All storage tips
Moving
7 min read
The downsizing checklist: keep, store, sell or donate
A room-by-room way to decide what comes with you, what goes into storage for now and what finds a new home, without doing it all in one weekend.
Denise Walker, facility manager
Downsizing is mostly decisions. Make them in small batches and it stops feeling like a wall.
Four piles, every room
Keep: you use it at least once a season
Store: you’ll need it within two years, or it matters to the family
Sell: worth more than an hour of your time to list
Donate: everything else in good condition
Start where it’s easy
Begin with the linen closet or the garage, not the family photos. Early wins build momentum for the harder rooms.
Measure the new place
Measure the rooms you’re moving into and draw where the big furniture goes. Anything that doesn’t fit the plan becomes a store, sell or donate decision.
Size your unit last
Once the store pile is set, use our size guide or send us a photo. Most downsizing moves fit a 5×10 or a 10×10, and month-to-month rent means you can move down a size later.
Planning a move?
See what fits before you rent.
Every unit drawn to scale, with web prices from $49 a month and $1 first month on select units.
More storage tips.
Packing
6 min read
How to pack a storage unit so you can find things later
Big items against the back wall, a walkway down the middle and labels facing out. A simple plan for packing a unit you’ll actually open again.
Rules
4 min read
What not to store in a storage unit
Some things are unsafe, some are against the rental agreement, and some just won’t survive. Here’s the short list we go over at the counter.
Climate control
5 min read
Climate control: do you actually need it?
Climate-controlled units cost a bit more. For wood furniture, electronics, photos and anything stored through a Charlotte summer, the extra few dollars usually pays off.