Renting a Storage Unit Can Help You Declutter Your Life

Storage Basics


Can you feel the buzz in the air? People all over the world are setting goals, gaining momentum, and embarking on resolutions to make themselves healthier and happier this year. This time of year, many people set goals around decluttering and organizing their home. It’s a way of creating a fresh start in your environment, which could help you meet other goals for your physical and mental health. So, how does renting a storage unit help with decluttering? Let us tell you. Here are five reasons renting a storage unit will help you clear out the clutter. Records Storage Ask any lawyer or accountant, and they will tell you there are some papers that it’s absolutely critical that you keep—sometimes indefinitely. Medical bills, bank statements, and tax returns are just a few categories that are known to be needed when you least expect it—and often years from when they were first generated. Keeping your files at an off-site location could help in case there is a fire or emergency in your own home. Storage units come in all sizes, including small ones that could house a few filing cabinets, or file boxes. But just because you’re storing your essential files remotely doesn’t mean you should allow your storage unit to become messy. Develop a filing system, and commit to filing papers once a month in your storage unit. Saving Special Mementos We all have those special mementos we treasure and want to pass down to our children and grandchildren. However, they may no longer “fit” in your home for many reasons. Or perhaps you have boxes of family photos from your grandparents, parents and your own photos. These priceless memories can take up a lot of space. Renting a storage unit where you can preserve and protect your family history allows you to use the space in your home for living, not saving. Seasonal Decor If you love to decorate for a holiday, then renting a storage unit might be the perfect solution for decluttering your home. ...


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January 6th, 2022

How to Use Storage Units for Your Seasonal Decor

Storage Basics


Are you “all in” on decorating for the seasons? Many people are. Seasonal decorating is not just for Christmas, many families like to celebrate Valentine’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving with fun and creative knick-knacks that set a certain mood or atmosphere in their homes. With all those decorations, many people choose to use storage units for housing seasonal decor when it isn’t being enjoyed. If you decorate for multiple holidays throughout the year, then it’s a good idea to rent a storage unit for all the boxes and accessories you need for each season. Storing your seasonal decorations in a storage unit helps free up space at home, where you need to keep stock of “immediate need” items. If you think it’s time you free up some space at home, and store your seasonal decor in a storage unit, then let’s take a look at a few tips to get you started. Storage Unit Location and Size First, you want to find a storage location that is convenient to where you live. And then find a storage unit within that facility that’s the right size for your storage needs. For example, if you decorate for two or three holidays a year, you might only need a 5x10 or a 5x15 sized unit. Use our storage size guide to find out exactly the size storage unit you need. Organize Seasonal Decor by Holiday Next, organize and label boxes according to the holiday, season or occasion to which they belong. Besides holidays and seasons, you might be interested in storing all birthday decor or school celebration decor to be pulled out and used when appropriate. Be sure to check out our storage unit organization ideas to learn how to label, stack and pack to get the best use of your storage space. Inventory Your Storage Boxes for Easy Access An inventory can be accomplished in a couple of ways: a list on the outside of the box, or a number on the box that corresponds to a ...


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November 29th, 2021

How to Maximize Your Storage Space

Storage Basics


Renting storage space at a convenient storage facility is a great solution for storing business product inventory, various holiday decorations, family heirlooms you just can’t part with, and keeping belongings safe while you renovate or move. Last month, we shared several organization tips for your storage unit. And while organizing and maximizing do go hand-in-hand, there are some ways to maximize space that aren’t necessarily “organized.” Let’s break it down. Consolidate Items in Your Storage Space If you’re moving, we advise that when storing chests of drawers, the drawers should be filled. You can fill the drawers with clothing, kitchen tools, or whatever else. But to stay organized, make a note of what’s in each chest of drawers. You can also fill any unused suitcases with seasonal clothing and place the suitcases near the entrance for easy access. Wrap Fragile Items with clothing Many everyday fragile items can be wrapped with clothing like scarves, socks, or T-shirts. Keep in mind that some fragile items also may be vintage, or have a finish that could be affected by the fabric of your clothing. For vintage items, use acid-free tissue paper to keep them safe. You can also use socks to stuff inside glasses, vases, or any fragile container. Disassemble Furniture in Your Storage Space You won’t always be able to disassemble furniture, but if you can, do so. Make sure to tie or wrap legs of tables to the tabletops, and to tape a plastic bag of the furniture’s hardware to the item for easy location and assembly. If you have a table that can’t be disassembled, be sure to store boxes underneath, on top, and between its legs. Use the Same Size Boxes Using the same size boxes will help you keep stacks uniform and sturdy. You don’t want boxes to cave and lean when stacked. And you’ll need to fill boxes to the brim so they aren’t crushed under the weight of the boxes stacked above them. When filling boxes, fill the bottom with heavy items, adding lighter items ...


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November 15th, 2021

How to Organize Your Storage Unit

Storage Basics


Maybe your need for a storage unit has been months in the planning. Or maybe, you’ve had an unexpected home repair that’s pushing you into a hotel for a few weeks and you need to store your belongings. Or maybe, you need convenient overflow storage for your business, or your small apartment. No matter why you need a storage unit, a little organization will help you stay sane, find things you need, and keep your belongings in good shape. If you don’t have time to read the explanations of our tips, here’s a quick list to get you started organizing your storage unit: Clean your storage unit, clean your belongings. Label boxes clearly. Make an inventory list of your storage unit. Large, heavy items you don’t need on the bottom at the back of your storage unit. Keep a center aisle. Think vertical: stack, stack, stack. Keep needed items at the front in clear bins, if possible. Clean Your Storage Unit, Clean Your Belongings It’s likely that when the previous renter of your storage unit moved out, the unit was reviewed and cleaned by an Alamo staff member. Still, there could be some debris that was missed. Take a broom and sweep out the unit, then take the broom and clean the corners of the unit where spider webs might be located. Now, your storage unit is ready. Cleaning your items before packing them or loading them into the storage unit is a good way to review each item for any damage, and to make sure they’ll be ready for use or display when you move them back to where you want them in your home. Label Boxes Clearly Make your life easier to unpack by labeling every box or piece of furniture clearly. For labels, you’ll likely want two types of information. One, you’ll want to list the room in your home these items came from. And two, you’ll want to list what items or what types of items are in the box. Another organizational method could include numbering the box, ...


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October 11th, 2021

Safe Self Storage is Priority One

Storage Basics


At Alamo Mini-Storage, we treat you with Texas hospitality—as if you were our own family! That’s why we’ll always shoot straight with you, and be open and honest in all of our communication. That includes communication about safe self storage while your belongings are stored at Alamo Mini-Storage. While we’ve implemented a number of safety features, we can never underestimate the ingenuity of thieves and criminals. No storage facility is 100% secure from environmental damage, theft, or natural disasters. So, we don’t make that claim. Instead, we set up our facilities to be as safe as possible for your convenience and peace of mind. Safe Self Storage for You At each of our seven locations around south Texas, we go to great lengths to insure the safety and convenience of our customers. This includes: Lighting – Each property is well lit in all hallways, aisles, driveways, and common areas. Gates – All properties have secure gates that are always working. Gate operating hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Surveillance equipment – Surveillance cameras are located throughout each property allowing views of doorways, hallways, aisles, driveways, gates, and dumpsters. Resident Managers – Our managers live on-site, adding an additional layer of security and surveillance. Each manager has been trained in safety procedures and reporting. Locks – Each office stocks locks available for purchase. Locks are not included with each unit, allowing customers to obtain the lock that best suits their needs and budget. Cleanliness – You might not think that cleanliness has anything to do with safe self storage, but it does. Making sure that empty boxes aren’t left in aisles, picking up trash around doorways, and keeping the dumpster area clear of debris goes a long way in helping all of us see better, and recognize any suspicious activity. It is a rare situation that a naturally occurring event like a storm, or a moral failure like theft, has affected our customers. We believe this is in part due to the fact that many of our customers visit their units ...


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September 14th, 2021

Self Storage Unit: What do you need?

Storage Basics


What season of life is prompting you to search for a self storage unit? Whether you’re downsizing, storing business inventory, remodeling your home, or moving, you need to think intentionally about your plans and needs for the duration of the time your property will be in storage. We want you to have the best possible storage rental experience. That’s why we’ve answered a few questions below that will help you determine what you need and why. What Size Storage Unit do I Need? We all have that room (or two!) in our houses that’s overflowing with unused clothing, appliances, furniture, tools, and/or memorabilia. Items are scattered, falling over, heaped in a corner and stacked over and under everything. You might be tempted to think that in order to store everything in that room, you need a self storage unit that’s roughly the same size as that room. In fact, you might only need a storage unit half the size of that room, or even smaller. See, when items aren’t stored neatly, they take up more room than necessary. That’s why it’s important to learn a few tips for maximizing your storage space. Break down large items such as bed frames and tables to save space. Keep all parts (such as screws and small hardware) together by placing them in a plastic bag and taping them to the item. To save space, fill interiors of appliances with lightweight items such as linens, clothes and stuffed toys. Boxes can be stacked on top of refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers and dryers. Stand mattresses and sofas on end (except for sofa beds). Store lightweight, miscellaneous items in dresser drawers. Use blankets, sweaters and towels as padding for fragile items. Heavy items like books or tools should be packed in small boxes so they are easy to lift. Place frequently used goods near the door. Leave a center aisle for easy access to all items. Once you’ve implemented the tips above, you’re ready to use our sizing calculator to make sure you’re not renting a larger ...


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August 16th, 2021

Local Self Storage Company With Deep Texas Roots

Company Updates


Trust is a big deal. Especially when it comes to entrusting someone with our prized collections, our priceless memorabilia, or the inventory of the dream company we’ve birthed. That’s why, if you’re going to store your belongings with anyone, you should entrust them to a local self storage company that puts customers first: Alamo Mini-Storage. Alamo Mini-Storage: How it Started Alamo Mini-Storage has operated in Texas for more than 40 years, and has been lovingly cared for by three generations of family members. It all started in the 70s when Vernon Helmke, an architect, and two friends—Bubba, a general contractor and Gerry, a priest—were talking about an uncommon business cropping up in the valley: garage rental. People who were moving, downsizing or renovating their homes were in need of storage and were renting garage-type units to house their belongings. Soon, the three friends entered into a partnership called U-Stow and Go in San Antonio. As some of the early pioneers in the storage business in south Texas, they helped create the demand for storage facilities. With each of their talents, the architect, general contractor and priest designed, built and operated their storage business. As an architect, Vernon constantly had plans and designs for improvement running through his brain. In 1978, he decided to act on the ideas that were pestering him, and he opened the first Alamo Mini-Storage on Bandera Road in San Antonio in 1978. Vernon’s daughter, Karen, was the manager of the first location—not only was this role entirely new to her, she was managing from a wheelchair! Karen had fallen and banged up her knee pretty badly. She had 45 stitches, and was required to tool around the storage facility in a manual wheelchair—up and down hills, in and out of doors, and all in the Texas heat. In the beginning, it was slow going—two or three phone calls a day, one or two drop-ins. Then things began to pick up and eventually, a second location was opened on Eisenhauer Road in San ...


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August 6th, 2021