Storing Vacation Souvenirs

When you keep many of your possessions in storage, you want to be confident that they'll remain safe. While storage services typically use a wide range of strategies to discourage theft, it's still in your best interest to take steps to exercise discretion when you're loading your unit. Just as leaving an empty big-screen TV box at your curb on garbage day can suggest that you have a new TV in your home, thoughtlessly carrying high-value items from your vehicle to your storage unit can be a bad idea when other people are around and may be watching you. Here are some simple ways that you can be discreet about loading your unit.

Park As Close To Your Unit As You Can

It's ideal to rent a unit that is accessible by vehicle. This will allow you to park directly in front of the unit so that you can unload items from your vehicle with discretion. You may be able to back your vehicle up so that your trunk is at the edge of the unit, or, if you drive a minivan, you can pull up parallel to the door and load things through the vehicle's sliding door. The proper positioning of your vehicle minimizes the amount of time that you're out in the open with your valuable items, which can reduce the risk of someone taking interest.

Wrap Items In Moving Blankets

Moving blankets are handy beyond simply protecting your items from being banged around during transport. Because of their large size, blankets can easily be draped over your items to keep their identity hidden. This means that if you're moving a large-screen TV into the unit, for example, you can drape it in a moving blanket to prevent it from standing out. If you don't own moving blankets, check if you can rent some at the storage center's main office.

Move Valuable Items In Last

If you're putting low-value and high-value items into your storage unit, you want to leave the higher-value things in your vehicle until the end of the process. If you were to load these items in first, they'd be visible in the unit because the door might be open for an hour or more. However, if you concentrate on loading the low-value items in first, you can then quickly put the high-value possessions into the unit and lower the door. You can either lower the door while you remain inside the unit to get things organizes, or simply lower and lock the door and leave.

For more information and advice, contact a self-storage facility such as Security Self Storage.