Renting a storage unit is not particularly expensive, but if you're going to pay any amount of money to store your items, you want them to be usable when you eventually bring them home. Taking care of your items while they're in storage is essential. Here are some tips to help you care for popular items.
Clothing and Linens
Your main concerns with clothing and linens are mold and moths. Moths are only a concern with natural fibers like wool—they won't bother synthetics. So look over your labels, and if you have anything that contains wool, make sure you put some mothballs in your storage unit.
A good strategy is to pack clothing items inside cotton garment bags, along with some mothballs if the clothing is wool, and hang them on a rod. The cotton will breathe to prevent molding, and hanging the clothes up preserves their shape. You can hang linens in a similar manner.
Appliances
When it comes to appliances like refrigerators and ovens, the best thing you can do is clean them out thoroughly before putting them in storage. Use a bleach water solution to kill any bacteria and fungi. Make sure you remove all crumbs to avoid attracting rodents, who may leave feces behind or chew on cords, ruining your appliances.
Furniture
If your furniture is made from leather, clean and condition it before putting it in storage as this will prevent cracking. If you see any spots or stains on fabric furniture, clean and treat them before storage. The temperature and humidity changes that occur in storage units will just make them worse. Both leather and cloth furniture should be covered with a breathable, cotton furniture cover. This keeps dust off the pieces without trapping moisture against them.
Everything
Whether you're storing furniture, clothing, appliances, or something completely different, make sure you place it up on a pallet rather than directly on the floor. This way, any rain or other water that seeps in won't harm the items. Also, check on your stored items about once a month if possible. This way, if anything does leak or any damage is sustained, you'll notice it and be able to take care of it before it gets any worse.
Putting your items in storage is a good way to ensure they're available when you need them later on. With the tips above, you can be sure they'll stay in serviceable condition. For more information, click here to read.
Share24 March 2017
Growing up in Washington state, I dreamed of a life in New York City. While I went to a college close to save money, I knew that after graduation, I would soon be hunting for jobs in the big city! While it took a little time and a lot of dedication, I soon found a company in New York that wanted to hire me, but didn't offer to help me relocate. I had never moved before, so the stress of not just starting a new job, but also facing a big move hit me all at once. I soon learned that good organization and planning take the stress out of making a big move. I love to write, so I decided to start a blog to share my moving tips to help others. Come back for a little fun and a lot of moving stress-relief!