Unfortunately, thieves are everywhere these days, and self-storage units are sometimes seen as an easy target because they are often left unattended after hours. The good news is there are some simple things you can do while packing your items into your storage unit that will go a long way towards preventing any potential theft.

Here are some packing tips to help keep your stored items secure:

Tip #1: Camouflage and Deception are Your Friends

If you had the choice to take one of two boxes, would you choose the one labeled "bathroom" or the one labeled "valuable?" Of course, you would choose the valuable box. Use this aspect of human nature to your advantage while packing your stored items. Place your more valuable small items into boxes and intentionally mislabel them with things that would not interest anyone else. Some good examples are bathroom, books, kitchen, or holiday. In addition, labeling boxes as "family photos" or "paperwork" can also be effective for camouflaging your valuables.

Tip #2: Store the Biggest and Bulkiest Items in Front

Storage unit thefts are a crime of quick opportunity. A thief will cut a lock, grab valuable items from the front, and run. They obviously don't want to get caught, so they aren't likely to hang around long enough to rummage through all of your items. You can use this to your advantage by packing all of your big, heavy, bulky items in the front of your storage unit. 

Tip #3: Cover and Conceal Everything 

Using linens or plastic tarps, cover everything in your storage unit from the back to the front. This serves two important purposes:

• prevents dust from building up on your stored items
• keeps all of your belongings out of sight

Since storage unit theft is one of opportunity, keeping all items out of sight helps to keep potential thieves at bay. Someone walking by your storage unit will have no any idea if you are storing a high-end car or a pile of trash in your unit.

Tip: Small valuables should never be stored in your self-storage unit. You should place jewelry, handguns, and other small sized valuables in a bank's safety deposit box.

Conclusion

By understanding how to pack your self-storage unit for maximum security, you can prevent your items from being the target of any possible thieves. If you have additional questions about self-storage unit security, please speak with the manager at a local self-storage business like Arthur's Self Storage.