People rent self-storage units for a host of different reasons – you may be moving house or simply decluttering your house and want to store some items away from the home. Whatever your reason, you will need to plan and organise the packing of these items. If you have delicate or fragile items such as glassware and crockery, they will need special care, so you need to ensure that you have the right materials to safely pack and store these items to avoid breakages and damage. Here are some tips on how to prepare your belongings for moving into storage:
Unit Size
Firstly, go through a decluttering exercise – packing for storage affords you the perfect opportunity to sort out items that are no longer wanted or needed! Once having established the items you DO want to go to storage you will be able to calculate the size of the unit you will need to keep your valuable items safely. You want a unit large enough to store your items comfortably – with enough space around them for easy access – but you don’t want a unit too large, or you will be paying for space you don’t need!
Inventory
It is important to create an inventory of all the items you are going to store – this allows you to keep track of all the items individually and you can record where within the storage unit you have placed each box or item. This will be a great help when removing the items from storage and help in the unpacking once retrieved.
What You Need
It is important to use the appropriate materials for packing away your items. Consider the size of box you want to use – a large box may prove heavy once filled and be difficult to lift and safely carry – consider smaller, more compact boxes, and use more of them. Padding materials will be needed to offer the correct protection for the boxed items – the specialised packing materials such as bubble wrap, tissue papers, packing tape, and plastic containers can be supplemented by using newspapers, soft towels, or other soft materials. For larger items – perhaps furniture – then dust covers and blankets are ideal.
Preparing and Packing
The first consideration in the physical packing is to ensure that the box you are packing is laid on a flat, even, and secure surface – then lay out your packing materials alongside the box. If using newspaper or specialised packing paper, crumple enough sheets to initially cover the bottom surface of the box to provide a base cushion for the delicate items. If using cloth materials or towelling then, likewise, line the bottom of the packing box before starting the packing.
If wrapping glassware, crockery, or other similar delicate items, ensure you wrap each item individually with plenty of padding materials.
Labelling
Once items are packed, seal and clearly mark and label each box with the contents and the intended room for unpacking. Boxes containing delicate items should be clearly marked “Fragile” to inform anybody handling it during the move.
Avoid Overpacking
it is important not to overfill the box – use the space within each box effectively. Whilst you want your items to be secure in transit, you do not want to overfill your box creating undue pressure on individual items. If in doubt, do not try to ‘cram’ extra items into an already crowded space – simply use another box! It is always advisable to pad the lining of the box with bubble wrap or other suitable material before packing – this extra layer of protection will help absorb any impact or movement when the box is being transported. Ensure there are no demonstrable gaps in the box – any additional space between the individually wrapped items should be filled with paper, bubble wrap or other suitable packaging.
Unpacking
Always consider the task of unpacking when the items reach their destination – the more care and planning you put into the initial packing of the items, the easier the unpacking will be later. Take time and care to ensure that the items are wrapped, packed, and stacked correctly – it will save you time and may well save you money in breakages and replacements!
