We are all guilty of collecting too many possessions in our lifetimes, some of which we may even inherit along the way. There comes a time when we run into a lack of space, and we need extra storage for these things. If this sounds familiar, you may have considered the storage spaces available, like the garage, attic, or basement.
Using storage space at home makes sense because everything is on hand when needed, but at the same time, it starts to limit the amount of free space available and leads to a cluttered living environment. A viable alternative is offsite storage. Here, self storage leads the way providing a load of benefits for homeowners or businesses when extra storage is needed.
The storage environment that goods are stored in is extremely important to ensure safety and the way things are preserved while being stored. Against this background, the extra cost that would be paid for self storage is unquestionably worthwhile.
Self storage, besides being affordable, is also designed to provide an ideal environment for anything that should or could be stored. We at Quick Self Storage with our branches in Peterborough, Darlington, and Liverpool are a top storage facility in these areas.
But first, let’s look at why self storage is favoured over some of the places that are used at home to store goods and why places such as an attic may not be the ideal choice.
Home Storage Considerations: The Attic
Having an attic in the house is a bonus because it is where unwanted things can be put away out of sight, and often forgotten. This is because it’s not a place you would want to go to too often.
The reasons are obvious:
- Access is uncomfortable: There could be a pull-down staircase or small trapdoor that needs to be used to gain access. This makes taking anything into the attic quite awkward.
- Being directly under the roof, the climate inside the attic isn’t one you’d like to stay in for an extended period: it’s humid in summer and cold in winter. The humidity alone favours the spread of mould and rotting, and makes it an ideal environment for pests to thrive in.
- An attic always has the possibility of being affected by a leak in the roof, which may go unnoticed for a lengthy period and do damage to the infrastructure and consequently the contents stored there.
- The floor isn’t always made to bear the weight of anything heavy, which gives it limitations for the storage of anything substantial.
- The design of a roof could result in the attic having sloping and restricted areas, which make the attic difficult to move around in and not ideal for use as storage space.
So, against all these mitigating factors why should one use an attic to store anything? Well, it’s free and it’s right there at home where you can get anything you need when you want it. But, thinking about it, the climate isn’t conducive to storage, and your things can get damaged in the process. So, having said that, is it worth it?
Compare Attic Storage to Self Storage
With all these potential problems, an attic still has a place for a homeowner to use as a storage place, but consideration should be given to what could be stored there and the options of self storage weighed up in comparison.
To be able to make a balanced judgment, it is advisable to weigh up the pros and cons of using your attic vs self storage. Naturally, a lot has to do with your budget and the distance you’d have to travel to the self storage unit that you have chosen.
- The nature of the goods you want to store is the first consideration. What can be safely stored in an attic are seasonal decorations, sports equipment and luggage bags, kitchenware, and durable goods,
- Packing in airtight containers that can withstand temperature changes will help withstand the hot temperatures the attic might experience. Avoid using cardboard that will not withstand moisture or being chewed by rodents should this occur in the attic.
Self storage, on the other hand, is suitable for anything except hazardous goods.
- The access is suited to provide an entry in the form of a ground-level drive-up for loading or offloading of goods.
- It provides an area large enough for a variety of load sizes by providing a choice of unit sizes. The square nature and adequate height of the storage unit are suitable for bulky and heavy items storage.
- Insulation or climate control are features that keep the storage unit at temperatures that won’t affect the goods inside. This is a big advantage for the storage of fragile goods or those that could be spoilt by external atmospheric conditions.
- Security is an added benefit, not only offering the physical safety of the goods through sophisticated methods of protection of the storage facility and its contents, but also against fire, rain, and leaks.
- Pest control is an added benefit of a self storage facility, bringing peace of mind that there is far less chance of damage being caused by pests in self storage than in an attic.
If you are still uncertain of whether to use the storage space in the attic, then be assured that it can be suitable for items you don’t use frequently or need to retrieve from the house. However, try and use plastic containers to protect goods from environmental factors, or limit the goods suited to this storage environment.
Be assured that for better security, accessibility, humidity and temperature control, and storage capacity, a self-storage unit is a more suitable and reliable solution.
Quick Self Storage
When you need storage in your area and are thinking of self storage, think of the top self storage facility: Quick Self Storage.
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Peterborough, please contact us on 01733 834183 or visit Self Storage Peterborough
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Darlington please contact us on 01325 489562 or visit Self Storage Darlington
For further information and assistance about our storage units in Liverpool please contact us on 0151 8324000 or visit Self Storage Liverpool
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