When it comes to storing our stuff, the only thing that most of us need more than some additional space around the house is more storage containers. The right containers keep things well organized, protected, out of the way, and easy to find when we need them. We turn to a surprising number of different types of containers to serve these purposes, and these are a few of the most popular ones that you’ll find in most homes in America:

Open-top Bins and Baskets. These are often seen filling a decorative function throughout the home, and they’re great for items that we use every day, whether that’s crafts, books that we’re currently reading, or children’s toys.

Bins with Hinged Lids. Haven’t seen these? They have lids that are made up of two flaps, each one attached to the bin and hinged so that they fold together to form a lid. These are great for items that can be stored away but still need to be accessed somewhat regularly. They’re also stackable, which makes them good for closets, garages, and other storage spaces.

Multiple Drawer Storage Cabinets. These are ideal for when you need to store a bunch of similar things all together, whether that’s office supplies, scrapbooking stuff, hobby items, clothes or shoes, or whatever. Plus, they come in a lot of different styles, meaning that you can get them to match your décor.

Sturdy Storage Totes. These usually have snap-on lids that help protect whatever’s inside from dust or pests. Big and sturdy, these are great for anything that takes up a lot of room and/or doesn’t get used very often. If it’s going to be put away in the garage, basement, or attic for most of the year, it might go in one of these. They also come in a version that has wheels on the base, making it easier to store really heavy items while keeping them portable.

Plastic Milk Crates. We’ve all used them as book storage at one time or another during our college years. Milk crates are incredibly durable and stackable, which can make them great for storing gardening supplies, tools, and other things. They don’t provide any protection from the elements or from pests, though.

Under-Bed Storage. These plastic containers are long, rectangular, and very short, designed to be tucked under the bed. They’re great for blankets and out-of-season clothes.

Fireproof Locking File Box. This is the place to put all your most valuable papers, documents, passports, and so on. Anything that you absolutely could not afford to lose in a fire goes into one of these lockable, fireproof boxes so that you have it if the worst should happen.

Gun Safe. A gun safe not only protects your firearms from theft, it also helps to keep them out of your children’s reach and can protect your investment in the event of a fire or other disaster.

Outdoor Storage. Sometimes called deck boxes, these large, rectangular containers are often used on back patios and sometimes even on the front porch. They’re the perfect place to store anything that goes outside but that you don’t want blowing around the back yard, whether that’s the kids’ outdoor toys, pool accessories, or cushions for patio furniture. And they’re sturdy enough to double as extra seating.

When it comes to the best containers to use in climate-controlled self storage in Lawton, OK, your best bet is to go with sturdy, waterproof plastic bins with tight snap lids. Whether you’re opting for a climate-controlled unit or one that’s outside, these bins help keep your stuff safe and organized, while also making it easy to see and find what you’re looking for.

Of course, if you’re looking for the right storage solutions for you—whether that’s at home or in your self storage unit—look no further than Storage ‘R’ Us! We can help you pick the perfect storage solution, whether that’s climate-controlled self storage in Lawton or the right storage container to use in your own home.

Every college student knows that it’s best to pack light when you head off to college at the end of the summer. You’re going to accumulate a lot of stuff over the course of the year—textbooks and keepsakes and clothing items and more—and it’s not easy to store everything in small dorm rooms or in rooms at the frat or sorority house. Even if you get into an apartment or other off-campus housing, you probably won’t have a lot of space. That’s where self storage in Oklahoma comes in. Here are the top six reasons college students in Oklahoma and across the country use self storage near campus:

1. You accumulate stuff. Whether we mean to or not, we end up with stuff as we live our lives. Some of that stuff can get pretty bulky. A T-shirt with your team colors may not take up much space, but that ping pong table your fraternity brother gave you is definitely not going to fit in your room.

2. You need a place to park. It may not even have occurred to you, but if there’s limited parking on campus or you just don’t need your car or bike to get around very often, you can actually put it in vehicle storage to keep it safe, secure, and out of the way.

3. You want to offload the extras. During our college years, most of us spend at least some of the time with a roommate. That often means having doubles of everything. Some stuff you want to keep two of, like toothbrushes and clothes, but other things don’t require doubling up. You probably don’t need two toasters, two TVs, and so on. Put the extra one into Oklahoma self storage!

4. You need space for seasonal items. Most of us don’t do a lot of holiday decorating during our college years, but we may engage in seasonal activities like camping, hunting, skiing, and so on. Unfortunately, the gear for that can get pretty bulky, so why not put it someplace out of the way?

5. You aren’t always in the same spot. When we first arrive as freshmen, we’re usually in one of the dorms, but most of us don’t end our college careers in the same place we started out. We may move to a different dorm, we may pledge a sorority or fraternity, we may get an off-campus apartment, or we may even change schools. Even when we do stay in the same place, we often go home for the holidays or for summer break, and having our stuff in a self storage unit near the campus makes moving back in a whole lot easier.

6. You have things you don’t want to leave behind. Whether that’s mementos and keepsakes that mean a lot to you, collections or hobby supplies, or more valuable items like TVs, consoles, and other electronics, you can keep them safe and accessible with a nearby self storage unit.

If you’re a student at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha, Mid-America Christian University in OKC, or anywhere else in the state, you can find self storage near you. In fact, Storage ‘R’ Us has eight convenient Oklahoma self storage locations, many of them near the universities we just mentioned, and we’re always happy to help you store your stuff!

Everyone needs a hobby. In fact, hobbies have been shown to help you relax, improve your mood, and lower stress. That’s probably why about 75% of people report having at least one hobby to occupy their free time. You never want your hobby to take up so much of your space at home that it becomes a burden, though. That’s where self storage in Oklahoma comes in. When your excess hobby supplies or equipment are out of the house and out of the way, you’ll have less work to do, and you can enjoy your hobby even more.

Just about every hobby comes with excess stuff that can be tucked away in self storage, but here are a few hobbies that might benefit most, simply because they often take up a lot of space:

Scuba Diving – You might not normally think about a scuba hobby in Oklahoma, but Lake Tenkiller and Broken Bow Lake both offer great diving. Whether you’re diving locally or jaunting off to the Bahamas, a lot of gear goes into a proper dive, from drysuits to snorkels. You’ll need someplace to keep everything safe, sound, and out of the way.

Mountain Climbing – Again, you might be surprised to learn that there’s some good climbing in Oklahoma, especially in the Wichita Mountains. A mountain climber needs plenty of gear, such as packs, carabiners, rope, and harnesses. Climbers also need something else: a place to keep all that gear so that it’s ready to go when the mountain beckons.

Golf – Golf is an extremely popular sport all over the United States, and you’ll find golf courses just about everywhere you go. If you want to take up the sport, though, you’ll need clubs, and there are quite a few different options out there. Once you start getting clubs, odds are you’ll get more. If you get really into the sport, you can even use Oklahoma vehicle storage to store your golf carts, too.

Ice Sculpting – Climate controlled self storage is impressive, but it’s not quite so impressive that you can store your ice. The chainsaws and other power tools that you need for ice sculpting, though, can absolutely find a home in your storage unit.

Hot Air Ballooning – There are hobbies that take up a lot of space and then there’s hot air ballooning. Hot air balloons are big things, after all, and they aren’t the only gear that goes into the hobby. Even if you’re not storing the balloon itself, ballooning comes with plenty of other stuff that can be put out of the way in your Oklahoma self storage unit. Just don’t store the propane tanks.

Model Trains – Surveys of spouses all across the country have found that this is the number-one hobby that causes contention due to the space it takes up. It makes sense. Model railroads can quickly grow to dominate more than even just a single room. There’s the model itself, and then there’s all the gear that’s needed to make, assemble, power, and paint it. Fortunately, you can always move your H0 scale rail empire to self storage.

Restoring Classic Cars – When it comes to spouses being unhappy about the space a hobby takes up, classic cars come right behind model trains. This one makes sense, too. While your project car is probably out in the garage instead of in the living room, it can still dominate a lot of domestic space. Move it into Oklahoma vehicle storage, and you’ll have a place to work while reclaiming your garage for the car you actually drive every day.

Woodworking – Woodworking involves a lot of tools, whether you’re just doing some simple carving or turning out whole pieces of furniture. Of course, you need someplace to store all the wonderful things that you’ve made along with the ones that didn’t turn out so well.

These are just a few of the many hobbies that can benefit from climate controlled self storage. If you’ve got a beloved pastime that’s taking up too much of your space, all you need to do is reach out to Storage ‘R’ Us. We can help you decide what kind of storage space you need and get you set up in the best self-storage in Oklahoma!

Not yet convinced that self storage in Lawton is exactly what you need? Wondering about all the additional benefits of renting a storage space? We get it. There are so many things to consider in life and making one more decision can feel like a lot. As you look around the house at all the boxes, collections, old clothes, and unneeded furniture that’s collecting dust and taking up space, you might not realize all the different ways that putting it all in self storage can improve your life. We’ve gathered fifteen additional benefits of self storage for you to consider that just might surprise you!

Room to Breathe. You may not even realize how claustrophobic your living space is starting to feel until you’ve cleared everything out. If you’ve ever taken a deep, satisfied breath after just rearranging a room or putting some stuff in the closet, you can’t even imagine how great it will feel to get all that clutter into self storage.

Room to Move. Whether you’re staging your home for sale or getting your stuff ready for a big move, self storage can help with every step of the home-selling and home-buying process. Whether you’re downsizing or upsizing, moving across town or across the country, self storage helps reduce stress and will make your next move a breeze.

Room to Think. When we say “room to think,” we often actually mean time, but it turns out that having more physical room can help us think, too. Too much stuff can distract and overwhelm us, especially if we’re trying to work from home, cook, clean, or take care of the family in cluttered or poorly organized surroundings.

Peace of Mind. When things are out of sight, you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing they’re safe. Fortunately, self storage in Lawton offers all sorts of on-site security, from fenced and walled perimeters to 24/7 video monitoring.

The Opportunity to Pick Up a New Hobby. Whether you’re getting into knitting or mountain biking, every new hobby has stuff that comes along with it. Maybe finding room for all that stuff is what’s been keeping you from picking up that hobby you always wanted to try.

Retirement Made Easy. When all the kids have left home and you no longer have to clock in for the daily grind, you might be ready to downsize or even hit the road for an extended vacation in that new RV. In either event, self storage gives your belongings a home away from home while you’re off enjoying the good life.

Downsizing is a Breeze. As we mentioned, if you’re thinking about moving into a smaller place but don’t want to let go of all the things that mean so much to you—and all the memories that go with them—you can find a safe place for them with self storage in Lawton.

Travel is a Snap. These days, it’s so much easier to travel than it used to be, and so many of us need to do so for work, to visit family, or just to unwind. Whether you’re a seasonal traveler, someone who takes a lot of business trips, or just a person who has to hit Disney World at least once a year, self storage can help keep your stuff safe and sound while you’re away.

Protection from Extreme Weather. Most of the storage spaces we use around the home aren’t exactly climate controlled. Storing items in a basement, garage, or attic may be better than leaving stuff outside, but they can’t beat a climate-controlled storage unit. It’s also a good idea to get some insurance on anything valuable that you put in self storage, though, because sometimes the weather can turn very extreme, and even the best storage unit can only do so much in the event of a tornado, wildfire, or flood.

You Can Move with the Military. Life in the military brings with it plenty of challenges, and one of those is frequent relocations, often with relatively little notice. Whether you’re just heading to another station or deploying overseas, self storage in Lawton offers short-term and long-term options that can help make your next military move that much smoother.

Reduce College Student Clutter. Let’s face it, dorm rooms and college apartments don’t offer a lot of space. If you’re heading off to school, going abroad for the summer, or need a little extra room for all your stuff during the holidays while you’re staying with friends or relatives, you’ll find so many ways to take advantage of self storage without cluttering up Mom and Dad’s place.

Give Yourself a Dedicated Workspace. There are so many projects that you want to be working on, right? But there’s just no room around the house, and your garage is full of stuff. You might be surprised that you can use a self storage unit to store your tools or even work on that project that you’ve been putting off—all without cluttering up the house!

You Can Go “Full Griswold” This Holiday Season. Do you want to turn your yard into a haunted cemetery this Halloween? Can’t get enough of those giant, inflatable Christmas decorations? Whatever you want to use to blow away the neighbors this holiday season, self storage in Lawton can keep it out of the way until it’s ready to go!

A Place for You to Prep. Do you wanna be ready when the zombie apocalypse happens? Whatever you’re stocking up for, you can keep everything from freeze-dried food to canned goods, camping gear, and emergency equipment out of the way (and out from under foot) in self storage.

Helps Manage Change. Change is a part of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Whether you’re moving to a new place, renovating the old one, adding to the family, or watching one of its members leave the nest, self storage can help you weather the change in a way that reduces stress and frees you up to enjoy the memories.

These are just a few of the less obvious ways that self storage in Lawton can help improve your life today. Whether you’re planning a move, starting a new project, or just need a little extra room around the house, Storage ‘R’ Us has the perfect storage solution for you! Just call us today, or come visit one of our convenient self storage locations in Lawton, Duncan, Chickasha, Moore, Newcastle, and Norman.

You’re running out of space at home, but what are you gonna do? Finding a bigger house right now could be a challenge. The housing market in Oklahoma is no different than in other states across the Midwest, with shortages on all types of homes, new construction slow to complete, waiting lists with builders and developers a mile long, prices for building materials through the roof (so to speak), list prices of new homes higher than ever, and many existing homes selling for well above their asking price. In short, it’s not a great time to be looking for a new home.

If you’re outgrowing your present home but you’re unsure you can move into someplace bigger, all is not lost. With a little help from Oklahoma self storage, you can make more space in your existing home instead of moving to a bigger one. We’ve combed dozens of articles on the subject to bring you some of the very best tips for how to make it happen!

Get rid of what you don’t need. This one may go without saying, but the first thing you should do if you want to make more room at home is to let go of anything that you no longer need or use. This can feel like a pretty daunting task, however. Fortunately, there’s a relatively simple way to do it. Break the job down by room, rather than trying to do everything at once. Start with that spare bedroom or your office, and clear out one room at a time. If you’re getting rid of things that are still perfectly good, don’t just toss them in the trash, though. Consider a donation. You can even itemize it for your taxes!

Optimize your bedroom space. It’s easy to let our bedrooms get cluttered up with clothes, lamps, extra pillows and blankets, or whatever. Unfortunately, a cluttered bedroom is far from conducive to good sleep. Start by ensuring that you’re putting your closet space to good use. Anything that’s out of season can be kept in storage containers under the bed or in self storage so that it doesn’t take up valuable closet real estate. Clearing out your bedroom will create a space that’s restful, welcoming, and free from distractions.

Attack the cupboards, closets, and shelves. Clutter thrives behind closed doors. Out of sight, out of mind. We’re mostly talking about kitchen cabinets and cupboards—especially the hard-to-reach ones that you seldom use—but you might have other places throughout the house that you use to keep your clutter out of the way. Go through all of it a bit at a time. Throw out anything that’s expired—you’ll be surprised at how much you find—and get rid of anything you don’t need. Clean out the fridge and freezer while you’re at it. You may be shocked at how much space you can free up!

Outgrown it? Let it go. Get your kids in on the action. Have them help by boxing up anything they’ve outgrown. That means clothes, sure, but it could also mean toys that they no longer play with or books that they no longer read. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to kids, either. How long has it been since you got out those scrapbooking supplies? When was the last time you picked up the knitting needles? If you’re no longer into a craft or hobby, banish all the ephemera from the house like you would a bothersome poltergeist. Same goes for clothes that no longer fit or that you simply never wear.

Don’t junk up the garage (unless you have to). The garage can be a great solution for storing lawn mowers, camping gear, sports equipment, you name it. On the other hand, an over-cluttered garage is only going to spell frustration when you need to access something that’s stored inside. Plus, you might want to, you know, actually put your car in there sometimes. Fortunately, you can maximize the efficiency of your garage space by installing overhead ceiling racks or shelving along the walls. These can help to store all kinds of things like luggage or seasonal decorations, while still leaving room for your car this winter.

Maintain productivity in your home office. These days, we’re all getting a lot more use out of our home offices than we used to. Even if you don’t work from home, a home office may get plenty of traffic when family members are doing homework, paying bills, working on crafts, or just surfing the ‘net. Unfortunately, all that use can also mean lots of clutter. Luckily, plenty of other people have found themselves in a similar situation, and office supply stores can be a treasure trove of handy and efficient storage solutions that can help keep your home office organized.

Use vertical and overhead space. No matter how much cleaning and reorganizing you do, your home is only so big. You may find that you’re still short on space even after you’ve purged everything you feel comfortable purging and organized everything that’s left. Many of us don’t take into account more than half the space in our houses, though. The space up near the ceiling doesn’t have to go to waste just because it’s up high. Hang bicycles from the ceiling, mount the TV on the wall, put bookshelves up over doorways, and use other clever storage solutions to help keep your home looking uncluttered while making use of all the space you do have.

Take advantage of Oklahoma self storage. Of course, you don’t have to store everything you own in your home. That’s what self storage in Lawton is for. We can help you keep the things you want to hang on to but don’t have room for, and we can help you keep items out of the way in the short term while you declutter, organize, downsize, relocate as part of a military move, stage your house for storage, or at any other time. We can also help you to make the most of your self storage space. Just ask one of our friendly staff for tips while you’re here!

Storage ‘R’ Us is a local self storage company that’s been serving Lawton and the surrounding communities since 1972, and we can’t wait to help you declutter your home and start living your best life today! And when the housing market improves and you do decide to move? We’ll be here to help with that, too.

Summer is officially here and, as we mentioned, it’s the peak moving season in Oklahoma. Depending on how you look at it, you couldn’t ask for better (or worse) weather for moving everything you own, whether it’s across the state or just across town. Sure, it’s hot, humid, and sunny, but all those boxes and pieces of furniture aren’t going to move themselves. Take some advice from the experts in public storage in Lawton, OK: We’ll show you how moving and storage during the summer isn’t too hard if you keep your cool.

Get an Early Start. One of the biggest dangers when you’re moving during the summer is heat exhaustion. You can help avoid it by getting an early start, since the weather is cooler first thing in the morning. It doesn’t hurt to get an early start on packing and staging, either, so you’re not doing everything the day of your move.

Play It Cool. Maybe it goes without saying, but don’t wear sweatpants on a hot summer day when you’ll be moving. Lightweight, cool clothes will help keep your temperature down.

Stay Hydrated. If you wanna keep your cool and avoid heat exhaustion, it’s vital that you drink plenty of water and avoid consuming too many caffeinated drinks.

Plan Your Move Around the Heat. Keeping yourself safe from the worst effects of summer weather is the most important thing, but you’ll also want to plan your move so that your stuff doesn’t get melted or otherwise damaged. Make sure anything that’s going into a hot moving truck can handle some time in the heat, and pack electronics separately to avoid damage.

Keep an Eye on Kids and Pets. You’re not the only one who will be involved in the move, either. Your kids and pets can get overheated just as easily as you can, whether they’re helping or just trying to stay out of the way. If you don’t want them underfoot, make sure they have someplace where they can go that’s air conditioned. You might even consider boarding your pets for a few days, which can make things easier on them and on you.

Cool Things Down. Make sure the utilities are turned on at your new place before you move in, especially if you’re moving in the midst of a heat wave. Set up some fans immediately and crank the air conditioner before you even get there, if possible, so that the new house is as cool as it can be when you’re hauling all those boxes in.

Have a Cool Backup Plan. When you’re moving, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. If something goes wrong and you need extra time or can’t fit everything in the new place after all, it’s good to have a climate controlled place where you can keep it until things settle down. That’s where public storage in Lawton comes in. We live in a hot and humid area, and leaving things like musical instruments, antiques, artwork, documents, photographs, furniture, and countless other items in the summer heat is often a worst-case scenario.

Fortunately, whatever you need for your move, from packing supplies and moving boxes to climate controlled storage, we’ve got you covered at Storage ‘R’ Us in Lawton – or at any of our other convenient locations in Chickasha, Duncan, Moore, Newcastle, and Norman.

The heat is definitely on here in Oklahoma! If you haven’t looked at the forecast lately, we can expect abundant sunshine, plenty of humidity, and temperatures in the mid-to-high nineties. It’s good weather for sitting in the shade and sipping some iced tea, so it’s unfortunate that the hottest months of the year also tend to coincide with the busiest moving season.

Fortunately, even if you’re moving in the midst of a heat wave, you can still make smart choices about how you pack, move, and store. We’ll talk a little more about moving during the summer months in our next blog article, but for now we wanted to discuss storing your belongings and how climate controlled storage units in Lawton, Oklahoma can be a lifesaver.

When the temperature rises outside, it can get even hotter inside someplace that isn’t air conditioned. You’ve probably experienced this phenomenon yourself when you got into a hot car in the middle of a 90-degree day and it felt more like 120 degrees inside. Unfortunately, the things you put into storage can have this same experience, along with the dreaded cold of an Oklahoma winter, and humidity all year round.

Some things can take the heat (and the cold, and the humidity) while others things can’t. After all, you know that if you leave some things in a hot car they’ll be fine, while others will melt or otherwise become ruined. The same goes for stuff that you put into self storage. Here are just a few of the common items that should be in climate-controlled storage if you want them to survive an Oklahoma summer:

Clothing. Clothes may survive heat just fine, but they don’t do as well with humidity. Mold or mildew can set in if clothes are left in humid conditions for too long.

Furniture. The same goes for furniture, which can warp, crack, or even rot if exposed to too much moisture. Temperature extremes aren’t great for wood, either, and massive swings in temperature are even worse. Wood furniture’s not the only kind you need to watch out for. Leather can be damaged by humidity and extreme temperatures, too.

Important Files & Documents. Paper should pretty much always be kept in climate controlled storage. Paperwork can become water damaged, fade, or even dissolve if exposed to moisture, and many inks are reactive to too much heat. Photographs can also be destroyed by rising temperatures.

Collectibles. When we collect something, whether it’s baseball cards or beer cans, we want it to be preserved in good condition. There’s a reason museums and other archives use carefully controlled environmental monitoring to store their artwork and other valuable pieces, and you’d be well-served to use climate controlled storage to keep all your precious coins, stamps, comic books, musical instruments, artwork of any sort, and any other collectibles for the same reason.

If you’re interested in climate controlled storage units in Lawton, Storage ‘R’ Us has you covered. In fact, we’ve got all the storage solutions you could ask for, with eight convenient locations in Lawton, Duncan, Moore, Chickasha, Newcastle, and Norman, all dedicated to security, service, and the best self-storage solutions for your belongings.

Shopping for a new home is exciting, but actually buying, packing, and moving can be a challenge. This is especially true today, when the market is hot for sellers and overrun with buyers. More existing homes were sold in 2020 than in any year since 2006. That’s some 5.64 million homes sold, according to the National Association of Realtors. Things aren’t looking to slow down anytime in 2021, either, with prospective home buyers facing the most competitive housing market in decades.

At the end of last year, 70% of the homes that were sold had been on the market for less than 30 days. With existing home inventory at a point around 30% below where it was last year, and the national median sale price of a single-family dwelling up nearly 15%, sellers are reaping the rewards of above-asking-price offers and record-quick sales. Home shoppers, on the other hand, are often left in the lurch, caught between homes for extended periods of time as they close on one deal and wait for another. Finding a temporary home for yourself and your family is one thing—you can rent a hotel room for a few days or stay with family—but what do you do with all that stuff until the new house is move-in ready?

Whether you’re caught between homes, getting ready to sell a home, staging your home for sale, or even just thinking about buying a new home and moving out of an apartment or other living arrangement, there are all sorts of ways your Oklahoma self storage facility can help you with storage space no matter your situation.

Selling a home? Homes that are well-staged sell faster and for more money. Even in a seller’s market like we’re currently experiencing, it doesn’t hurt to have every advantage you can get. You can make your place look showroom-new by moving some of your belongings into self storage!

Buying a home? We do the best we can to get the timing right, but sometimes there’s a gap between when we sell our old house and when the new one is move-in ready. In that case, a self storage unit is a lifesaver. You can keep all your stuff safe, secure, and out of the way until it’s ready to go into the new place.

Renovating a home? Whether you bought a home that’s a fixer-upper or are taking advantage of some downtime to spruce up your current place, self storage in Oklahoma can help keep your belongings out of the way while you work.

Downsizing while moving? Moving is already stressful enough. If you’re also downsizing into a smaller home at the same time, that stress can increase, especially if you don’t have much time to sort through everything that you plan to keep, donate, or get rid of. In that situation, turn to self storage. Put your stuff out of sight until you need it or you’re ready to go through it all and decide what you’re keeping and what you’re not.

Don’t want to be a burden on friends or family? Sure, Mom and Dad say they have plenty of room in the basement, and some of your friends have even offered up little bits of space here and there. The problem is, if you take everyone up on their offers, you may find your furniture and boxes in half a dozen different spots across the city. Oklahoma self storage might be a better option.

Relocating to a new area? Moving is never easy, but moving to a new city or state is always much tougher than just moving across town. Wherever your next move is going to take you, if you put some of your household items into self storage, you can do the move in stages, rather than having to manage it all at once.

Sold your home sooner than expected? A quick sale is always nice, but in this booming housing market, it can be easy to be caught at loose ends. Rather than renegotiate closing dates and risk losing a great offer, let self storage help you to be flexible. Take that incredible offer today, and put everything into storage until you find the perfect new place!

Looking to declutter before a showing? Realtors and other experts will tell you that it helps your home sell if prospective buyers can picture what the place will look like once they and their families and all their stuff are moved in. That means making space for all those imaginary décor items, which means getting your stuff out of the way and putting it into Oklahoma self storage.

Just need to move select items? Whether you’re planning a move yourself or staging a home for sale, there are certain items that you want to take special care of. Self storage can keep these safe, sound, and out of the way. Just remember to pick up some insurance for your valuable possessions. Even the best self storage facilities can only do so much in the face of a tornado or flood.

Taking your time with that new home? You just bought a new house! Congratulations! But maybe you aren’t quite sure where you want everything, where the couch should go in relation to the TV, or which room is the perfect spot for your home office. Rather than being buried under a pile of your stuff while you sort it all out, keep it in self storage and decorate your new home a bit at a time!

Just thinking about it? Buying a home and planning a move can be an incredible time in your life, but it’s also a lot of stress. Even if you haven’t found that dream house or set a date for your move, you can start planning things out, packing things up, and reducing your stress by using self storage to prep for the move in advance!

Whether you’re selling your home, buying a home, moving, or just thinking it over, self storage in Oklahoma can help take some of the worry and stress off your plate so you can make important decisions and, above all, enjoy the process a little more. Whatever your storage needs, Storage ‘R’ Us has the perfect solution at one of our eight convenient facilities that have been serving Oklahoma communities since 1972!

Welcome to part two in our series on how to get the most out of self storage near Fort Sill. While self storage can benefit anyone who needs a safe, secure, convenient home away from home for their belongings, it’s especially useful for military service members and their families.

At Storage ‘R’ Us, we recognize the particular difficulties that can accompany the military lifestyle. Frequent moves make it tough to keep all your stuff organized or help it find a place to “land.” That’s where self storage comes in! If you’re new to the process, here are a few essential questions to ask yourself (or the friendly folks at your local self storage facility) when choosing the self storage solution that’s right for you:

What do I plan to store? Whether you’re putting away tools or equipment you seldom use or just getting clutter out of your living space, knowing what you’ll be storing will help you to know how much space you’ll need and whether you’ll need options like climate-controlled storage. While a typical storage unit can hold everything from clothes to furniture, most storage providers also offer specialty vehicle storage for things like boats, cars, RVs, and motorcycles. Just ask!

What size storage unit do I need? Self storage isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Most facilities offer units in a variety of standard sizes ranging from 5×10 to 10×30. If you’re not sure how much space your stuff takes up, the friendly self storage experts at your local facility can help you figure it out based on how many rooms you plan to pack and store. You can also use an online self storage space calculator to get an easy estimate of how much room you’ll need.

Do I need climate-controlled self storage? In addition to the outdoor, drive-up units that you’ve probably seen when you’ve driven past self storage locations near Fort Sill, most self storage facilities also offer indoor, climate-controlled storage that helps to keep the temperature and humidity constant in order to protect belongings that may be damaged by fluctuations in either. Climate-controlled units can be perfect for everything from clothes and furniture to artwork or documents. If you’re unsure, ask one of the self storage specialists at Storage ‘R’ Us.

Do I need to insure my belongings? Most self storage facilities have measures in place to keep your stuff as safe as possible, but there is only so much even the most secure storage facility can do in the face of natural disasters such as floods, fires, or tornadoes. It’s always better to be safe than sorry and invest in a little insurance for your belongings. Before you do, though, check your homeowners or renters insurance policies and see if you’re already covered!

Does the facility appear secure? While it’s a good idea to have your stuff insured in case the worst should happen, it’s even better if it never happens at all. While there’s nothing you can do to guarantee that, making sure your storage facility takes the security of your belongings seriously is a good first step. A secure storage facility should have a fenced or walled perimeter with gated access, video monitoring, and someone on-site who can help keep an eye on things.

Whether you’re an active military service member or part of a military family – or just have things that need a home away from home – you can find the perfect self storage near Fort Sill at Storage ‘R’ Us in Lawton, or at any of our other locations in Chickasha, Duncan, Moore, Newcastle, and Norman!

If you’re a member of the U.S. military or if a family member or loved one is stationed at or near Fort Sill, you might have questions about self storage. What is it? How does it work? And how can it help military service members and their families?

We’ve put together a two-part series for those wanting to learn more about Fort Sill self storage near the base. Part one will walk you through some of the basics of the self storage process, and part two will feature questions you should ask before renting a self storage unit.

What Military Families Should Know. First, the basics: What is self storage and how does it work? Essentially, self storage provides a space for you to keep your stuff so that it’s out of the way and yet fully accessible to you and totally under your control. Self storage units range from drive-up units to indoor, climate-controlled storage. To put it simply, you’ll rent a room with a door that you can lock. Once you rent a unit, you can access your stuff whenever you want. Many self storage facilities – including all the Storage ‘R’ Us locations in Lawton – also offer discounts for military service members and their families, so be sure to ask!

Getting Your Belongings Ready for Storage. Once you rent a self storage unit, you’re in charge of what goes into it and how. This means that you have total control over how you pack your storage unit. However, there are certainly better and worse ways to prep your stuff for going into storage. Planning how you’ll use your space and making sure that like items are staged in the same boxes will make it easier to find things in your unit when you need them. If you have any questions, the friendly staff at your local storage facility will be happy to offer tips on the best ways to store everything from clothing to furniture.

Know How to Maximize Your Storage Space. Just like there are better and worse ways to pack your belongings, there are better and worse ways to utilize your self storage unit. You’ll want everything to be easily accessible so that you don’t have to move a bunch of stuff to get whatever’s in the back. Of course, heavier and larger items should go on the bottoms of stacks. It might even be worth it to bring in some shelving so you can get to items on the bottom more easily. And it’s always a good idea to make an inventory of what you put into self storage so that it’s easy for you to find and keep track of.

Keep Your Belongings Safe and Secure. When you store your stuff in a self storage facility, you’ll be locking up your unit with your own lock, either a combination padlock or a padlock with a key. Both of these are typically available for purchase from the storage facility, so don’t hesitate to ask. Any good self storage facility offers other security measures, too, such as video surveillance, fenced or walled perimeters, and gated access to the facility.

Know What Storage Items Require Special Attention. Once you rent a self storage unit, you can store (almost) anything you want inside, but there are a few items that are either prohibited in self storage by law, simply aren’t suited to long-term storage, or require special accommodations, such as climate-controlled self storage. If you have any questions, just ask the friendly staff at Storage ‘R’ Us.

Be sure to stop back in for part two in our blog series as we discuss some questions you should ask before choosing and using self storage near Fort Sill!