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When it comes to storing furniture in a storage unit, you may not know how to do so correctly. So, we will cover a couple of tips that will help you with this problem so that your furniture is kept safe for many years to come.

Guidelines-for-storing-Furniture-for-Storage-Units

Correct Storage Of Furniture

1. Look at all your options for storage

It can be potentially quite expensive to place furniture in storage. You may be wondering if you should sell them and simply buy new furniture when you need them or if you should store them long term. The typical cost for storage units vary, however, storing your furniture is a good choice if you’re in a transitional space in your life or if you’re moving.

It is extremely important that you ensure that your furniture is protected from the elements. You should look at all of the options that you have before you decide on a storage space. If you are committed to ensuring that your furniture is well maintained throughout storage, it is best o get a storage unit that has climate control.

Basically, climate control will ensure that your furniture is safe from the negative effects of changing temperature and moisture. Also, when you do check up on your furniture, you’ll be comfortable while doing so. Climate control storage units are best for storing items such as antiques, furniture made out of wood, furniture that are made from delicate materials etc.

Even if you don’t go with climate controlled units, there are still many things that you can do to help protect your furniture. For one, you should always ensure that the items in your storage unit are always dry and clean.

2. Thorough cleaning

Next, another way that you can protect your furniture is to ensure that whatever items you do place in the storage unit are clean and not dirty. Dirty items can easily cause bad smells and cause problems such as mold. So, it is essential that you clean everything before storing it in the unit so that you avoid dust, dirt and mold.

A couple of cleaning tips:

If you have plastic or wooden furniture, you should use water along with mild soap to clean them. Antique furniture and wooden furniture should be cleaned with a Murphy oil soap which is a wood cleaner. This would help to protect the wood finish. You should also clean any fabric on the furniture such as the cushions, seats etc using an upholstery cleaner. Before you pack the furniture in the unit, make sure that everything is clean and dry before doing so.
If your furniture has metal parts, be sure to polish them using a metal cleaner and a polishing cloth. This will take off oxidation and slow down tarnish.

3. Take your furniture apart

Now, before you move your furniture, you should take them apart. This not only includes large furniture items but also chairs, desks, tables, book shelves etc. By doing this, it will make it a lot easier to pack up your truck and then the storage unit. It will also lower the chances of any of your belongings getting scratched or even broken.

Make sure that you take all the screws, bolts, nails and other small items and place them into labelled bags. These should be placed with the furniture piece they belong to.

4. Wrap furniture pieces if you intend on storing long term

Start by ensuring all surfaces, including the floor is covered. The first step you need to take before placing any item inside the storage unit is to place plastic sheeting on the floor of the unit so that moisture from the floor doesn’t affect your furniture over time. This is an extremely important step if you’re not using a climate controlled storage unit.

Also, always cover your furniture in your storage unit and never leave anything uncovered. You can use blankets, sheets or even plastic wrap to cover your furniture. This will help keep them protected from dirt, moisture or dust. However, avoid wrapping with thick plastic since this can actually seal moisture in and lead to condensation which would cause your furniture to swell. Ensure that your furniture can still breathe by using loose material to cover it.

5. Ensure glass is well protected

Glass items such as mirrors, glass tables etc would need extra protection. So, the first thing that you should do is use packing paper to wrap each piece. Avoid taping the paper to the glass as this will cause residue that is challenging to remove.

Then, you can use bubble wrap to cover and wrap the glass and place it into a box. You should use a flat box that is long and wide enough and similar in shape to the glass item being stored.

6. Move your furniture so it is off the floor

If you are using a non-climate controlled storage unit, then you shouldn’t place any items or furniture directly on the ground. It is best to raise the floor using blocks or even pallets as this will give you some extra protection, especially from flooding. You can even use drop cloth or even cardboard on the ground if you don’t have anything else to use.

7. Make sure there isn’t any food in the unit

Avoid leaving any perishable items or food items in your storage unit when storing furniture for many months or longer. This is because it would attract pests and bugs. Also, if you’re using cardboard boxes to store your items, make sure that you don’t use any boxes that may have been used in a grocery to store food items or is soiled. Even though most storage facilities usually do pest control, it is best to be safe than sorry.

8. Avoid placing too many items in your storage unit

Don’t place too many items in your storage unit as this can cause breakage. Make sure that you properly organize your unit so you can easily access it and all the items you may need to retrieve. You should place the larger items to the back and the smaller items to the front.

You should have an aisle so that you can access items in the back of the unit and the sides. Ensure that the unit isn’t cluttered and clean. If you try to place more items than you should in the unit, this can cause items to get knocked down, bent or suffer other types of damage.

Storing furniture isn’t difficult once you follow the tips above. The main mistakes people usually make are getting a unit that is too small or too big. So, make sure that you take the time to select the best size unit for your belongings.

OR if all this sounds too much you can always get F Smith and Son Removals to do everything for you, from supplying Packing materials and the packing services to collecting and delivery into their Storage Units in Croydon. Get a free no obligation storage quote.