Storage Units: How To Secure A Successful Facility For Your Furniture

storage units how to secure a successful facility for your furniture

At some point in your life, you may find the need to store some or all of your furniture & effects. The reasons for this are as varied as the goods to be stored. Once the decision to store has been made, there are a number of storage points to consider while searching for storage units.

Choosing a Storage Unit

    1. Will you require access to your storage, and will the storage facility allow this? Hours of access will vary from facility to facility.
    2. If access is required, is it better for the facility to be near to where you currently live?
    3. Will you require self-lock or warehouse storage? Self-lock storage provides you with the security of having your goods in a separate stand alone unit. Warehouse storage is generally cheaper.
    4. Does the facility have security?
    5. What volume of goods am I likely to be storing, therefore how large should my storage area be?
    6. Does the facility have a pest control program in place? The greatest enemy of stored items is rodents. These can be controlled with a regular baiting program.

storage unit

By answering these points, and probably a few more which are more specific to yourself, you are now well on the way to securing a storage unit to your liking.

Once you have settled on a facility, you will then need to ensure that, prior to placing your goods into storage units, that you follow several steps which will hopefully prevent damage occurring during storage, and having your goods returned to you in the same condition as when they left.

      1. Regardless of the style of facility chosen, you need to be aware that you are basically placing your goods in a shed where they will be subject to dust and pests. Totally unavoidable and very annoying when you have to clean the dust off but unfortunately this is a fact of life. To try to minimize this, try some of the points noted below.
      2. All mattresses and ensemble bases should be covered with plastic. There are specific plastic covers for these.
      3. All lounges should be covered with plastic. There are specific plastic covers for these.
      4. Any furniture item which has a cloth covering should be covered with plastic.
      5. It is often the case that you may require access to certain cartons. Ensure these are clearly marked and left near the door of your storage. Check our blog on Packing & Carton Selection, to help keep your cartons dust free.
      6. Where storage is intended to be long term, there is a distinct possibility of delineation and discoloration of certain melamine products. Ikea furniture, in particular, is known for this. There is not much that can be done except maybe keeping the furniture off the concrete.
      7. As the storage facility will not have access inside your storage, ensure you place several rodent baits within your storage as additional security.

storage unit tips

When you come to placing your goods into the storage space, there are several rules to follow;

  1. Always place large furniture items (tallboys, tables, fridges, Buffet’s etc.) on the ground.
  2. Working in a methodical manner, place smaller items on top of these, continually decreasing the size & weight of the items as you get higher.
  3. Where you have a polished wooden surface, always cover this to protect it from scratches. Cardboard or squares of carpet are useful for this.
  4. Lounges and upholstered chairs need to be treated carefully so as not to put items on them which will cause indentations in the fabric and padding. Depending on the particular item, these indentations can be extremely difficult to “massage” out.
  5. Mattresses should always be kept off the ground.

This is a guide only and is certainly not exhaustive when dealing with storage and searching for storage units.

Feel free to call the professional team at South West Removals & Storage to help you with any questions you may have.

However, if you have it in mind that you will not see your goods for the duration of the storage and take whatever precautions you deem necessary, you should be pleased to see your goods at the end of the storage period.

Planning on moving soon? Contact South West Removals to move houses from Perth to Bunbury, the South West, greater Western Australia and also interstate. Contact us or call (08) 9725 4766 to speak to a house removalist today.

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