Returning to the Office? Storing Your At-Home Supplies

Should You Put Everything In Storage?

This question doesn't have a one-size-fits-all answer. Some soon-to-be former work-from-home professionals may not ever need their at-home office space again. But others may - especially if they have a part-time or hybrid remote and in-person schedule.

 

Before you move everything from your former home office into storage, consider:

• How many days you will work in the office. Will you work five days a week in the office or only a few? If you will have at least one day of at-home work per week, you may need to keep your office items where they are.
• Whether you will work from home after regular hours. Does your job require after-hours work from home? You may need to hold on to a few home office items to work in the evenings or on weekends.
• The room's original purpose. Do you need to re-convert the room back into a non-office space? If you aren't working from home anymore, you may want to reclaim this extra area. To do this effectively, you will need to remove all office items and put them into storage. 
• Your overall storage space. Does your home have limited storage space? If you don't have a basement, a garage, or large closets for office item storage, an off-site rental unit can help.

Inventory your at-home office and decide which pieces you will store. Use a spreadsheet, notebook, app, or other easy list-making option to keep track of what you will and won't move. This can help you to organize your storage rental and retrieve items as needed.

 

How Can You Make Packing Easier?

The transition from at-home to in-person work is a major change. Make the process easier with a streamlined packing process. To reduce the workload and the amount of time it will take you to pack:

• Use your inventory. Did you already create a home office inventory? Use this list to sort and organize everything you need to pack. Continue to use the inventory after everything is in storage to organize and retrieve items.
• Gather materials first. You need the right materials to pack. To move your home office items, you may need plastic bins, cardboard boxes, file folders, packing tape, bubble wrap, and moving quilts (for furniture).
• Take apart larger items. You don't need to move your home office desk and bookshelf as-is. If possible, disassemble these items before you move everything into storage. Pack hardware, screws, bolts, and similar small accessories in zipper plastic baggies. Tape the bags to the underside of a desk or other flat side of the item.

You may need to declutter your home office before you pack so you don't waste storage space on unused office equipment, old papers, or anything else you won't use again.

How Should You Store Home Office Items?

Now that you've packed everything in boxes and bins and wrapped furniture with protective moving quilts, you can move your home office into a storage rental. To easily and safely store your office items for future use:

• Choose one area. Select one area of the storage unit and designate it as the space for your office supplies so you can easily find items in the future. 
• Use drawers and shelves wisely. Store smaller items in larger ones. Fill desk drawers or use office shelving units to hold things like staplers, files, or stationery.
• Ask about climate controls. Electronics and wooden furniture may require climate (temperature and humidity) controls for safe storage. 

Never stack heavier items onto lighter or fragile ones. This means you shouldn't put pieces of office furniture on top of cardboard boxes or heavy bins filled with books onto a flimsy shelving unit.

Do you need to rent a self-storage unit for your office furniture? Contact Brownsburg Self Storage Locker Inc. for more information.