If there's one thing that reality TV shows like Hoarders and Clean Sweep have shown, it's that Americans love their stuff -- and they have a whole lot of it. This is even more true of those Americans who have lived a little longer in this world, and thus accumulated more stuff -- the Baby Boomer generation, specifically.

With many Boomers moving back in with their children or trying to find cheaper housing, there's a lot of demand for self storage units to keep everything that won't fit in their new homes. If you're wondering how to fit everything you need to store without damaging older and more fragile belongings in cardboard boxes, then here are a few damage-free tips for packing for self storage.

Tip #1: Select What You Want to Keep

This may seem obvious, but there's more than one reason to go through your stuff and determine what you want to keep. Not only will this cut down on the amount of your belongings that you'll have to store, but it can also help you make a little bit of money, and/or do some good in your community. While most of the stuff you don't want anymore won't be worth a lot, you might find some hidden gems, like the recent discovery of Vince Lombardi's old sweater at a Goodwill store. If you find something that might have a bit of history behind it, get it checked out.

The rest can be donated at little effort to you (some donation centers will even come and pick up large amounts of items), and at great benefit to the poorer members of your community.

Tip #2: Don't waste time with packaging

You may be tempted to go out and gather up newspaper and bubble wrap, but these materials just waste space, and chances are, you don't need them. Take the old clothes, tablecloths, towels, etc. that you're going to store anyway and put them to good use, wrapping glassware and fragile touches in them. Your belongings will stay whole and secure, and you'll be able to save the room you would have filled with newspaper for packing more in each box. 

Similarly, don't be afraid to pack unorthodoxly. Vacuum packing is a great way to preserve time-sensitive or weather-variable items like clothes or old photographs while limiting the amount of space that these treasures will take up. Vacuum packing also allows you to be less delicate with the way you treat these valuables -- since they're sealed, you don't have to worry about not touching them with your hands or putting them on top of wet surfaces. Talk to people like Epic Group Inc for more information.