Choice Storage’s mission is to offer a clean storage facility and they strive to ensure their yard is rodent-free by employing their rodent patrol program. No matter how pristine a facility is however, self storage units will still have to be cleaned from time to time.

Just like any other property you own or rent, cleaning out your storage unit is not the most fun activity, but it is necessary. It’s important to keep things clean to avoid dust and insects accumulating on your belongings potentially causing unwanted damage and to preserve the value your belongings possess.

Here are 10 easy tips to keep your storage unit clean and your belongings in tip-top condition. Hope you find them useful!

1. NO FOOD. Bringing food into your storage unit is just asking for ants and all kinds of creepy pests. It also can cause things to smell. So please, just don’t do it.

2. Give all the items that are going into your storage unit a good cleaning prior to storage.

3. Arrange items based on how often you need them. Large items should be stored at the back and important items that you may want to access easily should be placed at the front.

4. Keep cleaning supplies in your unit; cleaning spray, rags, microfiber cloths. Microfiber clothes are great as they trap the dust in the cloth instead of spreading it around in the air.

5. Invest in a broom, a dustpan, a mop and even a shop vac! Shop vacuums are durable and adept at vacuuming up most anything. Leave these items in your unit and keep them near the front so that every time you’re in and out to retrieve something you can give the place a quick once-over.

6. Keep your unit organized. This will not only make cleaning easier in the future but it will also protect your belongings better in the long run.

7. It’s a good idea to rotate the contents at least annually. It allows you the opportunity to inspect the items for any damages and check every square inch of the unit to see what has accumulated under bins, boxes, pallets, storage racks etc. tackling grime as it accumulates.

8. Open your unit from time to time to air things out. If you’re storing your items long-term, plan to visit at least once a season instead of leaving it all year long.

9. Consider storing more of your items in plastics boxes instead of cardboard. Rain and moisture can wreak havoc on cardboard and items inside cardboard boxes have a greater chance of being ruined than those items stored in plastic bins.

10. Consider pallets. Keeping your items off the floor is almost essential. There’s no fail-safe way for a facility to guarantee that melting snow won’t sneak in under the door or that the adjacent unit won’t have a spill that makes its way into your unit.

Keeping your unit clean helps to ensure you find your belongings in the same condition in which you left them. So sweep, dust, mop, wipe, vacuum the entire unit from time to time. You’ll be happy you did.