We all feel the pressure of the daunting task of putting our personal belongings into a commercial storage unit. We’re already tired from packing everything and then we have to figure out how to fit everything just right so it doesn’t fall down, like a reverse game of Jenga.

Because rental prices vary and only go up with the more space available it’s important to be choose just the right fit for what you have. If you pick a storage unit auctions with too much space you feel like you’re wasting money and if you get too small of a unit then, of course, you’re unable to fit in everything that needs to be stored.

Once you have chosen the proper size it’s all about the proper building blocks. Always start with boxes or the boxy furniture because they have the most uniform shape and help with balance the higher you go. Putting a small base of the largest, heaviest boxes down and stack up until just above your head then move out from the first base and start a second one, again with the largest heaviest boxes. Remember to leave yourself room for the pieces of furniture or belongings that are odd shaped.

When executing a search warrant on a storage unit, or set of storage units there are ways to make it much simpler and go much faster.

First, as a matter of courtesy make sure to contact the owner of the storage facility and without divulging any details let them know you will be searching the unit. Most likely the owner will already have been contacted once to verify the unit is the correct unit.

Once you get ready to enter the unit, make sure to bring bolt cutters and a spare lock. You won’t be taking all the items in the storage unit and once you have unsecured it you are charged with making it secure again after you are done.

After opening the door to the unit, make sure understand and follow exactly the scope of the search laid out in the warrant. If you’re search warrant is for a desktop computer then look only where a desktop computer could be placed, which means don’t look in the small purse on the floor because a desktop computer couldn’t be stored inside.

Following and understanding the scope of the warrant does two things; it keeps the warrant legal and all evidence seized will still be admissible and it can cut down on the time spent rummaging through useless items.

If you are able to search all areas keep in mind that the belongings are someone else’s and you need to be as careful as you can. There may be antiques or family heirlooms and if you are careless and break one it is very likely that you and your department will have to pay for it so always use caution.

Using caution not only involves being careful with the belongings it also involves looking for potential hazards. Booby traps are not uncommon and can be deadly to you or your team.

Lastly, remember that the structure of the storage unit could be used to hide a multitude of items. Be diligent in your search.

Hoarding, which is a compulsive disorder, is usually characterized by a person collecting an excessive amount of items that would seem to have no use, in that amount, to any reasonable person. One of the parts of the compulsion is that the person is able to see or touch the items they have collected.

Different therapies for hoarding are offered and are often successful; however, the true path to success in stopping hoarding tendencies is the patient’s willingness to try and change the compulsive behavior.

Storage units offer a unique perspective helping curb and eventually stop the compulsion. With a storage unit the person still has possession of the item and has the ability to go see and feel the items. The idea behind having a storage unit is to add onto the therapy of cleaning out the areas where all the items have been placed and getting them away from the patient.

Hoarders often times have difficulty letting go of the items and can present a large speed bump in recovery. A storage unit is an addition that can make the speed bump smaller. Allowing the person to have limited access to the items but still working with the out of sight, out of mind idea could greatly help some of the patients that are less inclined in the beginning. The patient could start with a portable storage unit that is placed in their yard and then with help gradually move towards a stationary unit further away from them and then ideally until they were cured.

On the other side of the coin, it could also be a hindrance by allowing them the crutch of having the storage unit. Not to mention that they could simply continue getting storage units, which only adds to the compulsion and would financially create even more of a strain.

While the idea has both pros and cons I believe it merits consideration. If it were presented to psychologists and other experts in the field of hoarding and compulsion they may be able to refine it and utilize it as viable tool.