We see it every weekend — somebody’s parked outside a unit at 7:45 on a Sunday because they need that one thing they forgot to leave out. It’s never a fun trip. This is a five-item list of the most-forgotten things that send people back. If you go through this before you lock up, you’ll be in better shape than most.
1. The label-maker (or just a permanent marker)
Here’s the scenario: you packed efficiently. Boxes are sealed, stacked, beautiful. Three months in, you need the Christmas lights. You’re standing in front of forty identical brown boxes with no idea which one.
Spend the extra ten minutes labeling every box on at least two sides. A marker is fine — you don’t need anything fancy. Write what’s in it AND what room it came from. “Kitchen — small appliances” beats “Kitchen.”
If you really want to win at this: keep a list on your phone of which box has what. Future you will write past you a thank-you note.
2. Tools you might need to disassemble or reassemble furniture
You took the bed apart to get it through the door. The Allen wrench that came with it is in a drawer in your old place. Six months from now, you’re moving the bed to the new house, and that Allen wrench is gone forever.
Tape an envelope to each piece of disassembled furniture with the screws, hardware, and any tools required. If you only have one Phillips screwdriver, that’s fine — tape it on or label which unit needs it. A $4 multi-tool from the hardware store stays with the furniture.
The corollary: take a photo of any furniture before you disassemble it. “Which way does that brace go?” is a question you don’t want to be answering from memory.
3. A way to keep mice out
Kansas mice show up in October like clockwork. If you’ve packed and locked up in August and you’re not coming back until April, you may not realize there’s been a tenant in there with your stuff.
Quick fixes that actually work:
- Use plastic bins, not cardboard, for anything you really care about. Mice can’t chew through hard plastic.
- No food, anywhere. Including pet food, dry pasta, granola bars hiding in the bottom of a backpack.
- Peppermint oil cotton balls in corners. Mice hate the smell. Cheap and non-toxic. Replace every couple months.
- Inspect the unit before you load. Look at corners and the door seal. If you see mouse droppings, ask the office to swap units.
4. A current inventory list
This one gets forgotten because people see it as overkill. It isn’t — especially for tenant protection or insurance purposes.
You don’t need anything fancy. A note app, a Google sheet, even photos of each side of the unit before you close the door. Just enough that if you ever need to prove what was in there (claim, divorce, estate purposes), you can.
The minimum: photos of every wall of the unit after it’s loaded. Date-stamped from your phone. Takes 90 seconds; saves you in any future dispute.
5. The lock
This sounds dumb, but: a remarkable number of people show up to load a unit and realize they don’t have a lock. They’re relying on us to have one. We do — we sell quality disc locks at the office — but if you arrive at 8:30pm on a Saturday and we’re closed, you’re sleeping in your car or leaving the unit open.
Bring a lock with you. Or call ahead and we’ll set one aside.
Quick lock advice while we’re here: disc locks beat padlocks. They’re harder to cut with bolt cutters and they don’t freeze open in winter. If you’re using a padlock, the cheap ones from hardware stores are not great — spend $15 on something with a hardened shackle.
Bonus: what to leave OUT
While we’re here, the things you should NOT pack into a storage unit:
- Food, period. Even sealed canned food. It attracts pests and creates problems.
- Live plants. They die. Slowly. Messily.
- Anything flammable — propane tanks, gasoline cans, paint thinner. Storage facilities have rules against this for very good reasons.
- Anything wet. Recently-washed comforters, wet camping gear, mop heads. Mildew arrives faster than you’d think.
- Documents you might need. Tax records you actively need, the title to your car. Put those in your home office or a safe deposit box.
The 30-second checklist
Before you lock the door on a freshly-loaded unit:
- Every box labeled (room + contents)
- Hardware bags taped to disassembled furniture
- Photos of every wall of the unit
- Plastic bins around anything mouse-vulnerable
- A lock that’s actually on the door
Five things. About 15 minutes. Saves you from Sunday-night return trips for the foreseeable future.