No matter what your circumstances are when you’re moving, there’s one thing you’ll find you have in common with everyone else who’s moved: the realization that you have too much stuff! This seems to be a common discovery regardless of home size, but it’s especially apparent when you’re downsizing to a smaller space. And while donating or tossing items you no longer need is a great start, there are simply some belongings you can’t part with just yet–but you also can’t cram them into your new home. So what now? Well, now it’s time to consider using a self-storage facility. And if you’re in Houston–or really any other major Texas city–you have lots of options for self-storage. Here’s how to pick the right one for anything you need to store.
Find Out About Basic Features
Before you choose from several Houston self-storage facilities, you can start narrowing down your choices by learning some basic information. First, call each location and ask what their hours are so you know when you’re allowed to access your items. You never know if you’re going to want to go through your big box of mementos after dinner one night, so make sure that’s even a possibility at the Houston self-storage facility you’re considering.
You should also find out if it’s climate-controlled so you can make sure your belongings don’t melt during the Texas summer. Security is another feature you’ll want to know about. Is the facility gated, or are there security guards? Are there plenty of lights and surveillance cameras around the property? And are there alarms on each unit’s door?
A helpful and informative storage manager should be able to tell you these details when you call. If you’re still unsure if it’s the right Houston self-storage facility for you, schedule a tour so you can get a feel for it. That good or bad vibe you get from the facility should help you make up your mind if you’re torn between a couple of options.
Get To Know the Rules of What You Can Store
Before you pick a Houston self-storage facility, make sure your belongings are even allowed there. In general, you won’t be able to store food or plants. You also can’t store potentially dangerous items, including anything that could explode. For example, the typical Houston self-storage facility won’t let you store guns, ammunition, propane tanks, paint, cleaning solutions, pesticides, car batteries or fireworks.
Basically, most of the items you can’t put on a moving truck are also items you can’t leave in self-storage. But you can always call the Houston self-storage facility you’re considering, just to double check.
Look Into Portable Storage
If you’re having trouble finding a local self-storage facility that checks all the boxes of what you want, maybe what you really need is portable storage. With this option, you can take your time loading up a storage unit at your own house, and then you can just have the entire unit dropped off at a storage facility–meaning you won’t have to load your belongings onto a truck and then unload them into a storage unit.
In fact, when you go with MOVITS portable storage, you’ll get movers who can load all your items into the portable unit so you don’t have to do the job yourself! Just make sure you don’t need to access your items regularly when you take this route, because with MOVITS, the storage containers are stacked–which means you can’t go look at your belongings like you could with a traditional self-storage facility.
Whether you’re interested in a Houston self-storage facility or portable storage, you can get what you need with 3 Men Movers. Contact us today to learn more!