Taking down the tree usually means another trip to your storage unit with boxes of ornaments, lights, and wreaths you won’t need for eleven months. While you’re there, look at the rest of the unit. Can you reach the boxes in the back? Do you have to move three containers to get to one?
You’re already carrying boxes in and out, making this a convenient time to fix the layout. Rearrange a few stacks now and you won’t have to unload half the unit every time you need something. If some of your boxes are falling apart, BTA Self Storage carries moving and packing supplies to replace them.
Take Stock Before Anything Goes Back In
Spend a few minutes on what’s already inside before you carry the decorations back. Boxes that were easy to reach when you moved in may now be buried behind furniture or under heavier containers.
Pull out whatever is blocking the entrance. Note the boxes you haven’t opened in years, the ones with missing labels, and items that belong together. You don’t need to empty the whole unit. Start at the front and work back.
Decide what you’re keeping, too. If a box of decorations has sat unopened for several seasons, it’s probably ready for donation. The same goes for household items you keep moving around but never use. Every box that leaves frees up space for what stays.
Put the Next Season’s Items Up Front
Arrange the unit by when you’ll need each thing. Christmas decorations go toward the back now, since they won’t come out again until late fall. Spring decorations, gardening supplies, and warm-weather gear should sit near the door.
Think about what you’ll pull out over the next few months and keep those boxes in front with the labels facing out. Furniture and anything that rarely leaves storage can go along the back wall or the sides.
Leave a Walkway
A unit packed wall to wall holds a lot, until you need something from the back.
Leave a path from the door toward the rear. Make it wide enough to walk through and lift a box without climbing over anything. Line the walls with larger items and keep boxes in neat groups on either side of the path. You give up a little floor space, but every trip after this one gets shorter.
Replace Worn-Out Boxes
Holiday decorations often go back into the same cardboard boxes year after year. Look for torn corners, soft bottoms, and lids that won’t close. A box that’s starting to collapse can crush what’s inside and make the whole stack lean.
Choose a box size that fits the contents without big empty gaps. Put heavy items in small boxes so they stay easy to lift. Light, bulky things like artificial garland and tree toppers go in medium and large boxes.
BTA carries small, medium, large, and extra-large boxes, so you can swap out a damaged one without taking it home first. Seal the top and bottom of each box with packing tape. A roll with a dispenser goes a lot faster when you’re repacking several boxes.
Pack Fragile Decorations Properly
Glass ornaments and ceramic pieces need more than a cardboard box. Wrap each one in packing paper or bubble wrap. Put heavier pieces on the bottom and the most delicate ones on top. Fill the gaps with crumpled paper so nothing slides around when the box moves. BTA also sells glass and dish packing kits that may work for certain ornaments and fragile decorations, depending on their size and shape.
Keep ornament boxes away from tree stands, metal yard decorations, and anything heavy that could fall on them.
A few holiday items need extra prep before they go back in:
- Lit decorations: Take out the batteries. Batteries left in for a year can leak and corrode the contacts.
- String lights: Wrap them around a piece of cardboard so they don’t tangle.
- Food decorations: Don’t store popcorn garland, gingerbread, or anything edible. Food draws pests into the unit.
- Candles and wax ornaments: They can soften or melt in a standard unit during a Texas summer. If you have a lot of them, a climate-controlled unit is worth considering. Several of our locations offer them.
Label Every Box With What’s Actually Inside
“Christmas” on the side of a box doesn’t help when you’re looking for the outdoor lights. Be specific:
- Christmas: Living Room Ornaments
- Christmas: Outdoor Lights and Extension Cords
- Christmas: Wreaths and Garland
- Spring: Easter Decorations
- Kitchen: Extra Dishes and Serving Trays
- Winter: Coats and Cold-Weather Clothing
Write the label on at least two sides so you can read it however the box is turned. In a larger unit, number the boxes and keep a list on your phone of what each number holds and where it sits. When you’re done, take a photo of each stack. Next time you visit, you’ll know where everything goes.
Group Similar Items Together
Give each category its own section: holiday decorations in one area, household goods in another, clothing and recreational gear in their own spots.
Within the holiday section, keep each holiday together. When October comes, you can pull out the Halloween boxes without digging through Easter. The same idea works for hobbies. If your family camps, keep the tent, chairs, and lanterns in one spot instead of scattered around the unit.
Don’t drop an unrelated box in front of a section just because the space is open. That’s how a tidy unit drifts back into a jumble.
Stack Smart and Use Shelving
Taller stacks use more of the unit’s height, but only up to a point. Start with sturdy, same-size boxes on the bottom and put heavier boxes under lighter ones. Fragile decorations belong on top, where nothing can crush them. Keep every stack well below the ceiling and clear of lights and sprinkler heads.
Freestanding shelves make a big difference. You can pull out one box without unstacking everything above it. Ask the office before attaching anything to the unit’s walls.
Move Furniture Out of the Middle
A dresser in the center of the unit blocks everything behind it. Move large pieces to the back or along the walls. Take apart tables and bed frames where you can. Put the screws and bolts in a labeled bag and tape it to the piece they came from.
Store mattresses flat on a clean, supportive surface unless the manufacturer recommends otherwise. Use a mattress bag to protect against dust and dirt. BTA carries mattress bags in twin, full, queen, and king sizes.
Cover tables and dressers with moving blankets to prevent scratches. Don’t lean heavy boxes against furniture or stack them on pieces that can’t carry the weight.
Keep It Organized the Rest of the Year
When you take something out, put it back in its section. When a box’s contents change, update the label. Never set a new box in the walkway, even for one visit. Two boxes by the door this month turn into a wall by summer.
A short visit before each season keeps the layout working:
- Early spring: Bring gardening tools and outdoor gear forward.
- Before summer: Move recreational gear to the front.
- Early fall: Rotate Halloween and Christmas boxes back toward the door.
Start the New Year With a Unit That Works
Move next season’s boxes to the front, swap out the worn boxes, leave a walkway, and label everything so you can find it without digging Browse our moving and packing supplies before your next visit, and contact your nearest facility to confirm what’s in stock.