Making use of a storage unit at a facility like National Self Storage - Denver is a great way to maintain organization at home without having to get rid of important or valued items that you may not need on a daily basis. Climate controlled storage units allow you to keep everything from furniture and artwork to jewelry and clothing safe year-round by protecting it from mold, mildew, and flooding.

So you can count on your belongings to be in the same shape you left them in when you are ready to take them out of storage. But without a little planning and preparing, your storage unit can get cluttered and hard to navigate through pretty quickly – here are four tips you can use to optimize organization within your unit to ensure convenient long-term use:  

Implement Shelving

A great way to keep your belongings organized is to put utility shelves against the walls to create faux built-in wall units for the accommodation of boxes, bags, lamps, and small pieces of furniture as well as recreational equipment. Choose utility shelves of different heights to accommodate extra-large items on top where necessary.

To ensure that the shelves don't shift in any significant fashion, use padded double-sided tape between the backs of the shelves and the walls. Both plastic and metal shelving units work well, but it's a good idea to spray metal options with an all-weather protectant to minimize rust and to reinforce areas that are bolted together.

Hang a Few Tubs

Another great way to keep things organized and to give yourself more space within the storage unit is to drill holes in the top corners of large plastic tubs and then use Paracord or another type of strong rope to hang the tubs from rafters in the ceiling of the storage unit. This won't create any long-term damage or aesthetic changes, yet will provide you with some space for nick-knacks and less used items so they don't clutter any floor space. Use permanent markers so to write directly on the tubs to indicate what's inside each one of them. Start by hanging tubs in the corners and then line the space above your shelving as you need more tub space.

Establish Sections

To make finding things easy when you need to get to them, consider establishing sections within the storage space to coincide with the types of things you are storing. For example, you can split your space into four, designating each corner to a different room of your home – kitchen stuff would go in the Northeast corner, living room stuff in the Southeast, bedroom stuff in the Southwest, and miscellaneous belongings in the Northwest. You can also establish sections from the floor up by designating the floor to a specific type of item, the bottom shelves along the walls to another type of item, and so on.

Consider Color Coding

To keep even better keep track of everything, you can color code your boxes, bags, and other enclosed storage accessories so you will have a good idea of what you'll find within each one of them. Colored stickers, markers, paint, or even crayons work well for color coding. Just place a small sticker or create a small colored icon in the corner of each container based on what can be found inside. For instance, kitchen appliances can be packed in yellow coded boxes while office accessories are packed in brown coded containers, and jewelry is stored in purple coded tubs.

These tips and tricks will take a little preparation and planning, but you are sure to enjoy the convenience that all your prep work affords for months (or even years!) to come.