Putting belongings in storage for a long length of time requires a certain amount of extra care to ensure the items stay safe and undamaged through their stay in the storage facility. The following 9 tips can help the entire self storage process run smoothly.
1. Clean and Prepare the Items to be Stored
Before you even begin to pack up the items to move into self storage, it is a good idea to get them ready. Clean everything thoroughly, because dust and mold can damage the appliance and surrounding items. To ensure everything is clean, use a cloth and cleaning product to thoroughly clean the surface of all the stuff going into storage.
2. Sweep Out the Storage Unit
Usually storage facilities thoroughly clean out storage units after someone moves out. Depending how long the unit has been siting empty, dust may have accumulated over time. Give the storage unit a thorough sweep down before moving anything in it.
3. Disassemble All Furniture and Larger Items
Take apart all large items. This will make them a lot easier to transport from your home to the self storage. It will also allow you to condense everything to fit into the storage unit.
4. Protect All of Your Furniture, Decorations, Cushions, Etc.
Anything that will be in open air will need a buffer between the musty storage air and the item. Wrap any non-furniture items with plastic wrap and bubble wrap to protect it from the elements and any shifting that may occur.
For furniture it is best to use sheets and drop cloths as protection rather than plastic. Plastic will only trap moisture, dirt and all sorts of nasty stuff inside of the furniture. The furniture needs to ventilate while it is sitting in storage for so long, so make sure there is it is free for circulation.
5. Leave Space
Make sure that you leave aisles in between items, so that you have space to navigate through everything. Even if you are pretty sure you won’t need to access any items that you are putting in storage, getting things out when it is time to remove the items from storage is a lot easier if there are aisles around everything.
6. Get a Good Lock
Make sure to get a heavy duty lock to secure your storage unit if the storage unit does not provide one.
7. Prep Washer
If you are storing washers or any other appliances make sure to completely drain and clean them. If you neglect to do this step mold and rust could easily form inside of the appliance which could lead to destroying the appliance all together.
8. For Dishes and China
Buy professional grade packing material to store dishes if they are going to be in storage a long time. In addition buy some extra bubble wrap just in case you need it. Wrap every single dish carefully and store it in the boxes. Clearly label the box as holding valuable dishware on the outside, so that no one jingles it around.
9. Get Insurance
Of all the steps, this may be one of the more important items on the to-do list. You can ask the storage unit if they provide insurance to save a step. If they do not, you will need to explore other options to insure your items that are in storage. Theft, floods, fires and other incidents do happen at self storage facilities sometimes, so it is better to be safe rather than sorry.
These tips brought to you by Berwick self storage.
