There are many things to consider when looking at how to pack furniture for long-term storage. Why people need to store furniture items can be for many reasons. Are you temporarily or permanently moving out across the country but haven’t found a permanent home yet? Or maybe you just want to downsize your home. You may want to start a renovation project or try to tidy up your patio furniture out of your way. Are you updating your furniture, but your old items are too good to throw away? Maybe you want to save family items or furniture pieces for the kids when they move out.
No matter the reason, your best option is to store your furniture somewhere safe until you need to put it back in use. Finding trustworthy and secure storage for furniture comes with many benefits, both for the short and long term. It can help you move, renovate and secure your belongings before selling or donating them. In this article, we’re going to show you how to pack furniture for long-term storage like a pro. It will ensure you retain the quality of your items, no matter how long you plan on storing them.
Why should you consider storing your furniture?
Think about the hassle of moving home, a time-consuming job that requires excellent planning. You might have been thinking about relocating for several reasons, such as retirement, a new job, or a simple downsizing. Storing your furniture will give you more flexibility in looking for your new dream place instead of having to worry about your precious possessions. If you’ve missed it, we have a great blog on the 10 most frequently asked questions when moving house for some extra help when planning your next big move. You can move delicate items into a storage unit to protect them during the move. Once you are settled in the new place, you can get your precious items again.
Another common benefit of storing furniture is the extra room you get when cleaning all the carpets in your home. With self-storage containers, you can easily store large pieces of furniture for as long as you need. That way, your carpeted rooms can be done all at once! At this point, we know that you might start wondering about all the hidden costs of moving house, but we can assure you that you can easily find cheap storage units for furniture in no time!
Many of our customers have a knack for rescuing previously loved pieces of furniture from various online shops and sources. After visiting car boot sales or large auctions, they become big furniture collectionaires, which means they will sooner or later need to store some of the furniture. Luckily, having a self-storage yard means that you can store your items whilst also using it as a workshop!
The flexibility of storage unit sizes allows you to find the perfect one for your needs. With storage locations across the UK, you can find one that is in a convenient spot too.
Step-by-step guide for long-term furniture storage
Not everyone is knowledgeable about how to store furniture in storage in the right way. This is why you need to equip yourself with the right how-to tricks to ensure that your furniture stays safe and secure. If you are feeling unsure about how to get things ready for storage, we have all the information here for you. So let’s have a look at how to pack furniture for long-term storage so you can get started right away!
1. Clean your furniture for self-storage
This is a crucial step, regardless if you’re planning to store furniture long or short term.
Ensure that all the dust has been wiped out way before storing any items. Make sure you empty all cabinets and drawers. If you have any furniture made of wood, we recommend you seal it or apply a coat of high-quality polish. It will help to prevent your furniture from getting damaged. Also, all upholstered chairs and sofas must be deeply cleaned and vacuumed. Luckily, many products are specifically made to maintain the quality of upholstery, so don’t go cheap as you won’t regret it!
Additionally, you can polish all metal parts on your furniture to remove any oxidation accumulated over time. In the end, make sure that all items are completely dry before packing them up. Why? Because any amount of moisture that gets trapped in furniture can cause mould in time, and that would be a shame!
Use a clean cloth to wipe everything down and ensure it is all dry and dust-free. When you are sure you have completed these steps you can prepare the furniture for the storage yard.
2. Prepare your furniture
Before storing furniture, you have to disassemble everything you can, including desks, bookshelves, tables and chairs. Doing so will make it much easier to pack and move items whilst reducing the likelihood of breaking your things.
After this, place all the screws and bolts in a safe container, and Allen wrenches and any other small items can go in a labelled baggie. But make sure to store this together with the furniture piece to which it belongs to avoid getting a headache when trying to figure out what piece goes where. Make sure to think about how you can organise storage for frequent access too, in case you will need to take any items out whilst keeping them in storage.
3. Wrap everything well
Knowing how to wrap furniture for long-term storage is a very easy but important aspect!
Ensure that everything is completely covered, including the storage space floor. Before storing anything, make sure to lay a thick plastic sheet on the floor. It will prevent moisture from going into the furniture. This is key, especially if you don’t have a climate-controlled self-storage space. You can also use old sheets, blankets or plastic wraps to cover furniture pieces. You want to give them some extra protection against dust. But make sure to wrap it so that all items can breathe adequately by loosely placing any material over the furniture.
An extra tip is to pay a little bit of extra attention to any glass tabletops and mirrors. Firstly, you should wrap any glass items with packing paper, but never tape the paper directly onto the glass! This can leave some nasty residue that will require cleaning later, so make sure to save yourself some time! Then, you can cover the glass in bubble wrap and place it in a long and wide box. Ensure that the storage box has a similar shape to the glass item. It will help avoid any damage during the moving process.
4. Don’t cram too much
And this is where most people fail to store furniture in the right way!
Less is more, so try not to overdoing anything. Take a moment and organise your furniture, and pack it methodically by starting with the large pieces, and use boxed and small items in the end.
Your storing space should always have easy access to the back and sides. Keep everything clean and decluttered to protect your furniture and any other contents. Trust us, as you try to cram in more and more items, you will risk knocking things over, which will only cause a lot of damage. In case you think that you could leave small objects in furniture drawers, because, in this way, you will save more space, don’t do that! Make sure you know exactly what not to store in a storage unit and why way ahead starting to plan your next big storing move.
5. Explore furniture storage services
Finally, this is one of the most important things to do if you want your furniture to be safe and secure long term!
Storing your furniture shouldn’t be a complicated process. To get you started, make sure to pick the size for the self storage unit you need. There are many good storage facilities in all parts of the country, so you should be able to find one with a convenient location, excellent security, and a bunch of useful extra features, all at very affordable prices.
An essential thing to remember is that you should always look for climate-controlled storage spaces if you wish to store heirlooms, antiques, and delicate furniture. This is simply to avoid issues with any stains and materials that could deteriorate when exposed to humidity or extreme temperatures.
At BoxpodSpace, we offer furniture self-storage solutions on highly secure sites that can meet your needs. Our gated compounds are monitored 24/7 by CCTV cameras, and they can be accessed only with a code to the yard for extra security. Whether you want to store your furniture, or any other items, for both the long and short term, we can help! Self-storage services across various locations are available. Want affordable storage in Norfolk? Our King’s Lynn Self Storage Yard is perfectly located. All you need to do is fill in our application form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible! In the meantime, take a look at our recent blog on how to store clothes long term in self-storage for some more tips and tricks.
