Whether you are moving home or renovating your house, temporarily placing your household goods in a self-storage facility is a safe and secure option. But, you need to pack them well to keep them safe while transporting and also to make unpacking easy and simple. Just haphazardly loading all the items in a truck would be a route to disaster, requiring items to be sorted once you arrive at your destination.
Here are some things to remember before you head to a self-storage unit:
What to Plan?
Plan ahead and write up a list of things that are to be moved, because different household goods are to be packed differently and the packing material would also be different. Furniture with fabric needs to be cleaned and dried before moving and needs to be draped while items like paintings are to be wrapped in acid-free paper before layers of cardboard are to be applied.
Gather boxes, packing material accordingly and also supplies like newspapers, duct tape, bubble wrap, coloured stickers, and markers. You might also need to have a toolkit handy to disassemble any furniture and small clear plastic bags to hold any small nuts, bolts or screws.
Why Label?
Make sure all the boxes are labelled appropriately, like fragile, electronics, books and so on, on several sides and also what room they belong to. Labelling makes it easy while unpacking and also while stacking boxes in the storage facility. Use packing tape to hide any existing markings, if you are reusing old boxes. Heavy items like boxes with books can be placed at the bottom, as they can take the weight and also provide a firm base while boxes with TV monitors and breakables are best when placed on top to minimise damage to the contents.
Labelling Boxes is Important
It is a good idea to use similar sized boxes as they would be easier to stack, unless you have original packaging for items such as electronics and kitchenware. Use smaller boxes for heavier items like books while using larger boxes to pack lighter things.
Inside the Self-Storage Unit
When at the self-storage unit, place large items like furniture first and avoid placing them very close to the wall to aid airflow. Household items and boxes that you most frequently need to access to are best kept at the front of the unit.
These are just some self-storage tips to help you make optimal use of the facility space and also to make the whole moving process simple.
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