Make sure any facility you consider is:

• Clean and well maintained.
• Secure - Are there multiple levels of security, both human and technological, in place to protect your belongings?
• Well-lit
• Accessible - Are there ramps, elevators and/or drive up access that make it easy to get to your storage room?
• Convenient - Is the facility near you and is it open during hours that are convenient for you?
  Also make sure you pack and store your personal and/or business items with special attention to the following...
  
  

• Electrical Equipment: All equipment needs to be clean and dry. 
• Metal Equipment (tools): To retard rust - wipe all metal surfaces with a rag containing a few drops of machine oil.
• Books: Lie flat to protect their spines.
• Fragile Items: Place a layer of packing inside the bottom and at the top of boxes containing fragile items. All items should be individually wrapped placing the most fragile near the top of the cartons. Label all boxes containing delicate items "FRAGILE".
• Furniture: Place a pallet or plastic tarp on the floor and stand sofas on end. Disassemble furniture and wrap table legs in paper. If furniture such as a table, will not disassemble, place tarp and padding on the floor and place the table on its top with legs pointing up. Most lightweight chairs can be stacked 'seat-to-seat' or placed upside down on other funiture. Finally, place a light dust cover over your furniture.
• Do not place boxes directly on concrete floors, but use pallets, tarps or skids to prevent moisture absorption.
• Use packing to fill out empty pockets in boxes.
• Items of value should be wrapped in plastic for extra protection.
• Use reliable movers - check referrals.