Self-storage units are quite handy when life circumstances change. You might be moving to a new home, head abroad or just need extra space to store all those books, files, and other tools and equipment that you rarely use. Whatever your reason is for wanting extra storage to house your belongings, what you’ve chosen is the right one.

There are a lot of self-storage facilities all over the country. However, how do you choose the one that best suits all your needs and requirements for a self-storage unit facility? Let’s think this through.

How To Select Your Self-Storage Unit?

Proximity from your area

Of course, you don’t want to drive hours just to get to your things. So find self-storage units within your area. Though the distance is subjective, a 30-minute drive would be fine for the distance of your unit from your home. Try to use Google to find local options, such as Miami storage companies if you are in the area.  However, keep in mind that storage facilities are a little affordable in the urban areas than in the city. So choose your warehouse wisely.

Choose Your Storage Unit Size

Selecting your self-storage size would depend on the volume of your things and the time you would want to put those away. According to Quick Self Storage, storing your belongings for longer periods of time would require you to give egress and ventilation to your things. You would also need to provide a walkway if you have a lot of things for safekeeping. Storage units are classified from small, medium, and large. Here are the dimensions and the storing capacity for each size.


  • Small (25 to 50 sq ft) – This is about the size of a garden shed and can store small furniture like kitchen appliances, garden equipment, seasonal decorations, etc. It’s enough for half the capacity of a transit van.
  • Medium (51 to 150 sq ft) – This is similar to a single garage and is good for a two-bedroom home of furniture and stuff. If your things fit snugly into an 18ft container van, then this is right for you.
  • Large (151 to 300 sq ft) – It’s the size of a two-car garage and can store all the contents of a five-bedroom home.

Do and Inventory of Your Possessions

To better gauge the volume and size of the self-storage unit you need, you will have to write a comprehensive list of all those things you want to be stored. Have enough allowance space for other things you may have forgotten to put into your inventory and for ventilation and passageways.

You should also need to identify those things you would need access to more frequently so you could place them near the entrance door and organize your things accordingly. Then measure and estimate the collective packing size of your belongings.

Choosing a self-storage unit shouldn’t be mind-boggling. You just need to be patient in logging in all the things you need to put away and measure all your stuff. It would also be a good idea to keep a log of all the stuff you have kept in your storage unit so you don’t have to find something that isn’t actually there.

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