Self-Storage Tips

Moving, Shipping, and Packing Supplies

Do you need moving, shipping, or packing supplies? We can help!

Moving, Shipping, Packing Supplies

If you are in Davenport, East Moline, Des Moines, or Clinton area, we can provide you with the following items:

  • Moving & Packing Boxes
  • Packing Material
  • Wardrobe & Other Specialty Boxes
  • Plastic Bags
  • Locks
  • Box Knives
  • Tape
  • And More!

We can help you move out with ease. If you need supplies or a U-Haul rental, we have you covered! If you are unsure about how much supplies, how big of a U-Haul truck, or the size of a storage unit you'll need, give us a call. Our staff will guide you through the process!

 

Find the nearest location for you to purchase your supplies and pick them up as soon as today!

Tips for Organizing Your Storage Units

Tips for Organizing Your Storage Units

How To Organize Your Self-Storage Unit

While Store It America has many different size storage units, you’d be surprised how much you can fit into a 5x10 foot unit. This size is actually equivalent to a one bedroom apartment. Want to figure out how to make it all fit? Before you start to get overwhelmed, take a deep breath and follow our packing tips to organize your storage unit.

  • Accessing Boxes While In Storage: If you will need access to items in your storage unit while it’s filled, you’ll want to do some planning. This will help prevent you from rummaging through all of your boxes and totes when you need to retrieve a belonging. The items you will need access to the most should be packed in last and kept together in the front of your storage unit.
  • Packing Heavy Boxes: Pack your heavier items, such as books, in smaller boxes. This will ensure that your stuff doesn’t get too heavy and break the bottom of your box. (For added security, make sure you tape the bottom of these boxes multiple times to strengthen the box)
  • Organizing Boxes: Keep in mind the different things you may need/want to access while your stuff is in storage. Group these items together. Try to group similar items in each box to create a common theme:
    • Seasonal Clothing
    • Camping Gear
    • Decorations
    • Kids Toys
    • Tools
    • Documents
  • Box Sizes: Try to keep your box size consistent. This will help when you need to stack boxes on top of one another. Keep in mind that while using large boxes may seem convenient because they can fit more things, transporting these boxes can be difficult. The weight in these boxes may break the bottom causing everything to drop out. Large boxes are also more difficult to remove when needed to grab something out of them, not to mention they are awkward to carry.
  • Accessing Boxes in the Back of your Unit: Create a walkway when you place your boxes in the storage unit. This way, if for some reason you need something you’ve placed in the back, you don’t have to take everything out to get to it.
  • Label the Boxes: Make sure you label each box! This is important! The more descriptive you are the easier it will be to retrieve items and the less hassle you’ll have when unpacking these items. Be sure to indicate what items are fragile, what room it belongs to, and details of the contents in the box.
  • Keep Track of Your Belongings: Keep a list of everything in the unit. This will help when you need to find something in particular. If you have things labeled correctly, it should be a breeze.
  • Taking Care of Fragile Items: Fragile items should be wrapped in bubble wrap, newspaper or even towels. Make sure you mark these boxes as fragile!
  • Spacing: Make sure when placing your boxes and containers in the storage unit that you keep distance between your items and the walls. This will allow proper airflow. This will ensure your belongings safety with extreme humid conditions. 
  • Furniture: Break down furniture that you’re storing and stack as best as you can. Don’t forget to place a sheet or blanket between your items so your belongings don’t get scratched.

Why Temperature Controlled Storage?

temperature controlled storage units | Store It America

If you want to keep your belongings in great condition while in storage, you will definitely want to use a temperature controlled storage facility. Properly storing your possessions in a temperature controlled unit will protect from temperature damage, corrosion, and wood damage caused by extreme temperatures. Let’s be honest, living in the Midwest we are exposed to extreme temperatures that change from one day to another could change completely tomorrow.

How do the elements affect our possessions?

  • Freezing and thawing causes wood and metal to expand and contract, resulting in warping, weakening, splitting, and cracking.
  • When leather and clothing are exposed to extreme heat and cold elements they can turn yellow and start to degrade. 
  • Papers and fabrics can gather mold and mildew stains when exposed to the elements.
  • Electronics can be ruined by extreme cold conditions.
  • Paintings and fine art can shrink or expand in extreme temperatures.

Ideal Temperatures for Items:

  • Art: Between 60 - 75 °F.
  • Delicate Fabrics: Between 35 - 75 °F.
  • Delicate Paper Items: Between 35 - 75 °F.
  • Electronics: Between 50 - 80 °F.
  • Metal: Between 35 - 75 °F.
  • CDs, DVDs, and Video Games: Between 65 - 70 °F.
  • Vinyl Records: Between 65 - 70 °F
  • Wine: Ideal environment for storing wine is low light, around 55 °F.
  • Wood Furniture or Instruments: Between 55 - 85 °F.

Properly storing your belongings will protect them and save you money! Keep your stuff as good as new!

Ask our experts how storing your items in our temperature controlled units will benefit your belongings.

How Your Business Could Benefit from Self-Storage

How Your Businesses Could Benefit from Self-Storage | Store It America

3 Ways Businesses can Benefit from Using Self-Storage

  1. Free Up Office Space
    • Has your company grown but you can’t afford to move into a larger facility just yet? One of the easiest ways to free up current office space is by using self-storage. Storing things that are not needed in day to day operations will provide much needed extra room in your facility.
  2. Free Up Floor Space
    • Does your space get crowded when a new shipment of goods comes in? Some businesses just don’t have the room to keep everything at one that location. Or maybe there is extra equipment that takes up too much space. Having a storage unit will keep the overflow concise and clear up space while also protecting items from theft.
  3. Security for Important Documentation
    • Do you store have an abundance of sensitive business documentation around? If so, renting out a storage unit could be the best option. For your peace of mind, Store It America has around the clock security to securely stow important possessions such as client files, employee documents, human resources paperwork, all of which can pile up fast.
    • *Pro Tip: For additional security, use a locking filing cabinet inside the storage unit to keep the files protected from others in the company who has access to the storage space.

Store It America offers commercial and business self-storage rentals that provides specific needs. Find one of our facilities at our Iowa or Illinois locations, Davenport, Des Moines, Clinton, or East Moline, closest to your business. Give us a call and we can give specific recommendations for your company that suits your needs.

Secure Self- Storage

 

When choosing a self-storage company, security is one of the most important factors to take into account.  We utilize leading security techniques while storing items on our property to ensure safekeeping and comfort to our tenants at all of our locations: Davenport, Des Moines, Clinton and East Moline.

monitored secure self-storage

Security Features at Store It America includes:

  • On-Site Management – We have staff available during all office hours to keep a safe watch over the property. Our office hours are 9am-5pm Monday through Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
  • 24 Hour Security Monitoring – Video surveillance delivers the value of peace of mind and safekeeping; knowing that even when management is off duty all units are monitored.
  • Security Patrols – For an added comfort, regularly scheduled security patrols on and off business hours keep a watchful eye over the property.
  • Lighting – All of our locations are well-lit, both inside units and outside, to provide visibility and convenience when accessing the secured self-storage outside of business hours.

Store It America takes the safety and security of all property very serious by providing top of the line measures for our tenants. Contact us for additional information!


Self-Storage Tips When Going Back To School

August is wrapping up, the air is cooling down, and for many people, the start of classes is just around the corner. As students start the move to campus, they may quickly realize that they’ve brought more than what can fit inside their dorm rooms. When that happens, it’s necessary to find somewhere safe to store the extra belongings.

Many students opt for the cheap, convenient option of renting a self-storage unit nearby campus. If you’re thinking about this option, we have some tips to make the most out of your self-storage unit.

Self-Storage Tips

Pallets.

When you want to store belongings in a self-storage unit, you want to make sure that they stay clean, safe, and dry. It may sound like a no-brainer, but while keeping your items off the floor is essential, it is often completely overlooked by renters.

There’s no guarantee that the elements won’t find a way to sneak up under the door to your unit. Pallets will take a weight off your mind by ensuring the safety of your belongings.

Wrap it up.

By wrapping as much as you can in industrial plastic wrap, you give yourself an extra layer of insurance that your stored belongings are protected from dust, moisture, and creepy crawlies.

Use a good lock.

Though self-storage units have security, you can never be too careful when it comes to your belongings. Using an all-weather pad lock with a short arm can provide you with extra peace-of-mind.

Labels.

You might know exactly what you’re putting into your storage unit, but how well will you remember where everything is? Especially when it comes to smaller items that may be stored together in boxes?

To avoid having to search and dig around ages trying to find what you’re looking for, label as much as you can in a simple, clear way. That way you will always know what is inside a box at a glance.

Brush up on your Tetris skills.

Though we offer storage units of varying sizes, we know that even the smallest units can hold a great deal. All it takes is a little bit of tactical organization and wise packing.

BONUS TIP: Bringing plywood to lay across several boxes can create a stable base to build layers to stack boxes. This also helps take pressure off the tops of the boxes and keep things safe.

 


U-Haul Rentals

Large U-haul truck.

So, you’ve just rented a self-storage unit. You’ve packed up everything that you want to store and all that’s left to do is get it to your new unit.

While it may be possible to fit smaller boxes and items in the family van, it may be difficult or nearly impossible if you need to move, say a dresser, a china cabinet, or a sofa. For larger or more cumbersome items, a larger vehicle will make transportation go more smoothly.

Many self-storage renters opt to make the move with a U-Haul truck. As an authorized U-Haul truck rental location, Store It America offers a simple, convenient way to take care of the entire process. We offer U-Haul rentals at all of our Store It America locations, excluding Des Moines.

To book your U-Haul truck or trailer rental, please call us at (563) 242-6100.


Self-Storage Tips for Moving Students

storage unit for student

As the summer comes to an end all too quickly, college students will be moving in and out of housing in the month of August just as some did a short three months ago. Many people don't think about it, but not every lease ends when the next one starts. Landlords have to make sure all their properties are clean and damage free so they leave a week for a cleaning crews and repairers to fix anything that is wrong. This leaves college kids in limbo, and they need a place for their stuff. The end of the summer can be a busy time for college students. The last thing you want to worry about is where all your stuff is going to go before you move into your next place. A storage unit is the perfect, affordable option.

Guide to student self-storage

You have a bedroom full of furniture, clothes, and decorations and you were the saint that brought the mini fridge and living room couch. You need a place to put it for a week or two until you move into the next place or someone can haul it back home. So what kind of unit do you need, what can you store in it, and how do you get your items in it?

 

Figuring out what unit to rent. Most students who are moving from place to place don't have a ton of belongings to store. If you're storing bedroom furniture, a TV, some clothes and some boxes, then a 5x5 unit should be plenty big enough. As the smallest unit, it's also the most cost effective. If you are sharing a storage unit with others and you have more furniture, you may want to rent a 10x10 unit.

Another type of storage unit to think about is a temperature-controlled unit. In the summer when it's 100 degrees and the humidity is high, you may want to keep your clothes, pictures, and wood furniture in a cool place to keep it safe from the elements. If you're still wondering the exact dimensions of the storage unit you need—or whether to get an air conditioned unit—you can give us a call and we'll talk you through it.

What can you store and what should you do before storing your items? There are a number of things you shouldn't keep in a storage unit. We talked about the things you shouldn't store in a previous post. The major ones that apply to college students are perishable items—like your food—and anything really valuable that you need. Before storing the items you decide to keep, you should understand some basic packing tricks. If you have furniture to store—especially your mattress—you might want to use plastic covers to keep it clean. You will also want to pack your smaller items in boxes to keep them organized and safe. Covering your clothes you are storing is also a good idea in the middle of the hot summer. We can provide boxes and packing material if you need extra supplies or covers. If you have a mini fridge, you should make sure it is completely defrosted so you don't get water damage on anything in the unit. All of these tips will provide a safe and clean storage unit for your items.

How can I get my stuff to a storage unit. Not everyone has a truck readily available to them. If you don't want to risk your life by hanging onto a couch through an open hatchback, there are a couple of options. If you need some extra hands or vehicles, you can contact our partners over at SOS Property Transition Services. You can also rent a U-haul in a variety of sizes by giving us a call. Either option can make your moving day a little easier and quicker.

As leases end and you wait for the next one to begin, don't forget about a place to store your items. The beginning of the school year can be a stressful time and moving, as exciting as it is, can only add to that stress. Getting your stuff stored in an affordable, safe space is a nice weight off your shoulders and can allow you to focus on getting back into the swing of things. If you have any questions about anything from storage units to what you need to store, our team at Store It America can help you get your items in a safe place.


What Not to Store in a Storage Unit

Open Storage Unit

Storage units are good for a ton of different things. You can store small items like pictures, clothes, and toys, as well as big items like appliances and cars. While a storage unit can be a safe and easy way to store your items, there are a few written and unwritten rules to follow. Some may seem really obvious, but we've seen it all and there's always a story every year about something stored away in a unit that shouldn't have been. If you're getting ready to store some items, you'll want to make sure they are safe and that you're following the rules.

Obvious or not, don't store these items.

Whether you've thought about it or not, if it exists, someone has probably tried to put it in a storage unit. This doesn't mean they should've put it there, though. Here are a few tips and rules to follow when renting a storage unit:

Living things. We'll start with the obvious things that people still store. Whether it's one day or 100 days, don't store any living thing in a storage unit. This includes animals, plants, or yourself. A storage unit is not a house. All of these instances have happened and all of them are illegal—not to mention a little cruel. We have 24/7 security to see any illegal activity, and we also want our units to be used in a humane, safe, and legal way.

Hazardous and dangerous materials. Let's cover all the bases. Obvious materials you can't store are things like dangerous chemicals and anything that is highly flammable, like ammunition, cleaners, and gasses. If it can start a fire or let out a dangerous odor or substance, it shouldn't be stored in a unit. It's perfectly legal to store tools that use gas—like a lawnmower—but the gas tank should be completely drained. If you need to store a firearm, your local gun store will store these items safely and securely. Other materials and substances like paint or fertilizer shouldn't be stored either. If it can cause a health risk, there are safer alternatives. No one wants to come back to a storage unit that is destroyed or dangerous to enter.

Perishable items. If you or a pet you own can eat it, it shouldn't be stored. Obviously, if it's in there for a long time, it probably won't be good when you get back to it. Storing food for any amount of time can be an open invitation for rodents and insects as well. Although all the units are nice and safe,  we can't do it all. It takes a little help from our customers. Refrigerators and other appliances are not allowed to be connected to power for safety reasons. So food isn't allowed to be stored in any way. Perishable items shouldn't even be stored in the temperature-controlled units.

Illegal items. Back to the obvious, if it's stolen or illegal, it can't be stored. This includes drug related items and any stolen items. You don't want to get in trouble with the law.

Unregistered vehicles. We allow boats and RV's to be stored if they are legally owned. If your car or boat is registered under your name, then there is plenty of space for that. If the car isn't registered or is registered under someone else's name, then it can't be stored. Make sure to show up with a title and proof of registration.

Possible items to avoid. You should really think before storing anything that is really expensive or valuable to you. Storage units are generally safe and secure. As we mentioned before, Store it America takes security measures to make sure everything is safe, but things can still happen. To give yourself peace of mind no matter how good the security, things like expensive jewelry, money, and important documents should be strongly considered. If you couple leaving dangerous materials and valuable materials together in a storage facility, then you're at even more risk.

Maybe some of these suggestions and rules made you laugh, and maybe some left you wondering where to put things. In either instance, these rules and guidelines are in place for the safety of your belongings and the belongings of others inside the units around you. There are a ton of really good uses for a storage unit. If it's used correctly, a storage unit can be a perfect place to keep your items during a big move, for extra storage, or vehicle storage.

Store It America has a variety of storage units and ways to keep your items safe and secure. Contact us if you have any questions about storing an item legally and safely.

 


Boat Storage Prep

Boat Storage

Summer just began and we’re in the heart of boating season. Before you know it, though, summer will be over and you’ll want to have your boat prepared to keep in a safe place. It’s important to keep your boat in good condition all throughout the year—not just when you’re using it. There are a few important things to remember to do before you store your boat during the off-season.

Boat Storage Prep

If you follow these tips, your boat—or any water craft you own—will be ready to go for many season to come. Let’s run through the checklist:

  1. Take your boat out for one last ride. Chances are you’re going to want to do this anyway because you won’t want the season to end. On this trip out, though, make sure to pay attention to how your boat is riding. Make sure everything sounds good and you don’t notice anything funny going on. Letting issues sit over the winter will only make them worse.
  2. Clean your boat well. Your boat needs to be cleaned inside and out. This includes drain plugs and the engine all the way to the refrigerator or bathroom if you have one. Cleaning the important mechanics will keep your boat running well and is one of the most important parts to clean. You’ll want you boat to look nice as well, so clean off all the slime and dirt that is stuck on the exterior from the dirty river or lake. For your enjoyment on the first ride out of the season, clean the interior and make sure not to miss anything that can spoil in your refrigerator or onboard coolers. You’re going to be eager to take your boat out during the next season so get everything cleaned now so there’s no snags in your plan.
  3. Get your boat dry. You’ll want to make sure your boat is completely dry. Raise the bow and make sure all the water drains away from the boat. After you drain and dry your boat, you can also prevent mildew with cover bags on the interior. No one wants to come back to a smelly and mildew covered boat.
  4. Check all the fluids. You should check and change all the important fluids in your boat so you don’t come back to one that won’t start. Make sure to change out all the fluid or make sure it is at the correct level. Never drain the fluids from your vessel before you store it because this can create condensation and corrode your pipes. This includes topping off your gas tank so that it’s full, changing the oil, and checking the antifreeze.
  5. Keep your boat maintained over the winter. You should loosen or even remove your drive belts so they don’t crack under the extreme weather conditions during the winter. Lastly, you should grease all your controls up so you don’t come back to a boat you can’t steer because it hasn’t been moved all winter.
  6. Wax and cover your boat. It’s important to wax your boat before you store it to make sure rust or corrosion doesn’t occur. As an added bonus, your family and friends will be impressed on that first ride out when you take it right out of storage looking ready to go.
  7. Keep your boat in a safe space. You don’t want all the work you just did to go to waste. Keep your boat in a safe place so that weather or other people can’t get into it.

If you follow all these steps, your boat will be ready to go next season. If you need a safe place to store your boat, Store It America has spaces that you can reserve early so you aren’t scrambling to find a spot. Contact us to get your spot reserved so you can enjoy the rest of the season with one less thing to worry about!