When hurricane season arrives, most of us start thinking about the essentials: bottled water, batteries, flashlights, medications, and emergency supplies. But there’s another part of your home that deserves some attention before the next storm arrives, your garage.
Your garage can be an incredibly useful space during severe weather. It’s where you may need to bring in patio furniture, bicycles, lawn equipment, outdoor toys, trash cans, and other items that could become damaged or blown around by strong winds.
The problem? For many homeowners, the garage is already completely packed. If your garage is filled with boxes, decorations, old furniture, tools, and equipment, getting your home ready for a hurricane can become much more difficult. Fortunately, a little organization and possibly some extra storage space can make a big difference.
Take a Look at Your Garage Before the Storm
Don’t wait until a hurricane is heading toward your area to discover that there’s nowhere to put your outdoor belongings. Take a few minutes now to look around your garage. Can you easily walk from the garage door to the back wall? Is there enough room to bring in your patio furniture? Could you quickly find your tools or emergency supplies? If the answer is no, it may be time for a garage cleanup.
The goal isn’t necessarily to get rid of everything. Instead, identify what you actually need in your garage and find a better place for the belongings that don’t need to be there every day.
Sort Your Belongings Into Four Categories
One of the easiest ways to tackle a cluttered garage is to sort everything into four groups:
Keep
These are the things you use regularly and need to have readily available. Tools, lawn equipment, bicycles, and frequently used household items may belong here.
Donate
Have items you no longer use, but someone else could enjoy? Set them aside for donation and get them out of your garage.
Sell
That exercise equipment you never use? The furniture that’s been sitting in the corner for years? If it’s worth selling, set a deadline to get it listed and move it along.
Store
This is where a self storage unit can be particularly useful. You may have plenty of belongings that you want to keep, but don’t necessarily need taking up valuable garage space.
Give Seasonal Items a New Home
Your garage doesn’t have to be the permanent storage location for everything you own. Think about how much space is occupied by things you only use a few times a year. Holiday decorations are a great example. You might use them for a few weeks each year, but they can occupy a significant portion of your garage for the other 11 months.
The same goes for:
- Summer furniture
- Camping equipment
- Sports gear
- Extra household furniture
- Seasonal clothing
- Bicycles
- Decorations
- Business supplies
- Boxes and household overflow
Moving some of these belongings into a storage unit can give you back valuable space at home.
What If You Simply Don’t Have Enough Room?
Sometimes, organization only gets you so far. If you’ve already decluttered and your garage is still overflowing, you may simply need more space. That’s where self storage can help. Instead of cramming boxes into every available corner of your garage, you can move belongings you don’t need every day into a storage unit. You’ll still have access to everything you want to keep, while creating a more functional garage at home.
A Storage Unit Can Help All Year Long
Hurricane preparation isn’t just about what you buy before a storm. It’s also about having a plan for the belongings you already own. The benefits of self storage don’t disappear once hurricane season is over. The additional space can help you throughout the year by giving you that extra space to free up your garage for the things that actually belong there.
An organized garage gives you room to bring appropriate outdoor items inside, access to important supplies, and one less thing to worry about when the weather turns serious. If your garage is currently packed with belongings you don’t use regularly, consider how self storage could help.
Need More Space? We’re Here to Help.
At Right Fit Storage, we understand that sometimes your home simply doesn’t have enough room for everything you want to keep. Our climate controlled storage units give you a place to keep belongings secure, organized, and convenient, while freeing up valuable space at home.
And because we believe storage should be simple, easy, and affordable, we’re committed to providing friendly, outstanding customer service and several free amenities and special savings designed to make your experience hassle-free:
- FREE Move-In Truck
- FREE Heavy-Duty Lock
- FREE Unit Alarm
- FREE Climate Control
- 50% OFF Moving & Packing Supplies
- $15 Down to Move In
- One Month FREE
- 50% OFF Summer Sale
Call us at 1-833-891-9274, visit our website, or stop by one of our convenient locations when you need a little extra space. Right Fit Storage is here to help!