How to Prepare Your Furniture and Fragile Items for Long-term Storage
Storage units come in handy when you have limited space in your house or office, or when you are relocating for a long period and won't carry your stuff along. How you package them is important to avoid damage while they're in storage. This article offers packing tips on your furniture pieces and fragile items to ensure they don't get damaged in long-term storage.
Furniture and mattresses
Wrap sofas and upholstery in sheets, canvas tarps or plastic covers to prevent dust from settling on them while in storage. Store them upright, as storing them on the side for long periods can cause stress and damage on the sofa. Furniture should be polished, vacuumed or otherwise cleaned before storing. Cover tables with blankets before placing items on top of it, so the finish isn't damaged.
Antique furniture should be handled with extra caution because they won't be as sturdy as regular pieces. Heavy or weak pieces may be disassembled and the parts wrapped and stored in boxes where possible. Store screws and small parts together in a single well-labelled box near the rest of the pieces. Avoid placing any weight on antique furniture, and try not to store on top of other items. Clean and spray the pieces before storage. Treat leather items with a good conditioner and wipe down metallic antiques with oil before storing.
Mattresses should be stored flat as this is the best way to maintain their shape. If stored vertically, springs and other internal coils can move/bend causing the mattress to sag. What you can do is to place flat boxes that won't be opened during storage together, and then place the mattress at the top. Don't put other things on the mattress to prevent sagging.
Fragile items
These include framed photographs, mirrors, artwork, televisions and kitchenware among others. Larger pieces should be individually and securely wrapped in protective wraps like bubble wrap. For kitchenware, you can use newspaper or other kinds of paper. You can fortify this using felt, sheets or old blankets that can absorb shock when moving.
Where possible, invest in boxes designed to carry mirrors, large artwork or photo frames. Framed artwork or photographs should be stored horizontally to reduce the likelihood of collapsing. Add cardboard corners to protect corners from dings or scratches.
With lamps, separate the lampshade from its base before storing. Wrap each separately and remove bulbs from the housing. Store in their box or using bubble wrap near the lamps or inside boxes with the lamps. For antique or delicate pieces, invest in speciality lamp boxes. Store lampshades in well-labelled boxes at the top of stacks, since they are light and can be damaged by the weight on top of them.