Using a storage unit is one of the best ways of storing things safely if you don't have space at home. However, it isn't as simple as throwing items in the car, transporting them to the storage unit, and throwing them in. Take measures to ensure you store your goods properly and you will be able to easily retrieve them. Here are five helpful times to use:

Park Your Car Back To Front

The ease with which you will store your items starts with how you pack them in the transportation van. As a rule, it's best to start filling your vehicle with items you wish to store last in the storage unit. This helps you avoid the hustle of rummaging through your items (looking for the items you wish to store first) when you reach the storage area.  

Wrap Them Up

It's also good to wrap up individual items for ease of storage. Wrapping reduces the risk of damage from dust, moisture, or even insects. The storage place obviously guards against such things, but there is no harm in taking matters into your hands and adding a layer of safety too. Wrapping is especially necessary for sensitive items, such as books.

Label Them

Just because you know exactly what you are putting into the storage area doesn't mean that you will have the information when you come to pick the items up. Labeling them is the best way to have this information at your fingertips. This goes for boxed or wrapped objects whose identities you can't tell from the outside. Labeling is especially necessary if you won't be coming back for all the stored items at once. That way you don't have to rummage through the storage unit when you come back to collect an item or two.

Stabilize the Layers of Stacked Items

To maximize your use of the storage space, you are likely to stack up your items from the floor to the ceiling. This is all good, but they may all tumble down if you don't stabilize the vertical layers. A good way of stabilizing them is to lay plywood across several boxes in the storage space; this reduces pressure on the top of the boxes. Remember to start with the heaviest items at the bottom and end with the lightest at the top.

Leave Spaces

The last tip is to leave some spaces between the boxes or individual items. Packing your storage space tightly reduces airflow between them, which may not be good for some items. Also, you need space to pick your things when you come back for an item or two and still wish to keep the others. Lastly, you may scratch the walls of the storage unit if you don't leave spaces between them and your stored items; that may cost you a fine when you finally come for your goods. 

For more information, contact a company like B A Emmons Self Storage.