Summer has ended, and fall is slowly creeping in. Before you know it, winter will be here with snow, heavy rain, the wind, and sometimes even massive blizzards. So it’s time to start the necessary preparations for these seasonal transitions. Because in rough winter weather, it will likely get damaged or completely destroyed. If you have a garage or a spare room to put that furniture in, that’s great. But what do you do when you don’t have that extra space? Well, then, you need to start searching for storage companies. In situations like this, storage can be handy and practical. But it’s important to know that different items require different storage conditions. In this article, we will be sharing some tips for storing your patio furniture.
Pick the right storage
It is essential to know what kind of storage best suits your items. And according to experts at A2B Moving and Storage, regular people don’t really know much about this topic. As your patio furniture can be made of wood, plastic, metal, or other materials, you will pick storage based on that. For example, metal furniture can’t handle moisture because it can rust easily, so it needs to be stored somewhere dry and isolated from rain. Wooden furniture also needs to be protected from humidity and moisture because it can cause wood to rot.
On the other hand, plastic is not that vulnerable to moisture, but you can’t keep it somewhere that’s too cold. Low temperatures make plastic fragile, brittle, and easy to crack. So regular ordinary storage won’t work for your patio furniture. In this case, you must consider renting climate-controlled storage. If you are unsure what that is, don’t worry, we will explain.
What is climate-controlled storage, and how does it work?
In general, climate-controlled storage is a special kind of storage used for items requiring special conditions for storage. In this storage, temperatures are made to stay at a certain level, giving the best protection for your delicate items. But temperature control isn’t the only benefit of this storage. Humidity is also regulated in these types of storage units. But don’t mistake climate-controlled storage for air-conditioned storage. Air-conditioned storage does not provide humidity regulation and protection, and climate-controlled ones do. These types of storage are a little more expensive than regular ones, but they are worth it in the long run. It is better to pay a little more now than to have your items fall apart and get ruined in inadequate storage. This is the perfect storage for your patio furniture.
Safety comes first
A quick tip. But nevertheless, one of the most important tips for storing your patio furniture. Before deciding on storage, ask the owner about what kind of security for your items it offers. Are there strong safety locks? Camera surveillance? Are there safety guards? This is vital information to have before picking the right storage for you.
Repair the furniture if necessary
You can’t just put your furniture in a storage unit immediately. Before that, you must adequately prepare the furniture for storage. First, check if any repairs need to be done on any of the furniture pieces. If there are, you should fix them right away. Storing damaged furniture can cause it to get even more damaged or completely ruined.
One of the most important tips for storing your patio furniture – don’t skip cleaning
When you are done with the repairs, it’s time to clean everything thoroughly. Keep in mind that different kinds of material require different ways of cleaning and maintenance. So if you have wooden furniture, the best way to clean it is with a soft cloth and a mild solution of water and dishwashing soap. You will need a mixture of warm water, vinegar, soda, and a sponge for plastic furniture. When cleaning metal furniture, it’s essential not to use strong and abrasive chemicals and rough sponges. Don’t forget to wash all the cushions, pillows, and furniture.
The final preparations
After you have picked storage, cleaned, and repaired your items, pack them and move them to the storage unit. You can ask pros to help out with this, especially if you’re planning a local move to Virginia. But we will give you some special tips for different types of furniture materials.
Before storing metal furniture, you can put some paste wax on it. This is an excellent thing to do because paste wax protects metal from humidity and rust. For wooden sofas and chairs, you can use furniture oil as a protection from moisture. When it comes to plastic furniture, ensure it’s completely dry before letting movers take it to storage to avoid mold. Finally, all that is left are decorative cushions and pillows. Put each pillow and a cushion in breathable plastic wrap to protect them from dust, mold, and mildew.
An important tip
Now your furniture is ready to be stored. But do one more thing. It’s wise to make a list of all the items you are putting in storage. So any time you go, you can check if everything is there. Furthermore, this is good protection in case of burglary or fire damage.
Final thoughts
Storage can be incredibly useful only if you know how to pick the right one. As we said, the proper storage for your patio furniture is climate-controlled. And we suggest you don’t get put off by how expensive it is because this is the only way to keep your items safe and protected from outdoor elements. It’s just important that you do the necessary preparation before sending the furniture to storage. Repairing, cleaning, adding paste wax, furniture oil, and plastic wrap. These are small details, but they can make a significant change. Hopefully, these tips for storing your patio furniture were helpful to you. Just be quick because winter is right around the corner, and you can’t keep your furniture outside in those weather conditions!