← Back to Blog

Storage Mistakes Golcar Residents Keep Making

Find Out More →

We see the same patterns come through at Self Storage Golcar again and again. Someone books a unit, moves their stuff in, and within a few weeks they're ringing up with a problem they could have spotted from day one. Usually it's something simple—they've either chosen the wrong size, forgotten they'll actually need to get at their things, or stuffed it so badly they can't find anything. The good news is that once you know what to watch for, it's all avoidable.

Picking a Unit That's Too Small (or Too Big)

Most people guess. They think about their spare room or the loft and pluck a number out of the air. The problem is, your spare bedroom doesn't feel the same as a storage unit, and estimating cubic metres in your head doesn't really work.

What happens next varies. Some folk book a small unit, pack it in tight, and then realise halfway through that half their furniture still isn't in. So they're either left with boxes in the garage or they have to fork out for a second unit—which defeats the purpose. Others go too big, pay for space they'll never use, and feel annoyed every month when the bill comes in.

The fix is straightforward: measure what you're actually putting in storage before you commit. If it's furniture, get the dimensions. If it's boxes, count them. If it's a mix, be honest about how it'll stack. And if you're genuinely unsure, ring us. We can walk you through the actual sizes and help you match what you've got to a unit that'll actually work. It costs nothing and saves you making an expensive mistake.

Forgetting You'll Need to Access Your Things

This one catches a lot of people out, particularly those storing seasonal items or anything they might need to retrieve within the contract. You book storage thinking you'll dump everything in and leave it for six months. Then in month two you need the Christmas decorations, or winter clothes, or paperwork for a house extension.

If your unit is packed front to back with no thought to access, you're stuck. You either can't get to what you need without moving everything else, or you find out your provider charges extra for retrieval. Neither is fun. And if you're storing items you might sell, or documents you need to reference, this becomes a real hassle.

Think about your actual use pattern before packing. Will you need anything out between now and when you empty it? If yes, leave space at the front or pack with access in mind—heavier stuff to the back, lighter or frequently-needed items toward the entrance. Label boxes clearly so you don't have to open everything to find what you want. And be honest with yourself about whether you'll genuinely leave it untouched or whether you'll need to get in there every few months. Our guide on what matters when choosing storage covers this in more detail.

Not Making a Proper Inventory Before You Move In

You've hired a van, you're moving boxes, you're tired, it's pouring rain—nobody wants to stand around with a clipboard. But skipping an inventory now creates real problems later. You forget what's in there. A box gets lost or damaged and you can't remember what was inside. You need to make an insurance claim and you've got no record of what you stored. Or worse, you pay for storage for months and discover halfway through that something valuable went missing weeks ago.

Spend twenty minutes before you pack the unit properly. Write down (or photograph) what's going in. If it's furniture, note the pieces. If it's boxes, list what's in each one and which unit section it's in. Take photos of valuable items. Keep this record at home, not in the unit. You don't need anything fancy—a spreadsheet or even written notes will do. If something does go wrong, you'll have evidence. If you need to retrieve something, you'll know exactly where it is.

It's worth noting that a lot of people also don't check the small print around what their storage actually covers. Our breakdown of what you're actually paying for explains the basics, but your inventory is your own protection against loss or damage.

Storing Things That Don't Need Storing

This is more about cost than a mistake per se, but it's worth mentioning. We sometimes find people paying monthly to store things they could honestly sell, recycle, or bin. A broken desk chair. Boxes of old paperwork. Clothes from five years ago that don't fit. Flat-pack furniture still in the box from a flat they moved out of two years back.

Before you pack anything, ask yourself: will I actually use this again? If the answer is 'probably not', then storage isn't the answer—selling it on, donating it, or disposing of it properly is. You'll free up space in your unit, pay less per month, and get back some money if you sell. A lot of Golcar residents are using storage more these days, but that doesn't mean everything deserves to be stored. This article covers why more people are turning to storage, but it's usually for things they genuinely need to keep.

Get ruthless. If you haven't used it in two years and can't imagine using it in the next year, it probably doesn't need to take up space—or your money.

Get It Right From the Start

The mistakes above aren't complicated to avoid, and they're usually down to rushing or not thinking things through before you book. Take an afternoon to measure what you're storing, be honest about whether you'll need access, write down what goes in, and ditch the stuff you don't actually need. That covers most of it.

If you're ready to book or just want a chat about what size unit would actually work for you, get in touch with Self Storage Golcar. We've helped plenty of local people get this right the first time, and we're happy to walk you through it.