Plan your storage before you pack a single box

There is usually a gap somewhere in a house move — a week between completion dates, a rental that ends before the new place is ready, or a few months while a kitchen is ripped out and rebuilt. Storage fills that gap beautifully, but only if you think about it before the removals van is loaded.

Start by writing down what actually needs to go into storage and for how long. Anything you will want in the first fortnight — bedding, kettles, chargers, school uniforms, the paperwork folder — should travel with you instead. Everything else can be stored.

Next, measure your bulkiest items. A three-seater sofa, a king-size mattress and a chest freezer take up far more room than most people expect, and guessing the unit size is the single most common mistake. Most storage sites list their units in square feet, so compare that figure against your measurements rather than against a vague picture in your head.

Check access times and access itself before you book

Before you hand over any money, ask two questions: when can I get in, and how easily can I get in?

• Opening hours. Many units close at 6pm on weekdays and have shorter weekend hours. If you work shifts or need to grab something on a Sunday evening, confirm that out-of-hours access is available and whether it costs extra.
• Type of unit. A ground-floor drive-up unit means you can reverse the van to the door. An upper-floor unit means lifts, corridors and awkward corners — fine for boxes, miserable for a piano.
• The walk. Ask how far the unit is from the parking bay. Twenty metres in the rain, repeated forty times, turns a two-hour job into a five-hour one.
• Equipment. Check whether trolleys, sack barrows and pallets are provided, and whether you need to bring your own padlock.
• Security and cover. Look for gated access, CCTV and an alarm on your individual unit. Then check whether your home contents insurance extends to goods in storage, or whether you need separate cover.

Pack into crates and boxes that can take the weight

Bin bags are the enemy of good storage. They cannot be stacked, they offer no protection against knocks, and they look like rubbish — which is exactly how they get treated.

Use lidded plastic crates for anything heavy or fragile: books, kitchenware, tools, tinned food you are keeping. Use double-walled cardboard boxes for lighter or less valuable items. Keep each box to around 15 to 20 kilograms so you can lift it safely and so the base does not split.

• Pack books flat rather than spine-up, and fill gaps with smaller items so nothing shifts.
• Line cardboard boxes with a bin bag if the unit might be damp.
• Label the side of every box, not the lid — lids disappear under other boxes.
• Dismantle bed frames and flat-pack furniture, then tape the screws in a labelled bag to the frame itself.
• Wrap mattresses in purpose-made covers and clean appliances thoroughly. Defrost freezers and leave fridge doors ajar.
• Never store food, open liquids, candles, paint tins, gas bottles or anything flammable.

Label clearly and keep a master list

A good label answers three questions at a glance: which room it belongs in, roughly what is inside, and whether it is fragile. Write "Kitchen — plates and mugs — FRAGILE" rather than "Kitchen stuff".

Number every box and keep a running list on your phone. A coloured sticker or dot per room makes unloading at the other end almost enjoyable. And pack one clearly marked first-night box — bedding, towels, toiletries, tea-making kit, a change of clothes — and keep it with you rather than in the unit.

Load the unit so aisles stay clear

How you stack matters as much as how you pack. Put pallets or timber battens on a concrete floor and stack on top of those; direct contact with concrete draws damp into cardboard.

Heaviest items go at the bottom, lightest on top, stacked in columns rather than pyramids. Sofas stand on their ends, mattresses lie flat on a pallet rather than propped against a wall, and nothing should press against the unit's walls or block its air vents.

Above all, leave a walkway. A clear central aisle with access to the back means you can retrieve anything without dismantling the whole unit. Keep the items you will need soonest nearest the door, use the full height of the space, and take a photograph of the finished unit — future you will be grateful.

Look after your belongings while they are stored

Storage is not a case of shut the door and forget. Pop back every few months if you can. Have a quick check for damp patches, musty smells or condensation on plastic sheeting, and rearrange anything that looks affected.

Cotton dust sheets breathe better than plastic for long-term storage, so use them on upholstery and wooden furniture. Leave a small gap between stacked items so air can move, and keep a note of your insurance renewal date. A little attention every season keeps your belongings in the same condition you left them — ready for the day the new home is finally yours.