These are your personal or business belongings and there are measures you can take, apart from careful packaging, that will help protect them during their time in our facility.
- Don’t pack items into sealed plastic bags, as humidity can cause mildew.
- Try not to lean furniture against outside walls.
- Defrost fridges and freezers and leave the doors slightly ajar.
- Wrap mirrors and pictures in protective covering such as bubble wrap and stack them on their ends. Never store them flat.
- Upholstered products such as mattresses and sofas should be covered to give them additional protection. Stand sofas and mattresses on end wherever possible to save space.
- Thoroughly vacuum all upholstered furniture. One crumb can attract pests.
- Give your wood furniture a good coating of polish before storing it.
- Try to use one or two size boxes. That makes it easier to stack them. Dishes and books get heavy, so use small boxes for easier lifting. Use wardrobe boxes for better clothing. They can be reused for off season clothing.
- When packing clothing, do not put mothballs in the boxes – they will stain.
- Try to disassemble large furniture as much as possible. Remove table legs, tie together and label. Put screws and hardware in a plastic bag and attach to furniture.
- We recommend mattress covers for all bedding. Mattress covers, boxes and assorted moving supplies are available in our offices at discounted prices.
- Never store food other than canned goods in your space. Food attracts pests.
- Place more valuable items in the back of your space and furniture towards the front. If you are storing for a long period, especially during seasonal changes, remember to place items you might need where you can get to them.
- When placing upholstered items or bedding in your space, use pallets or pieces of wood to avoid contact with concrete or metal.
- Avoid storing items such as glass water filled globes during the winter – they may freeze. Avoid storing items such as candles during the hot weather – they could melt.
- We suggest placing drop cloths over your things. This helps to protect from dust.
- Create an aisle down the center of your space for easy access to your “stuff.”
- Most importantly, visit on a nice breezy day and leave the door open for awhile to help with air circulation.
