Preparing Your Belongings for Storage Facilities

Self storage facilities are fantastic for storing your belongings during transitional periods, or even just to de-clutter your house. As with any professional service, you have the right to demand the best in terms of quality and security from your storage facility. However, there are some things that they cannot help you with. Even in the best, most secure storage facilities, your goods can still deteriorate or become damaged if they are not stored correctly.

Packing all of your possessions prior to storage is absolutely paramount and most things require individual packing to remain in perfect condition. The length of time spent in storage and the nature of the items being stored both play an important role in the packing stage and there are many things to consider as you pack.

Consider what you really need to store

One common mistake made by many people who use storage facilities is over packing. Although it can be hard to part with some things, it is important that you don’t pack things that you don’t want or need. It is quite common to see items put into storage and never retrieved and this can present a number of problems.

Firstly, storing things that you don’t want or need is costly – you can save money by recycling them or giving them away. Secondly, having too many items in your storage unit makes it harder to get to the things you want and over-stacked pikes can collapse, damaging your goods or, at worst, injuring you. To help avoid these situations, think carefully about what you really need to store and your local self storage facility.

Some things require extra attention

We have established that some items require extra care when being packed for a self storage facility. These items range from flammable substances to organic materials and they can deteriorate easily, or damage you other goods if stored incorrectly.

Leather upholstery

Leather furniture and upholstery is hard to store for long periods of time. If left uncovered, leather can deteriorate very quickly and moths or other such insects are likely to eat away at it, causing significant damage. It is vital that you do not cover it with plastic, however, as this promotes the growth of mildew, which will discolour and ruin your leather upholstery. Instead, you should cover your leather furniture or upholstery with a sheet or cloth. This allows it to breathe while protecting it from the elements.

Delicate fabrics

Delicate fabrics such as silk and wool face many of the same challenges as leather. These materials are particularly susceptible to environmental deterioration and are also likely to be damage irreparably by moths and insects. Consider going to a specialist store and buying purpose-built clothes storage bags, as these will protect your delicate and organic textiles from damage. As well as this, you may wish to store them inside a cupboard or similar container with some mothballs for added protection.

Engines and flammable substances

Some things are simply not suitable for storage facilities and flammable liquids fall under this category. Flammable chemicals and liquids are a serious fire hazard and they threaten not only your safety, but also the safety of others in the storage facility. Furthermore, the fumes of these substances can cause a great deal of damage to other goods in your storage unit. Most people are quite diligent in this regard and do not store flammable substances, however, some do forget to drain the fuel tanks of lawnmowers and other such small engines, before putting them into storage. If you are going to store any small engine, then make sure it has been drained of all fuel and flammable liquids, for your safety and the safety of those around you.

For the best and most secure self storage facilities on the Gold Coast, get in touch with More Space today on (07) 5598 3355.