If you've got to move a lot of your belongings to a self-storage unit, you might feel great about having somewhere for everything to go. However, if you are like a lot of people, your first trip back to the unit might not have you feeling as good. Looking at a wall of boxes and other items can be confusing, especially if you need to retrieve something. That's why it's important to use the tips that follow; if you take these steps now, your unit will remain well-organized, and you will be able to get the items you need.

Color-Code Your Things

As you pack your things into your car or moving van, you will likely pay less attention to whether you are keeping all the bathroom boxes together than to whether you are fitting everything in to avoid additional trips. It's possible that boxes from the same room could become separated, which could make things harder to find. To make things easy, use different-colored strips of tape around your boxes to separate one from from another. Green tape might stand for kitchen items, for instance. This way, when you put boxes into the unit, you will be able to place boxes of the same color together.

Create a Simple Diagram

You may pride yourself on your ability to remember things, but there will be so many other things floating around in your head that it would be natural if you don't end up remembering exactly where you put everything inside the unit, so it might be helpful to create a diagram. The diagram can be very simple; for example, you might draw a few squares in the back and write "kitchen" over the area where the kitchen boxes are to remind yourself that that's where they are.

If you want to leave your diagram inside the unit, then you should know that doing so may not be a good idea. Anyone who attempts to break in to your unit would have some help with a ready-made map, so take your diagram home with you and store it with other important papers.

Make an Inventory List on Each Box

For even more organization, consider writing an inventory of box items directly on the box itself. This will prevent you from having to go through 20 boxes marked "kitchen" to locate your silverware. To make things easier, jot down the name of each item on the box just before you pack it.

These tips are easy to put into practice and will be a great help when you need to locate an item inside your unit. Ask staff members at the company for additional guidance.