Storing furniture isn’t as simple as stuffing it all into a storage unit, closing the door and forgetting about it. Proper furniture storage will help keep the items in good condition so that they can be passed on to children, sold, or kept for later usage. What is the key to storing furniture properly? Prep work, of course. And while it’s a relatively simple concept, it’s not always easy. Here are a few tips to storing your furniture in a storage unit.
Tip 1: Find the Right Storage Unit
This may seem obvious, but finding the right storage unit in terms of size, location, and amenities is not always as easy as it sounds. The first thing to do is to make a list of the furniture you want to store. This will help when searching for a storage unit, as you will know approximately what size you’ll need. If you’re unsure what size storage unit is best for your items, check out this handy storage sizing guide. Next, search for storage facilities in your area, preferably close to your home if you are storing mostly furniture. Your furniture would also benefit from a climate controlled unit as heat, cold, and humidity can adversely affect wooden and leather furniture in particular. Excess moisture is also detrimental to fabrics as it can promote the growth of mildew or molds. Finally, once you’ve found a unit size and facility, it’s time to examine the amenities. Storing furniture means you’ll be moving large, bulky, and often heavy items into storage. Try to find a unit that is ground level, or a facility that has drive up access units or a loading bay. This will make loading into your unit much easier on moving day.
Tip 2: Clean It Up
When storing furniture, it’s important to remember that whatever goes into the unit will stay in that unit. This is particularly important to remember with furniture – crumbs and food wrappers left under couch cushions or in drawers can attract unwanted visitors to your storage unit. If there are crumbs or wrappers in your furniture, there is also a risk that pests are already inhabiting the items. Cleaning furniture thoroughly before storing helps eliminate the risk of pests, and ensures that the furniture is clean and ready when you decide to use it or sell it.
Tip 3: Use Furniture Covers
Dust naturally accumulates pretty much everywhere. While we are proactive about cleaning our units after a customer moves out, prolonged storage of furniture comes with a chance of dust accumulation. Dust is often already present when you store your items, though a thorough cleaning helps. Use furniture covers to mitigate dust accumulation. You can purchase furniture covers at StorageMart locations, or at hardware stores.
Tip 4: Use Vertical Space
When packing a storage unit with furniture, it’s easy to run out of space. Fast. Efficient use of space is important to maximize the storing potential of your storage unit. Invariably, you may want to store more than what you initially thought, and having some extra space after storing your furniture is ideal. One of the best ways to use the space in your storage unit is to think vertical. Vertical space is often underused – beds, tables, and mattresses in particular can be stored on end to save on horizontal floor space. You can also carefully stack smaller items on top of other flat furniture to save space.
Tip 5: Don’t Overpack the Storage Unit
One thing that will be important to remember when storing furniture is to avoid overpacking your storage unit. Stuffing a unit full of items will make it much more difficult to access the items you need when you need them. Overpacking can also damage items that are buried, and you may not notice until you retrieve those items later. Try packing the unit in such a way that you have aisles to access your belongings. Avoid stacking on items that you use or access frequently, and leave commonly used items at the front. Here are a few other tips for how to pack a self storage unit.
Storing furniture is a common use for a storage unit. While it’s not as simple as shoving everything into a small enclosed space, it doesn’t have to be a hassle. Follow the tips above to make storing your furniture easy and simple.