There are many reasons you might need to store furniture. Maybe you’re moving house or renovating your old one. Sometimes you need more space, and usually, furniture is the first category people look to when trying to cut down. Whatever the case, furniture is statistically one of the most stored items nationwide. With so much time and money, not to mention sentimental value, invested in your belongings, it pays to know how to store your furniture properly. Use these tips to ensure your goods stay protected from damp, cold, rodents and other problems. This advice applies to any furniture, with special mentions for items such as wood.
Treat Wood Furniture
If you know you’ll be moving wood furniture into storage soon; it’s a good idea to treat the surfaces of your pieces with a coat of wax or plain furniture polish. Things like wooden tables and chairs are more prone to cracking or splitting thanks to environmental changes if you leave them untreated in storage. These changes in the elements bring us to the next point.
Choose a Climate-Controlled Environment if Possible
This applies not only to wooden furniture but all other types. Even if you’ve taken care to coat or otherwise protect your furniture, as mentioned above, drastic changes in the climate can cause various problems for your items in storage. If the humidity gets too high, for example, wooden furniture will crack or split, while other items become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, and rodents will find a new home.
Elevate Your Furniture
Even in the best of self-storage environments, things can happen. Because you cannot always be there to monitor your furniture, it’s important to take precautions when storing it. Our Boston furniture moving service recommends using wooden pallets to elevate your items off the ground if you can. Even raising them up by just a few inches can make a big difference in whether furniture stays dry and free of mold if water should ever seep into the unit.
Wrap Your Furniture
Wrapping your furniture in protective plastic keeps it free not only from the dirt and dust floating in the air but other potential hazards such as mice, insects, and excess moisture. Speaking of which, also make sure you thoroughly clean and dry all furniture before wrapping it. If you don’t, there’s a possibility you may trap dirt and moisture inside your couch or wardrobe, for example, making it vulnerable to mildew and other hazards. This also helps to deter mice, since you may have used furniture during meals in the past, and cleaning it will remove any food traces that may attract pests. Many companies now sell specialized chew-proof coverings and containers designed to make sure animals can’t get through them.
Lay Down a Protective Barrier
Elevating your furniture helps protect against water and ultimately mildew, but it does little to deter mice that can scramble up the sides. To ensure an extra layer of protection against mice, you should lay down a barrier of repellant, such as Stay Away that bugs, mice, and other critters won’t want to cross over just to get to your furniture.
With so many options and variables for storing furniture these days, it isn’t always clear what you should do. Keeping an eye on your storage unit and what’s inside isn’t always easy or convenient, but with our tips, you can certainly save a lot of time and hassle in the long run. Hire movers for professional help moving your furniture and other belongings to your storage unit.