Maybe your nest is empty, or maybe you’re tired of the endless yard work. Perhaps you’re ready for the adventure of moving to a new home and neighborhood in your “third act” of life. Whatever the reason, many homeowners choose to move to a smaller home as they enter retirement age, and a smaller home requires a smaller number of items.
One of the toughest parts of downsizing your home is saying goodbye to items you’ve loved over the years but don’t fit in your new home. Larger items might be too big for the space, and even small boxes can be a tight fit if you’re moving from a very large family home to a tiny 1- or 2-bedroom.
Storage facilities let you hold on to your cherished items without cluttering up your new home. With the right storage company, you can keep your belongings safe and enjoy a tidy, clutter-free space as you enter the next exciting phase of life.
Why downsizing homeowners choose storage units
Downsizing homeowners soon realize that the smaller home they’re planning to live in won’t hold all the furniture, equipment, books, and keepsakes of their former home. But they don’t want to risk losing the precious memories attached to these items.
But a self-storage unit is increasingly becoming part of the downsizing conversation.
Homeowners can choose a smaller home because they know that important belongings will get a new home in a safe storage space they can access anytime they need.
Downsizing doesn’t necessarily mean minimizing
Just because you dream of a smaller home doesn’t mean you want a minimalist space. Your items are still special to you, and it’s important to keep them.
Self-storage solutions provide the space you need without requiring extra square footage in your new home, and your belongings are safe and cared for without adding another room to clean and maintain.
Furniture covers let you keep your heirloom furniture without you dusting it. Sturdy cardboard boxes house precious family pictures without needing to find a place to store them in your smaller home.
Everything you treasured is still yours – it’s just living a little further away now. Kind of like the kids!
Your kids may wish you’d kept it
Speaking of children (and grandchildren), downsizing shouldn’t mean throwing out items they want but can’t keep yet.
These days, it’s hard for young adults to buy a home and settle into a permanent location. Your children and grandchildren might want some of your belongings but have no place to store them at the moment. A storage unit houses those pieces until they can find a lasting home with your descendants.
Decluttering provides a mental reset
As you move into your new home, it’s refreshing to think of the tidy, uncluttered space that awaits you. It’s a blank space that you can decorate with your own taste, but you might need to live in your home for a while before you decide which walls should display your favorite paintings and photos, or which corner is perfect for that antique rocking chair.
By storing items, you give yourself time to explore your new space and decorate it with consideration and care. Many of your stored items could find their way back into your new home, and letting them rest in a storage unit gives you time to make a decision about them without rushing into one you’ll regret.
Which items should you keep in a storage unit?
If you’re working with a solid long-term storage facility, your storage unit will be secure, safe from pests, and well protected from the elements. Those conditions will keep most of your items clean and in good working order for years.
- Tables, chairs, bed frames and other non-upholstered furniture pieces
- Large appliances like washing machines or freezers
- Small appliances that have packed in boxes
- Toys made of plastic or wood
- Outdoor and sports equipment
Climate-controlled storage units deliver an additional layer of protection by guaranteeing a damp-free space with a consistent temperature and insulated walls. Climate-controlled units are best for:
- Upholstered items, bedding, soft furnishings, and clothing
- Delicate items that are sensitive to dampness, like musical instruments
- Books, manuscripts, and other paper items
- Fragile items like artwork or photographs
Packing and self storage tips
When downsizing clients need advice, we give them storage tips and tricks based on our decades of self-storage experience:
- Buy more packing supplies than you think you’ll need. If you look at your space and think, “That will be about 20 boxes,” get 30. You’ll be surprised to find that you’ll fill them, and you’ll be glad you don’t need to run to the store again in the middle of packing.
- Buy a roll of bubble wrap or packing paper. Newspaper is good padding for certain items, but the ink from newsprint sometimes leaves marks and stains. Invest in good quality packing materials to keep your items safe. While you’re at it, make sure you get packing tape to secure your boxes.
- Plastic boxes keep your items even safer. They’re usually stronger than cardboard, they self-seal with a tight-fitting lid, and they don’t deteriorate due to dampness. We recommend plastic boxes for all items, but we know that they’re expensive, so for very special items, plastic boxes are the right choice.
- Clean your items before you store them. That way, you’ll clear away any dirt, food, or debris so that it doesn’t sit around growing mold or attracting unwanted interest from pests.
- Label your boxes! You’ll be shocked to find how quickly you forget which box is which, and searching for items is so much easier with clearly-labeled boxes.
- Keep furniture legs off the ground by storing furniture on wooden pallets. That will help protect furniture items, even in the unlikely case of water ingress.
- Don’t stack fragile items up high, especially if they’re heavy (like dish sets). It’s too easy to drop them as you’re reaching for them, and if they happen to shift and fall while in storage, they’ll definitely break.
- Consider buying shelves for your storage unit. Adding shelving to your storage unit lets you use all of the space, even the vertical space. You’ll save space on the floor of your storage unit and utilize every inch of the space you’ve paid for.
- Leave a walkway through your storage space so you can get boxes in the back without dragging out everything in the front.
- If you know you’ll need certain boxes more often than others, store those few boxes at the front of your storage space. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration if you keep those items easy to access.
Downsize and keep your stuff with a reliable storage unit
You can downsize to a smaller house without getting rid of items that are precious to you and your family. A storage unit is often just the right amount of extra space you need to keep items that are special to you – without needing a larger home.
We’ve got a wide variety of unit sizes so you can find just the right unit to house your belongings. Our handy drive-up access makes it easy to get to your items when you need them, and we offer 24-hour surveillance so you know your stuff is extra secure. Call us at (541) 479-1505 to chat about your downsizing storage needs, or check out our handy storage unit size calculator to see which size unit is right for you.