How to Get the Most Out of Your Storage Unit

The team at Kearney Drive-In Self Storage has been helping folks at 2921 N Ave. use their storage units for years, and we've noticed something. Some people squeeze incredible value from their units while others basically rent expensive closets they never organize or use efficiently.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how to actually get the most out of your storage unit instead of just paying rent on wasted space.

Plan Your Layout Before Loading

Don't just start throwing stuff in and figure it out as you go. Spend 20 minutes planning, and you'll save hours of reorganization frustration later.

Think about what you'll need to access while items are stored. Christmas decorations you grab annually can go toward the back. Business inventory that you access weekly needs to stay near the front. Important documents you might reference occasionally belong somewhere in the middle where you can reach them.

Sketch a rough floor plan if it helps. Where will furniture go? Where do boxes stack? Where's your walkway? This prevents the nightmare of realizing you buried something you need behind everything else.

Leave a Center Aisle Always

This is the best for functional storage. Leave a walkway down the center of your unit from door to back wall.

Yeah, it costs you maybe 15 to 20 percent of floor space. But that aisle means you can access everything without moving half your unit every single time you need something from the back. That's absolutely worth the trade.

Make it at least two feet wide, three is better. You should walk comfortably and pull out boxes without turning sideways and squeezing through tight spaces.

People who pack units wall to wall with no access end up avoiding their units because retrieving anything becomes a massive project. Don't create that problem for yourself.

Stack Smart With Heavy on Bottom

Basic physics applies here. Don't stack boxes of books on top of plastic bins full of Christmas ornaments. Gravity crushes things when you ignore proper stacking.

Appliances and heavy furniture go on the floor. Heavy boxes like books and tools go on bottom shelves or lower in stacks. Medium weight boxes in the middle. Light items like pillows, blankets, and soft goods on top.

Also think about what can handle weight. A solid dresser can support stacked boxes. A wicker chair cannot. Use furniture strategically as support for stacks when it makes sense.

One Kearney customer stacked everything backwards with heavy on top. The whole thing collapsed a month later and crushed half his belongings. Don't be that guy.

Shelving Multiplies Your Usable Space

Metal shelving units are the best investment you can make for storage value. Most people only use the bottom three or four feet of their unit because they stack on the floor. Units are typically eight feet tall. That's a lot of wasted vertical space.

Good metal shelving costs maybe $50 to $100 per unit. You can grab these at hardware stores right here in Kearney. They assemble in 15 minutes and suddenly your vertical space becomes functional.

Plus shelving keeps items off the floor which helps with airflow and protection. Even in Nebraska's variable climate, elevation matters for keeping things in good condition.

Customers who add shelving consistently tell us they doubled their effective storage capacity in the same size unit. That's either half the rent or twice the storage for the same price depending on how you look at it.

Use Clear Bins and Label Everything

Cardboard boxes are fine for short term storage but clear plastic bins beat them for long term value.

Clear bins let you see contents without opening anything. Stack them uniformly because they're all the same size. They protect from dust and moisture way better than cardboard. They last forever instead of degrading over time.

Go with standard sizes like 18 gallon or 27 gallon. Buy them all at once so they actually match. Mixed sizes create wobbly unstable stacks.

Label every bin on multiple sides and the top. Be specific about contents. "Kitchen stuff" tells you nothing useful. "Kitchen dishes and glassware" actually helps you find things months later.

Keep a master inventory list on your phone or at home. When you're wondering if you stored something, check the list instead of driving to your unit and digging through everything.

Use Furniture Interiors for Storage

Empty space inside furniture is wasted space. Fill it intelligently.

Dresser drawers can hold linens, clothes, soft items. Just don't overload them so heavy the dresser becomes impossible to move. Armoires and cabinets store boxes or bags. The space under tables holds flat boxes.

This maximizes every inch of your unit without requiring additional footprint. You're storing the furniture anyway so you might as well use its internal capacity.

Access Your Unit Strategically

Think about how often you'll visit and organize accordingly.

If you need frequent access, keep commonly needed items near the door and well organized. Label everything clearly. Create zones so you know exactly where to go for specific categories.

If you're storing long term with infrequent visits, you can pack tighter and deeper. Just make sure truly important items aren't buried so deep you can't get them if needed.

Most people fall somewhere in between. You might need access a few times during storage. Plan for that by not burying essential items behind everything else.

Regular Visits Catch Problems Early

Even if you don't need anything from your unit, visit every month or two just to check on things.

Look for any signs of pests, moisture, or damage. Verify nothing's shifted or fallen. Make sure stacks are still stable. Grab anything you've realized you need since last visit.

These quick checks prevent small problems from becoming disasters. They also remind you what you actually have stored so you don't buy duplicates of things you forgot you owned.

Plus regular visits keep you connected to your storage instead of letting it become this mysterious place you avoid because you're not sure what's even in there anymore.

When to Downsize or Upgrade

Pay attention to how full your unit actually is. If you're at 90 percent capacity and struggling to access things, maybe you need the next size up. If you're at 40 percent capacity and half your unit sits empty, you might save money downsizing.

We're happy to help Kearney customers switch unit sizes when their needs change. No judgment, no hassle. We'd rather you have the right size than pay for space you're not using or struggle with space that's too small.