Whether you’re moving house, have recently inherited a new piece of furniture, or are planning on selling your old chairs and sofas, you will likely need to store furniture at some point in your life. While you can store these items in many places, such as a storage locker, attic, cellar, or garage, there are some techniques for preserving them during months without use. Continue reading to find out more about how to store furniture.
What Are the Options?
Before you can even begin preparing your items for storage, you must first consider your storage options. Storing your furniture could be costly if you plan on doing it for a long time, so you will often need to consider whether it’s worthwhile to put it into storage or simply sell up and buy new when the time comes.
If you are just looking to move your furniture out during a brief redecoration period, moving it out to the garage might make sense. If, however, you are going through a transitional period or wish to store your furniture when moving, renting a storage locker is generally the best approach.
These options suit different purposes because elemental control is paramount when putting storage away for any period. If the timeframe is brief, you are unlikely to see any damage from damp, so a cellar or garage will not compromise your belongings. On the other hand, climate control becomes much more important to keep your belongings safe for longer periods.
Clean Before Storing
One of the best ways to protect your belongings in storage is to ensure that they are spotless before you leave them. Ensuring that everything is clean will reduce the chances of mold build-ups during storage and minimize unpleasant odors. Additionally, this will also reduce the amount of dust present in the storage space.
Depending on what your furniture is made from, you should take different approaches to clean. For wooden and plastic items, you can use a mild soap mixed with water. If you have more precious wooden items, it is an excellent idea to find a soap made specifically for cleaning wood. This will protect the finish on the object.
You also mustn’t overlook fabric elements. Use a fabric or upholstery cleaner to give these items a deep clean before storing them and ensure they are bone dry before you put them away.
For metal objects, polish is the way to go. Polishing cloth and metal cleaner will help remove any oxidation on the surface and prevent the metal from tarnishing during its time in storage.
Wrap Things If You Are Storing Long-Term
If you are planning on storing your furniture for an extended period, you should make sure to wrap cover everything in the locker. This means all of the items in the lockup as well as the floor!
Before you put anything in the storage locker, it is a good idea to lay a thick plastic sheet across the floor to prevent any moisture from seeping into the furniture while you’re not using it. This is an especially important thing to consider if the storage space you use isn’t climate controlled.
The furniture itself should also be covered. You can use old sheets, blankets, dust sheets, or cling film to protect the objects from the elements.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are many reasons why you might be looking to store your furniture. Generally, if it is just being put away for a short time, you shouldn’t fret too much about controlling the climate, but if you do not use it for months, you should take precautions to protect it in storage.
