Are you preparing for a move? Or are you simply decluttering your home to free up additional storage space for new items? Either way, self-storage is the convenient and practical solution you seek to keep your belongings safe and organised. However, before you shift everything into your storage unit, let us share the do’s and don’ts you should consider to ensure your items remain safe and pristine during storage.

Learn More: A Beginner’s Guide To Self Storage In Singapore

The Do’s Of Preparing Your Items For Storage

1. Do Choose A Reliable Storage Company

When opting for self-storage in Singapore, you are placing your trust in a third-party service provider to care for your belongings. So, even if you are not planning on storing anything of significant value, you should still select a provider with a proven track record of reliability.

In particular, look for a storage facility that offers round-the-clock surveillance, secure access, and on-site management. These features demonstrate that the safety and security of your belongings are a top priority for the service provider. The storage unit should also be ideally located near your home or office to ensure maximum convenience.

2. Do Plan Ahead

Before packing your possessions for self-storage, take the time to plan and strategise. After all, you never know if or when you need to access your storage unit. So, organise everything in a way that makes it easy for you to find the items you need – just in case. For items you are sure you will need, store them towards the front of the unit. Conversely, objects that you don’t need frequent access to can be placed at the back.

Don’t be afraid to think vertically, too. Take advantage of your storage unit’s height (where possible) by installing racks or shelving units to stack your belongings instead of crowding everything across the bottom. Remember to leave a pathway from the front of the storage space to the back so that nothing is out of reach.

3. Do Store Your Items Properly

Invest in sturdy packing materials to safeguard your items in self-storage. Trust us! You will be grateful for this decision. By taking the time to pack and wrap your belongings properly in quality storage materials, you can protect them from potential damage. 

For instance, envelop furniture with furniture covers to safeguard them from dust and dirt. Meanwhile, anything small should be boxed up, while fragile objects should be carefully wrapped in packing paper and bubble wrap and stored correctly to prevent them from moving around.

Lastly, remember to label your boxes and mark each container with its content and the room it belongs to. This simple yet effective method can help you stay organised during packing and save time and effort when you need to access something specific later.

The Don’ts Of Preparing Your Items For Storage

1. Don’t Start Searching At The Last Minute

Various factors go into selecting the ideal storage rental for your situation, including convenience level, price, and size. Therefore, it is advisable to begin your search early to ensure you check off all your requirements. 

Putting things off to the last minute could result in you not finding what you are looking for or having insufficient time to do the necessary research. It is better to begin early and have a plan in place than to start late and have to make a rushed decision.

2. Don’t Overpack Or Overcrowd The Storage Space

While it is tempting to maximise storage space, overpacking can cause your storage boxes to become too heavy, making them susceptible to collapse. In addition, avoid stacking boxes too high or filling the storage unit to the brim, as doing so poses various safety risks.

For instance, if your boxes are stacked higher than 2.4 metres, they could block the storage facility’s sprinklers and interfere with the fire suppression system. Meanwhile, not only are you preventing easy access to your belongings by overcrowding or placing items in the storage walkway. The items could also serve as potential tripping hazards and cause an accident.

3. Don’t Store Anything Perishable

Never store anything perishable in your storage space. When the items decompose, they produce an unpleasant odour that compromises the cleanliness and safety of your storage unit. The smell may also attract pests, such as bugs and rodents, and you definitely do not want to happen upon either when opening your storage unit. 

However, you also need to take special care when stowing non-perishable items. Before packing your belongings, ensure they are clean and dry. This step is essential when storing items like appliances, clothing, or furniture, as dirt and moisture can lead to mould, mildew, and other damage while in storage.

By following our helpful tips, you can ensure you store your belongings smartly and keep them safe and in excellent condition, resulting in a positive self-storage experience. When you are finally ready to retrieve your items, you will be glad you took the time to do it right.

If you are still in the midst of searching for your ideal storage space, look no further than Work+Store. Our storage facilities are located islandwide, enabling you to easily find a storage unit near your home or office. Contact us for a free quotation today.

Self-Storage has fuelled the growth of new start-ups and SMEs globally. Whether you are a small business based out of a home office or a dedicated business space, self-storage becomes a vital requirement after some time in business. You start needing external storage to store your merchandise or expand your available workspace to make more office space.

Cost-effective solutions and evolving storage trends among small businesses and start-ups have further accelerated the rise in the use of self-storage units. As a result, companies looking for storage for rent in Singapore now have multiple options to choose from the traditional warehouse rentals and self-storage units in the market. 

Warehousing Solutions: Traditional vs Self-Storage

Many small and medium enterprises jump to choosing traditional warehouse space for rent or buying warehouse space even before considering self-storage solutions which offer many desirable options in terms of both benefits and price. These units can provide the essential room for your business, whether you are a growing business or start-up, a local shop, or an e-commerce business and whatever the kind of transactions, supply trends, and space demand you have. Let us see how.

Flexible Rentals

Businesses always look to get the most out of their investment. Traditional warehouse rentals often do not offer customized storage, so you may land up paying for excess and unused space in the warehouse. Paying the rent to cover the sheer scale of the premises and maintenance costs can be substantial and can be easily avoided by choosing self-storage units.

Contrary to the common belief that self-storage units are too small to cater for business needs, Work+Store provides these units ranging from 100 sq ft to 400 sqft at flexible rental leases. This means you can avail of it for as long as you like, as per your business needs, whether this is an expansion, storage of seasonal goods, or temporary storage of goods due to renovation.

No Set-Up or Renovation Cost

The most significant cost associated with traditional warehouse rental spaces is the set-up costs. Most traditional warehouses do not have pre-installed lights, power sockets, air-condition, security alarms or fans. You may have to shell out some extra cash for the installation cost for such facilities. Moreover, when the lease is over, the tenant has to reinstate the facilities to their original condition before returning to the landlord, further adding to the cost.

Self-storage units offer a hassle-free storage solution without extensive setup or reinstatement costs. There is also no associated renovation period. Instead, you can choose a unit that suits your space requirement and move in quickly.

No Waiting Period or Maintenance Bills

With self-storage items, there are no waiting periods associated with leases. All that you need to pay are the monthly storage charges. There are no costs arising from unwarranted bills or fluctuating monthly utility bills. Similarly, there are no maintenance bills for the cleaning of the common areas and bathroom, the servicing of the aircon system and fans, and maintenance and monitoring of the security system and as in the case of traditional warehousing rentals. This saves you a lot of inconvenience and time, and you can focus on your business and grow it to greater heights.

Perks of Add-On Services 

As an SME or new start-up business, you might need more than just storage for your business. With self-storage units, you can have the convenience and peace of mind required to make the best of your businesses. In addition, you get several benefits such as the opportunity for sending and receiving packages, photo & video studio, packing station, administrative services, etc.

If you run a business that gets a lot of deliveries, you may worry about your packages being left out in the open. However, your deliveries will get accepted at the facility with self-storage units. This means you can get parcels delivered right to your secure storage unit. 

Work+Store offers convenient fulfilment services that include logistics movers, last-mile delivery service and a packing station. You can find a packing station located at every level with the necessary space and tools for packing your goods conveniently. This gives you a chance to maximize your storage space for your storage needs while we care for all your goods’ packaging.

Easy Access 

Traditional warehouses are generally large and are situated away from the city in less convenient locations. This will clock up extra expenses for your business in terms of road mileage, diesel costs, and travel costs for regularly travelling long distances to access your goods. 

Self-storage units are conveniently located in central locations. You can find Work+Store’s storage units in strategic areas such as Kallang Baharu in Central Singapore, Tampines in East Singapore, and Ang Mo Kio in the Northeast.

Work+Store: All Types of Self-Storage for SMEs and Start-Ups

With Work+Store, you will find storage options for your business that are a notch higher. Our locations provide self-storage facilities with convenient features like drive-up access, round-the-clock security, and CCTV surveillance. Loading bays are conveniently accessible from the storage units which makes moving of goods fast and easy. We also provide 24/7 gate access so that you can stop by your storage unit as per your convenience.

In all, our self-storage units offer many advantages in terms of flexibility of size and payment methods.