I’ll never forget Mrs. Henderson. She brought in a beautiful set of her mother’s china, packed lovingly in cardboard boxes she’d saved from a department store. A year later, when she came to retrieve it for her daughter’s wedding, the boxes had sagged. One was damp to the touch. We opened it together right here in the aisle, and the newspaper wrapping was stuck to the plates. The musty smell hit us both. She cried. I felt terrible for her. That’s the moment this stopped being an abstract “tip” for me and became a mission.
Let’s Get Real About Cardboard
Cardboard boxes are the procrastinator’s best friend. They’re right there. You have a pile of them from your last online shopping spree. They’re free! I totally get the appeal.
But here’s what they really are: food and bedding. I’m not kidding. For bugs, for mice, for mildew, a cardboard box is a cozy, edible paradise. That glue holding the box together? A delicious starch feast for silverfish. The porous walls? A perfect sponge for any humidity in the air. And humidity exists everywhere—it’s in the air you’re breathing right now.
If you’re just shoving some old high school yearbooks or a set of mixing bowls into the back of your own dry, indoor closet for six months, fine. Cardboard will probably survive. But the minute you introduce an outside space—a garage, an attic, a storage unit—you’re playing Russian roulette with your things. Concrete floors “sweat,” temperature changes cause condensation, and that cardboard is the first thing to soak it all up.
Plastic Totes: The Unsung Heroes
Now, I’m not a salesperson for the plastic bin industry, I promise. But I am a witness. The people who come back after years, pop open a sealed plastic tote, and find everything exactly as they left it? They look relieved. They look smart.
The magic isn’t just in keeping water out. It’s in creating a sealed environment. A good bin with a lid that clicks on all four sides is like a little fortress. Dust can’t get in. That weird garage smell can’t get in. Spiders can’t set up camp in your Christmas ornaments.
Yes, you have to buy them. But go to any big-box store in late August when the college kids are buying them for their dorm rooms. They’re not bank-breakers. And here’s my biggest tip: Buy all the same kind. It sounds silly, but uniform sizes stack perfectly, safely, and make the most of every square foot in your storage unit. A messy stack of different-sized cardboard boxes is an accident waiting to happen. A solid wall of same-size plastic bins is a thing of beauty and stability.
My Simple, From-The-Trenches Guide
- Use Cardboard For: Stuff you’d be okay losing. Old paint cans (securely sealed!), empty picture frames, that bag of worn-out tennis balls for the dog. Use it as a filler or for very, very short-term holds.
- Use Plastic For (This is my sacred list):
- Anything fabric. Clothing, quilts, curtains, stuffed animals. I once saw a wedding dress ruined in a cardboard box.
- Anything paper. Books, files, photographs, children’s artwork. Paper is the first to go.
- Anything you love. Your grandfather’s tools, your vinyl record collection, your holiday decorations. If it has a memory attached, give it the armor.
One More Thing Nobody Thinks Of
Airflow. Don’t pack your unit like a solid brick wall. Leave a small gap between your stuff and the walls. It lets air circulate. This is why, at High Point Storage, we always offer to help you plan your unit layout when you move in. We’ll show you how to place furniture and stack bins to create a little breathing room. We’ve done this a thousand times, and we want your stuff to be safe. That’s the whole point of us being here.
We’re not just a place with locks and doors. We see people on their big life transitions—new babies, downsizing after the kids leave, storing a business’s inventory. You’re trusting us with pieces of your story. The least we can do is give you the real, unvarnished truth about how to pack it.
So next time you’re facing that mountain of stuff, think of Mrs. Henderson and her china. Spend the $50 on a few good plastic bins. Label them with a fat Sharpie. And then bring them here. We’ll make sure the rest of the environment is just as secure as the fortress you’ve built for your things.
You’ve got this. And we’ve got your back.
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