The reason for this is mostly the surface damages that the items sustain while in storage. If you opt for climate-controlled storage, this can be avoided to a great extent. Here are a few tips that would help you in protecting your furniture in a storage:

1. Avoid placing the items on the floor directly

Raising your furniture a bit off the floor will protect the items from water and moisture. This will also ensure a good amount of air circulation in the storage unit. Wooden furniture items in particular are extremely vulnerable to moisture and need some breathing space. You can use cinder blocks or pallets made of wood for building a protective base. The furniture that you keep over it will be safe and dry in the storage.

2. Organize the furniture pieces strategically

Taking some time to plan the arrangement of your furniture pieces in the storage unit always helps. Organize the space inside the unit in a systematic and meaningful way. This is necessary for the ease of access. When you begin placing the items, keep the largest pieces at the back.

Then arrange smaller items of your furniture in the front. Leave some space between these items to give you access to the sides and back of the storage unit.

3. Position the items in an appropriate manner

You might be tempted to place the long furniture pieces like couches on their ends. This must be avoided, even if you want to save some space. The best way to store your furniture is to keep it in its original position. This position is the one it was designed to be used in.

For instance, couches and sofas are meant to be placed horizontally. So, you must place them in the storage the same way. There’ll be additional stress on the joints if you place them in any other position.

4. Stack your furniture in a proper way

Make sure that the stacks are not too high. This might cause the objects to fall and suffer some serious damages. You must avoid keeping heavy or sharp items on top of delicate or upholstered furniture. The best strategy in this regard would be to stack larger and heavier items on the bottom. Lighter items can go on the top.

5. Have effective pest control

Don’t leave any perishable item in the storage unit. Such items might attract critters or bugs. Make sure you don’t use cardboard boxes that have come from a grocery store. Before placing the furniture items in the storage, clean them thoroughly to remove food and beverage spills.

Most of the storage facilities have effective pest control measures in place. Despite this, it is advisable that you take the right precautions to protect your furniture against rodents and insects.

6. Ensure optimal temperature and humidity

It’s important to protect your furniture from high humidity, extreme heat, and extreme cold. To ensure maximum protection, store these items in a climate-controlled storage unit. If you choose not to use a climate-controlled storage unit, take some effective measures to protect your furniture. One of them is choosing a well-insulated space with good ventilation.

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When you’re in such a situation, it would be a good idea to be prepared. This is why we’ve listed some tips for you to prepare your stuff for the long-term storage. So, let’s go through them here:

Make a complete assessment of the items

Before all your things go into the long-term storage, you must take some time to assess them. This assessment involves everything you want to store. It might also need some anticipation of the stuff you might be storing in the future. After you’ve determined your storage needs, the next step is to get started. You’ll need to see how much space you’ll need for storing the items.

Upon examining all your belongings, you’ll find some stuff that you can sell or donate. You’ll even come across certain items that you just need to throw away. While you assess all the stuff, you’ll realize that some of them need special environment for storage. It might involve humidity and temperature control or cushioning. Knowing such things is absolutely necessary before you move all the stuff into storage units.

Select an appropriate storage space

The next step would be to choose a location for storing all these things. For some, their property is the best place to store the stuff for a longer duration. They usually go for self storage. Regardless of where you’re living, self storage can be an excellent for saving some space. You can open up to greater possibilities on your property by moving your stuff into self storage.

Besides, the providers of self-storage offer affordable pricing plans, non-limiting contracts, and flexible financing. Some of them also have special deals for those who opt for long-term storage units. The best part of a storage unit is that your belongings are taken care of. Moving your items into a long-term storage would give you complete peace of mind. Moreover, you know that your stuff will always be accessible.

Most of the providers would be happy to answer all your queries. They’ll give you a good idea of the size of a storage unit that you might require. A good thumb rule is to choose a storage unit that has some extra space. This will help you accommodate some additional stuff you might need to store in the future.

Choose climate-controlled unit for certain items

Generally, there are two categories of storage units that you’ll get to choose. One is climate-controlled and the other is non-climate-controlled. Most of the storage units fall into the non-climate-controlled category. Such units don’t have any arrangements for humidity control or internal heating. They’re more like the outdoor utility sheds.

Each of these units will have four walls, a door, and a roof. Of course, they’re great for storing most of the stuff, but you’ll have some that might need climate control. This is especially true in case of places where humidity and temperature are constantly fluctuating. You’ll also need climate-controlled units for storage in regions with extreme temperatures and humidity.

It’s better to think of climate-controlled storage units as rooms in a modern home or apartment. They’ll have systems that keep the indoor temperature and humidity at the appropriate levels. Consumer electronics, clothes, collectibles, and medical supplies are some of the items that must be stored in climate-controlled units.

Clean the appliances

You need to make sure that the appliances that you’re moving into the storage are clean. Use a specialized solution for cleaning and scrub down the appliances. You can also use a small amount of bleach or baking soda. This will be effective in removing any residue that can lead to mildew or mold. To encourage airflow, leave the doors of your appliances slightly open before placing them in the storage.

Clean the furniture

To prevent mildew or mold on your furniture, it is extremely necessary to remove the dust and dirt on it. You can simply wipe down the furniture items, vacuum them, and apply some polish. The addition of a layer of polish would act as a seal on the wood. It’ll significantly slow down the formation of mold on your furniture items.

Cover the floor of your storage unit

The floor of your storage unit must be covered with a canvas tarp or sheet before placing your items. This would keep the stacks of boxes and all those large items from touching the floor’s dampness. It will also facilitate the flow of air in the storage unit.

Cover your furniture with white sheets of cotton

You can create a dust barrier between your furniture and other stuff by covering the items with white sheets. Using the sheets made entirely of cotton is highly recommended as they’re gentle. You must also ensure that the sheets are white. Colored sheets might bleed on your furniture items after some time.

Use sturdy boxes for packing the items

Don’t go for a flimsy cardboard for packing the items. If you’re moving them into storage units for a longer duration, use sturdy packing boxes. They’re usually made of heavy-duty, durable cardboard. You can also consider using plastic bins, but make sure that they have a small opening.

Having an opening or two in these bins encourages air flow. If you use bins of the same size, you can stack them properly and ensure maximum space.

Avoid using plastic bags

It’s somewhat tempting to wrap certain items in plastic bags, but you must resist this temptation. The reason is that plastic can trap water and leave no room for air.

Label your boxes and have a unit map

It’s highly possible that you might forget where you’ve put your stuff after a few months or years. You can save yourself from doing all the guesswork and wasting time by labeling your boxes. Making a small map and placing it at the front will help you locate the items quickly. One thing worth noting is to write everything legibly.

Consider having a storage unit insurance

You might want to have a storage unit insurance for all your stuff. This is especially helpful when you’re investing in the storage unit for many years. You can opt for monthly, bi-annual, or annual payments for such insurance policies.

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Of course, there are costs involved in this. If you’re thinking about doing all the packing yourself, you’ll need to ensure maximum protection for all these items. Here are a few things you can do in this regard:

1. Know more about your appliances

If you have the manuals of your appliances, you can find some useful instructions related to moving. You can go through them to know more about your appliances. They’ll also help you know how to handle these items while moving them into a storage unit.

If you’re not able to find the manuals of your appliances, go to the manufacturers’ websites. Most of them would have copies of the manuals that you can download online.

2. Consider servicing them before packing

You can hire the services of qualified and experienced technicians to service the appliances before packing them. This ensures that they’re in an excellent condition before moving them into the storage. Some of these items may have high-voltage connections. It’s also possible that a few of them have gas connections. So, it’s always better to hire a good technician for the job for your safety.

3. Unplug the freezer and refrigerator well in advance

A freezer and refrigerator must be unplugged at least 24 hours before you move it into the storage. You can do it 48 hours prior to the move for greater effectiveness. This is because the freezers need longer time to be defrosted. Make sure you take out all the perishable items and use a bleach cleaner to clean the surfaces.

By doing this, you can prevent the growth of bacteria or mildew. Keep the freezer and refrigerator as dry as you possibly can. You must also remove all the bins and racks.

4. Prepare the dishwasher

Empty your dishwasher first. After having emptied it, run a cleaning cycle. Once you have cleaned it thoroughly, allow the appliance to dry with its door open. After drying the dishwasher, remove the utensil holder or any other holder that it might have.

Pack the holder separately to avoid it from bouncing inside the dishwasher during the moving process. Finally, shut the door and tape it using a strapping tape. This would prevent the door from opening during the move.

5. Prepare your oven, stove, or microwave

Clean the inside and outside of your oven, stove, or microwave with a wet drag having some soap. This will help you get rid of any marks or leftover stains. If the appliance has a self-cleaning feature, run it before the move. Allow the appliance to cool before wiping it down for one last time.

Make sure that you remove the racks and clean them before packing these items separately. This is to protect the inside of your oven or stove. When it comes to microwave, clean its inside and outside. Remove the carousel tray and clean it before packing it separately in bubble wrap.

6. Tape all doors, shut the lids, and secure the cords

Finally, check if there are any open doors or lids. You must also check whether there are any cords dangling out. They can be crushed or damaged during the move. Tape all the doors and lids after shutting them. Make sure you save the fasteners to use them later. You can put the screws, nuts, and bolts into plastic bags and label them according to their respective appliances.

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This is done to keep their documents safe for a significantly longer duration. However, it’s good to know a few things before you decide to move your documents into a storage unit.

Security features of the storage facility

It’s always better to have some due diligence done on your own. Most of the places where such storage facilities are located would be secure. Regardless of how secure the location is, you must see whether the property has a barrier to entry. Fencing is one such barrier.

You must also inquire whether the property has electronic gate access requiring a card or pin number for access. Another aspect worth knowing is whether the storage facility has an alarm system. Other important factors to be considered are video surveillance and compliance to the security requirements.

Climate-controlled storage

Rooms with a hot and humid environment are not appropriate for storing documents. Paper is a fragile material and a climate-controlled storage unit would be ideal to preserve it. They are typically located inside a larger building with modern security arrangements.

If you want to go with a climate-controlled storage, it would be a good idea to inspect the facility first. While inspecting the climate-controlled storage facility, pay attention to humidity. Don’t forget to look out for signs of water-related damage.

Sort your documents before storing them

There’s a certain amount of cost involved in moving your documents into a storage unit. You’d obviously want to avoid spending more. So, before you move your documents into a storage unit, sort your documents. Keep only the documents that you need and shred the ones that you no longer require.

Pack the documents

You might’ve opted for climate-controlled storage, but you’d still want to pack your documents well. This would prepare them for the long-term storage. It would be a bad idea to just throw them into a box before moving them. Whenever you need some of these documents, you’d want them to be in a good condition.

Use file folders to organize your documents. For ease of retrieval, you can alphabetize your documents or give them numbers in the right order. Once you’ve organized your documents into file folders, think of the best way to keep them. Using cabinets or filing boxes is a great way to store documents.

While storing the file folders, leave enough space between the cabinets or boxes. This would allow you some free movement inside the storage unit. You’ll also have greater ease in opening the drawers.

Provide controlled access to your documents

If you’ve got a considerable number of employees, you might want to control access to your documents. You must allow only the right employees to access the storage unit and retrieve the required files. This must be done only to help them in fulfilling the needs of their job.

For employees who need to access the files, you can consider providing a log-in and log-out sheet. This will help you in keeping track of the activities of your employees while they’re retrieving the file folders.

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