Packing and Storing your Furniture in a Storage Facility
Packing and storing furniture can be complicated. It also almost always forms part of any move. Whether you are selling your house to move to another, or downsizing to an apartment, your furniture may well end up in a storage facility. If it is for a couple of days or weeks, it is not as difficult as when it is for an extended period of time.
Always choose climate controlled storage when storing your furniture. In a country like Singapore, with summer-like temperatures and high humidity all year round, it is always better to be safe than sorry. But even with climate controlled storages, its best to take the precautions outlined below to ensure the longevity of your items. You never know; the temperature control system may breakdown when you least expect it.
A key consideration when packing and storing furniture is protection from the elements:
- Wood dries out and becomes brittle
- Leather can deteriorate
- Fabrics can be infested by fish moths and fade
- Metal can rust and break
By following the steps laid out below, you can preserve your stored furniture for a long time.
Packing and Preparing your Furniture for Storage
The first step is to disassemble all your wooden furniture. Remove screws to disassemble footboards, legs and headboards, table tops and shelves. Be sure to store the screws for each item of furniture in its own labelled Ziploc bag. Mark it carefully and colour code the labels for each room. You can prolong the appearance of your wooden furniture in storage by cleaning it and waxing it. Drape old sheets or similar cloths over the furniture to help minimize dust.
Storing your fabric covered items require extra care. Clean mattresses and fabric covered sofas and chairs beforehand. Use an antibacterial cleaner specifically formulated for use on fabric. You will have to leave it to dry for long enough before wrapping it for storage. Use blankets or other padded covers to protect it from damage during the move and in storage.
Both wood and upholstered furniture can be wrapped in plastic wrap and secured with packaging tape. However, be sure to keep the tape away from wooden surfaces as it will cause damage.
Metal furnishings should be polished before they are placed in storage. That’s especially true for nickel, silver and brass furniture. Polishing these items will help prevent oxidation in storage units in case the temperature control system breaks down. Like your wooden and upholstered furniture, metal ones should also be wrapped in plastic wrap.
Placing Furniture in Storage
When placing furniture in storage, one must also keep in mind the ease of retrieval. A good rule of thumb is to site all items you don’t need towards the back, reserving the storage space in front solely for those pieces you are likely to retrieve in the near future. And if your storage area is large enough, leave enough space down the centre to form a walkway. If ever you need to retrieve furniture pieces placed around the back of your storage unit, you will be glad you have this walkway.
The above tips are brought to you by Movers Singapore. If you are reading this post and need the services of a reliable house mover, do contact us for a moving quote.
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