Furniture Storage – What Homeowners Should Know

The family needed a solution for their furniture storage while they were living abroad for an extended period. They owned many pieces of sentimental and antique furniture. Instead of selling their furniture they decided to investigate storing facilities.

There are many reasons you might need to put your belongings in furniture storage . Often a family will have to relocate across country due to a job promotion or family obligation.

Maybe you have temporarily moved to a smaller home and need to store some of your furniture. Members of the armed services often store larger pieces while serving overseas.

Before deciding on a facility to keep your belongings, ask some questions about the units.

Will you need the room to be kept at a certain temperature, free from high moisture? Climate controlled units offer the security of being kept at consistent temperature and low humidity. Keeping moisture away from your furniture, especially if it is upholstered, will prolong the life of the pieces while they are being stored. Moisture leads to mold and mildew. Wood, on the other hand needs some moisture in hot conditions to prevent splitting. However, wood pieces should be waxed or varnished before placing in furniture storage . This will prevent excess moisture from affecting the wood.

Determine how much space you will need. The family measured the pieces they would be storing and drew out a rough sketch of the floor space they needed. When they called the facilities about the different sizes and options they had a good idea of the size they needed so they did not waste money on something too big.

If you will not be using a unit with controlled environment, place a pallet or plastic sheet on the floor for your unit. Some furniture can be disassembled such as beds and tables to save space and prolong its life. Keep all the nuts and bolts and rollers in plastic bags taped to the dismantled piece. This way you can easily reassemble the piece without having to hunt for the right bolt or nut. Wrap the legs of tables in protective paper or cloth to prevent scratches. Anything upholstered should be kept off the floor. For glass tops, wrap in old blankets to prevent breaking. Place thick pieces of cloth or old carpet scraps between any wooden or metal pieces to prevent scratching. Cover everything with a dust cover or old bed sheets.

Sofas, except sofa sleepers, and mattresses should be stood on end. Mattresses can also be wrapped in special bags found at hardware stores to prevent moisture from being absorbed and losing their shape.

When putting cupboards and large armories in furniture storage put them to use as a piece for storing as well. Put old linens and other fabric items in them. Place the cabinets in the back of the unit and stack boxes on top to take full advantage of the space.

The family found they needed and eight by twelve unit at a facility that was climate controlled and had 24 hour security. They planned out how they needed to arrange each piece to prevent damage and to maximize the use of the area. Now they can enjoy their extended stay abroad with the peace of mind knowing they made the right choice for their furniture storage needs.