No Room at Home for Your Emergency Gear? 4 Factors to Consider When Renting a Storage Unit
You never know when a disaster is going to strike, such as earthquakes, civil unrest, etc. If you live in an apartment, or mobile home, preparing for an emergency can be difficult. That doesn't mean you need to do without your survival gear. If you're missing out on valuable space for emergency preparations at your home, you need to branch out. What you need is a storage unit. Here are four factors that will help you make the most of your storage space.
Choose the Right Location
If you're going to be storing your survival gear in a storage unit, location is everything. The last thing you want to do is travel across town during a disaster to retrieve your survival gear. When choosing a storage unit for your gear, choose one that's just a few minutes away from home.
Choosing one closer to home will save you gas when you're trying to grab your gear. Second, it will allow you to monitor your gear while it's in storage. Once you have your gear in storage, make regular visits to the unit. Your neighbors will get used to seeing you head in that direction, so they won't get suspicious when you take off in an emergency.
Ensure 24-Hour Accessibility
If you're going to use an off-site storage facility for your emergency gear, make sure the facility you choose offers 24-hour accessibility. It's not going to do you any good to have emergency gear if you can't access it during the night – or on weekends and holidays. Emergencies can happen at any time. Make sure you can get to your gear when they do.
Choose Climate Control
If you're going to be storing perishable items such as medication, canned food, or medical supplies, make sure the unit you choose is climate controlled. You don't want extreme heat, cold, or moisture to destroy your emergency gear. It's important to note that you should ask the facility manager about their guidelines concerning food storage before you move those items in. If the facility you've chosen prohibits food storage, continue your search for an appropriate facility.
Keep Pests Away
Once you have your emergency gear packed into your storage unit, make sure you keep the pests away. It's a good idea to apply a gel pest repellent to the lower edges of your storage unit about once a month. To avoid contaminating your food, you should avoid using spray pesticides. If you're going to place mouse traps in your unit, be sure to come by and check them at least once a week.
For more tips on using a storage unit for emergency gear, check out sites like http://www.i-70selfstorage.com.