Storage according to the Tetris principle

At self-storage paradise Lager.de, customers can store all their belongings and things they no longer need at home in a box park. In an outdoor park, all the boxes are easily accessible in many different sizes.

One problem, which makes many customers do not know exactly what size their box should be, is the wrong space estimation. However, before spending too much money on a big box, you can also change and optimize your storage style to store as many boxes and items as possible in a small space.

You dont know witch storage size you need? Use our room calculator.

Lager.de shows how this works in this self-storage article.

By the way, this method is not only applicable to the box, but also to your own basement.

This is how you proceed

In the first point it depends entirely on whether the storage room has already been used or not.

If it is a previously empty storage room, this step can be skipped here. However, if the storage room has been used before and some things are already stored there, the first step is to empty the storage room completely.

This helps to get an accurate overview of the existing space and to be able to assess it better. This works even if the feeling prevails that the storage room is already full.

The most important point is not the storage itself, but the planning in advance. Here, a division can be made. This division distinguishes between frequently used and less frequently used items.

The items that have been used frequently in the past or that will be used frequently in the future are placed in the first row or at the very front. All other items tend to go in the back of the self-storage box.

The second step in the planning is the accessibility of all things. For this you need a passageway. Where this is, should play a big role in the consideration in advance. So that the storage room does not have to be cleared out again and again, this small passage is recommended in any case, in order to get to all things as quickly and well as possible.

The recommendation of Lager.de is to place the passage as centrally as possible and to stack the things that are to be stored on the sides of this passage.

The second step

The second step is to pack the boxes. In this process, no two boxes are the same. For books and heavy items, for example, file boxes or book boxes should be used. For light items, the classic moving boxes are excellent.

If the items include fragile items, such as china, it is advisable to wrap them in bubble wrap or newspaper beforehand. Only then are they packed into the boxes.

It is important that the boxes do not become too full. Possible consequences would then be that you can no longer lift them well due to the weight without risking injury, or that stacking becomes much more difficult because the surfaces are not flat enough.

The storage process

The boxes are now sorted by size and heaviness. When stacking, the following rule then applies: heavy boxes down, light boxes up.

This is done because the heavy boxes can also lift the most weight due to their weight. Otherwise, if you wanted to reach the lower boxes, you would have to lift all the heavy boxes first. This is to be prevented with this method. Accordingly, the lighter boxes belong at the top. 

In order to be able to find all the items in the multitude of boxes, it is also a good idea to label them. You can either simply write the category of the stored items on the boxes or you can label the boxes with numbers.

If the boxes are to be labeled with numbers, it is also advisable to hang up an inventory list in the storage room, which describes under which number which items are located. This is the best way to find things again.

Especially important: The boxes should be labeled on all sides. For example, if you label the boxes only on the top, you won't see the number after stacking.

In addition, it can also be covered by other crates on the sides, depending on how they are stacked.

It is also recommended not to put boxes of one category somewhere distributed in the box, but to stack them also on top of each other.

There are also smaller tricks and tips on how to save money. For example, if an unplugged refrigerator or shelves are stored, you can also store other things in these items. If huge things like sofas are to be stored, they should definitely be disassembled and the individual parts packed that way.

This is more space efficient than storing the sofa in one. If such a large item cannot be disassembled, you can also use the area of the item to put moving boxes on it, for example.

The boxes can be stacked quietly to just below the ceiling when stacking. However, you should make sure that there is a little space between the boxes and the ceiling and walls. Thus, ventilation of the boxes remains available and the boxes do not provide a place for mold, rust or the like.

This method is called the Tetris principle because, like Tetris, it allows you to fill in all the space and room.

Try it out directly in your next Lager.de self-storage park. Lager.de is looking forward to you.