There are many times in life when you may need to get household furniture out of your way. Although the garage, spare room or basement might be tempting options, a self storage unit can be a simple and affordable solution. Customers have used Stop and Store self storage in Fareham to store furniture in the following circumstances:
- Moving to a new house
- Renovating or decorating
- De-cluttering
- Moving abroad for work
- For the safekeeping of sentimental pieces of furniture that don’t currently fit
- Storing bedroom furniture when their child leaves for university
There are a several things to consider when deciding how best to store your furniture, and we will look at these now.
1. Home or Away?
Small pieces of furniture can be stored at home in the spare bedroom. As long as they don’t make the room feel cluttered or cramped, this can be a good option. Larger items could be stored in the garage. This can, however, put the items at risk of damp or damage from rodents or insects. Soft furnishings, including sofas, stored in damp places can sadly become mouldy even if they are stored within a protective cover.
Choosing a clean, dry storage unit at Stop and Store offers peace of mind that your items will be in the same condition when you are ready to retrieve them. Even better, you won’t be tripping over them every time you step into the spare bedroom.
2. Decide on Storage Unit Size
Smaller storage units tend to be cheaper, but you want to be sure you can fit everything inside and still easily access any items you might need. Many self storage facilities will offer a space calculator to make it easier for you to choose the right storage unit for your furniture. You can check out our calculator at Stop and Store, and then choose from our units ranging in size from 12 to 200 square feet.
3. Location
Although it can be tempting to select your closest storage facility, sometimes it pays to look further afield. Inner city storage facilities tend to be more expensive than those further out of town. If you won’t need to access your furniture often, storing it a little further from home can offer great savings.
4. Prepare Your Furniture
Before placing furniture in your chosen unit, you want it to be in its best condition. Give it a thorough clean, make any necessary repairs and apply any treatments such as furniture wax or oil as required. This means hoovering all of the crumbs out of the sofa, giving any stains a wash with upholstery cleaner or soapy water, and treating any sign of woodworm in your wooden furniture.
Preparing furniture in this way will ensure that it remains in the same condition for the duration of the storage period, without any problem areas getting worse. Moreover, collecting immaculate, fresh sofas, mattresses and tables is far nicer than removing them from storage and realising that they could have done with a clean before they went in!
5. Dismantle Furniture
Often the most space efficient way to store furniture is to dismantle it first. Wardrobes, bookcases, desks and bed frames take up far less space when carefully taken apart. In addition, mattresses and sofas can be stored vertically to save space. This could mean you can get away with renting a smaller storage unit, often at a cheaper price.
When dismantling furniture, it can be helpful to keep instructions or reminders taped to the pieces to assist you when you come to reconstruct the items. Keep all screws and fittings in a bag and tape this alongside the instructions, too. There’s nothing worse than realising that some pieces have become lost during the storage process.
There is, however, a caveat to this rule. Some items of furniture should remain assembled if they will help you to keep your storage unit organised. Bookcases and chests of drawers can be used to store smaller items off the floor and out of the way, for example. Take some time to decide which items of furniture are best dismantled, and which can serve a purpose by remaining assembled in storage.
6. Raise Items Up
Where possible, it is best to keep furniture off the ground. This can be achieved by using a roll of unused carpet, a tarpaulin sheet, or even wooden pallets if you have them. This allows air to circulate, helping to keep your furniture in excellent condition.
7. Pack Carefully
Some items of furniture will be more fragile than others. Furniture with glass tops, mirrors and delicate antique pieces should be wrapped in packing paper, bubble wrap or furniture bags to prevent damage during transit and when placing into a storage unit. If you plan to stack furniture, place a blanket or protective sheet between the two items to prevent damage such as scratches or dents.
At Stop and Store, we will soon offer a fully stocked box shop so that customers can purchase boxes, protective bubble wrap and packing tape to make it even easier to store delicate items.
8. Hire a Van
If you’re moving a lot of furniture, you may need to borrow or hire a van or truck to transport everything to your storage facility. Be sure to book your van in advance to get the date you want. As moving furniture can be heavy work, rope in a friend to help you move larger items. Alternatively, you could hire a “van and man” or removals service. Follow back care guidelines for safe lifting to avoid injury.
9. Storage Plan
Have an idea in your head of where everything should go in the unit to maximise space. If there are items of furniture that you may want to remove sooner, try to place these near to the entrance of the unit.
As you place the furniture into storage, try to draw a plan so that you know where everything is located. After a few months, your memory of move-in day may become a little hazy, and it’s far easier to locate furniture or boxes if you already have a map or plan to refer to.
To find out more about our range of storage units at Stop and Store in Fareham, call us today or request an online quote for all of your household storage needs.