How to Store Your Summer Items in Winter

Is your home overflowing with summer stuff? Self-storage is the perfect solution for your seasonal woes. Now that the weather is taking a turn, it's time to swap warm-weather gear for what you'll need to get through the winter. Take a look at how to use a self-storage facility to stash your summer stuff during the winter months.

Rent Early

Waiting until the mercury drops or the snow fall isn't advisable. Start early by beginning your self-storage facility search several weeks or months before the winter weather. This gives you time to explore your options.

Things to consider when renting a storage unit for your summer stuff include:

• Service. Is a self-storage unit the right option for you? Some homeowners want the ability to move and secure their own belongings, while others prefer a full-service arrangement. Full-service facilities assist with pick-ups and item storage.
  
• Cost. If price is an issue, taking the time to weight your options gives you a variety of price points to choose from.
  
• Size. How much summer stuff do you have to store? Beyond this question, ask yourself if you plan on switching out the summer stash for a fall, spring, or winter one later. Think about how many seasonal items you have (for each season) when choosing the right sized unit.
  
• Safety and security. Are you storing valuable items? If so, you may need added security.
  
• Location. How often will you need to visit the storage facility? If this is a once-a-season (four times a year) trip, location is less of an issue than if you plan on visiting weekly.

Beginning the rental process before you need the unit gives you the maximum time possible to check each of these options careful consideration.

Choose Your Items

What should you store? The answer to this question depends on what types of items you have, what you won't use over the winter, the size of the items, the space you have in your storage unit, and the ease of moving each item. For example, patio furniture may seem like an obvious pick, but it isn't always easy to transport. Other more permanent items, such as your barbeque grill or over-sized kids' outdoor playhouse, may also need to stay at your home.

Smaller-sized items or ones that fold/disassemble into compact packages are often better storage selections. These may include:

• Kids' paddling pool. An inflatable children's pool can deflate, fold, and store easily.
  
• Pool toys. You won't need the box of pool noodles, water wings, or raft during the winter months.
  
• Sports equipment. Unless you have an indoor court or space to play, basketballs, baseball gear, soccer balls, and anything else that your family uses during the summer can go into storage.
  
• Clothing. If you aren't planning a winter-time trip to somewhere tropical, pack and store swimsuits, shorts, t-shirts, and other summer clothes.
  
• Decorative items. Summery door wreaths, Fourth of July décor, and other seasonal accents are simple to store over the winter months.
  



Walk through your home as the summer wraps up and look for items that you won't use until next spring. List these picks, hold a family meeting, and make sure that everyone agrees that these items are candidates for storage.

Take Inventory

After gathering all the summer items that will go into storage, inventory them. There are plenty of storage and listing apps that make this type of organizational process easy. If you prefer to keep your inventory on paper, designate a notebook as your summer storage list keeper.

Clean Everything

Never put anything that's dirty or damp into storage. Transporting your summer items to the storage facility on a rainy fall or snowy winter day leaves them open to gather moisture. Also make sure that everything is completely dry before leaving your unit.

Do you need a storage facility for your summer gear? If so, contact MaxSecure Storage for more information.