure all of your boxes are properly labeled. It’s so much easier to unpack when you know exactly what’s in every box. But when you’re moving items into a storage unit, labeling becomes even more important.

This is especially true if you’re moving your things into a local storage unit with the intention of unpacking it slowly. Knowing what’s in each box will help you determine what to take each time you go to the storage unit to pick up a few boxes.

5.Look for storage with good features

When you’re shopping around for a storage unit, don’t just go for the rock-bottom price. Instead, look at the features each unit offers. If you’re storing fragile items, it’s worth your while to spring for a climate-controlled unit. It’ll cost more, but it’ll also protect your art and antiques or musical instruments from damage during the storage period.

You’ll also want to consider a facility’s security features. At minimum, you’ll want to ensure that only other storage unit owners can drive to the open facility. And you’ll want to ensure that each unit has an alarm system. If you’re using portable storage, your unit will go into a warehouse, and you’ll want to be sure that the warehouse is secure, as well.

6.Ask your mover about a two-step move

If you’re moving things into a storage unit for a few weeks or months, and then moving into your new home, talk to your Orange County movers about a two-step move. Can they move things into the storage unit, and then move them from the unit to your new home? Obviously, this will be more expensive than a here-to-there move. But if you write this into your original contract, rather than booking the moving company two separate times, you could possibly get a better deal on your move.