When it comes to moving and storage in Lehigh Valley, Louderback has the storage solution you need. Our staff ensures that your items stay safe while being stored. Here are ten of our best tips that you can employ to ensure the safety of your valuable items while they’re in storage.
Know Storage Restrictions
Before you even start to pack up your items, you need to first understand all of the restrictions for the unit that you’ll be using. Some storage facilities restrict certain items like paint, fireworks, and propane tanks. As a general rule of thumb, anything flammable and perishable are typically prohibited.
Opt for Plastic Bins
One of the biggest mistakes that people make in regards to packing their items for storage is using cardboard. You should avoid this material and, instead, utilize clear plastic bins. This way, you can contain any unnecessary spills and ensure that you can see through the bin to the items that are inside.
Use Easy to Read Labels
While those clear plastic bins will go a long way in helping you to determine what’s in each bin, you shouldn’t stop there. Rather, you should have easy to read labels on all of your bins to ensure that you know what is in each. It’s very easy to not see items in the bin when their view is hindered by other items. Labels help to weed through the confusion.
Use Furniture Bags
You don’t want to make the mistake of not properly securing your furniture inside of furniture bags. Things like moisture can wreak havoc on these items when they’re left in storage. There are various sizes of furniture bags that you can choose from including mattresses and couches.
Disassemble Large Items
While it can be enticing to leave all of your items assembled, that’s not the best course of action. They tend to take up way more space than they really need to and they’re more prone to damage that way. Take the time to disassemble items like bed frames and dining tables. Be mindful when you place them in storage to avoid any damage, such as placing mattresses horizontally instead of vertically in the storage unit.
Bubble Wrap Appliances
Your appliances are not only expensive, but they can break very easily. You should take the time to bubble wrap each appliance and tuck the cord into the wrap. This will help to prevent damage and the cord from being ripped out.
Use Clothes Bags
There’s no point in putting clothes into cardboard or similar storage boxes. They’re very susceptible to the damages of moisture and other environmental factors. Instead, spend the money on getting clothing bags that will safely secure these items in a moisture-proof environment.
Clean and Fully Dry Items
Before you start packaging up any items for storage, you need to give them a good cleaning. This will ensure that you remove any grime or build-up moisture on the items. Be sure to let them fully dry before you start packing them. You don’t want to trap any moisture in the packaging, as that can ruin the item over time.
Be Mindful of Placement
Just because you have a 200 square foot storage unit doesn’t mean that you need to pack every inch of it full. Rather, you need to be mindful of how you place items in your storage unit. These items will be there for a while, so you want to ensure they stay safe. Things like box spring mattresses should be laid flat and have no weight put on top of them as it could distort the box spring. Bins should only be stacked according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Inventory Everything
You should inventory all of the items that you put in your storage unit. This helps you to remember what’s in the unit and comes in handy when there are any questions regarding items missing from your unit.
