Getting ready to go into storage
Posted on: 3 January 2018
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Whether you're storing furniture and other items during a move or just need a place to put your excess belongings, a storage unit will keep your belongings safe until you're ready to collect them. Moving your things into storage will be much easier if you take a few simple steps before your make your move.
Take it to bits
Large items of furniture like tables, desks, beds and bookcases take up a lot of room and can be tricky to move. To improve your moving efficiency, take as many pieces of furniture apart as you can. Remove legs from tables and desks, take shelves out of bookcases, and remove drawers wherever possible. Label each piece so that you know where it came from; if there are small loose pieces such as shelf supports, pegs, or screws, seal them in a small plastic bag and attach them to the main body of the item.
Protect vulnerable items
Your storage space will keep items safe once they're loaded in, but the moving process itself has its risks. Large surfaces like tabletops are especially vulnerable to being scratched. To protect them, wrap them in a padded furniture blanket. You may be able to get these padded coverings from your removalists; alternatively, you can use blankets or other bedding you don't mind getting a little dusty. Secure the blanket by wrapping the whole thing in stretchy plastic film.
Label early, label often
If you're like most people, much of your storage space will be taken up by cardboard or plastic boxes filled with small items like books, clothes, dishes and so on. Identifying these boxes might seem straightforward when you're don packing them, but after a few months in storage they'll all start to look alike. Make sure to label each box clearly in permanent marker. If you're going to be stacking boxes, label them on the sides rather than on the lid and arrange them so that the labels are clearly visible.
Balance the boxes
It's tempting to fill boxes with single types of item. It makes sense, after all, that all your books or all your games would be in the same place. The problem is that this can lead to overweight boxes that may split in transport or even be unsafe to carry. Instead, mix different types of item in each box. Pack a single layer of books in the bottom of a box, for instance, and then fill the rest of the box with lighter items like clothing, bedding, or cushions. You'll have to make your labels a little longer, but the resulting storage boxes will be easier and safer to move.