As a master-planned community, adding onto your home in Laguna Niguel to make room for your interests and hobbies isn’t always practical or even legal in some cases. This is where having a local US Storage Center nearby makes life easier and can help make your home more manageable. The misnomer many people have about storage units is that they are only for extra junk or a place to store things when you are in transition. These applications apply on occasion, but taking advantage of our Laguna Niguel storage facility can be so much more than that. Take Rick, who has lived in Laguna Niguel for several years. Let’s look at how he uses his storage unit at US Storage Centers keep his hobby organized. Staying Organized For The Fastidious Car Guy Rick is successful in his work. He and his wife built their dream home at the end of a cul-de-sac in a secluded neighborhood crafted from a wide gully on a small plateau overlooking a large strawberry field. They have several children; and Rick loves cars, Porsches to be exact. He doesn’t collect them though, he just keeps his old racing Porsche in perfect condition. But keeping all of the small custom parts, screws, and items he purchases online from all over the world organized in his garage that also houses the family car, his commuting car, his kids’ surfing gear, and all of the family bicycles wasn’t practical. His hands off warning to family members didn’t work at all. He loves his solution, which included the following: Step 1 – Get a storage unit in Laguna Niguel Most of the important items Rick stores are small. Screws, washers, engine parts, custom lug nuts, electronics, wiring components, and other easily misplaced items. The indoor, alarmed 5’ x 9’ unit was ideal for his needs. Fortunately, one was available. As he looked at the space available to him, he knew he would be able to expand his inventory and add store other car related items in the space without becoming cluttered. He made it clear to family members that this was his storage unit alone and they could now have more room in the garage. He didn’t feel selfish at all. In fact his family welcomed the change since they would no longer have to tip-toe around in the garage. Step 2 – Buy shelves for your storage unit Rick found that he could fit 3 Gorilla Racks 4 feet wide, 6 feet tall and 18 inches deep, each with 5 shelves in the unit and still save the back area for larger items he didn’t need to store on a shelf. He put two racks in front on opposing walls, with the third rack extending to the back. The shelves were sturdy and could handle 500 pounds per shelf; more than he would ever need. Step 3 – Create a system Rick felt like a kid in a candy store. Never had he had so much room at his disposal that he could finally organize just the way he wanted it. He laid in bed at night dreaming up his ideal system to keep everything organized. He eventually decided on a grid map. He numbered each shelf and then divided each shelf into 2 and sometimes three sections, a-b-c etc. He then created a spreadsheet on his computer that he could also access on his smart phone that contained the full list of each item and where it fit on the map. Step 4 – Relax. Anything you organize stays organized Rick sleeps better at night now that his hobby of 20 years is safe, secure, organized, and only accessible by him. No matter what you are storing, from car parts to vinyal records, we've got the expertise you need to keep it organized, safe, and accessible. For any storage questions please contact our friendly staff at Laguna Niguel Self Storage today.