How to Store Furniture in a Storage Unit
Storing furniture in a storage unit requires more than just placing it. You need to pick the right unit type and size, clean and disassemble the furniture, and prep the storage unit. Properly preparing your furniture for long-term storage will help ensure that it stays in the same condition. By not properly preparing your furniture for storage, it will be vulnerable to scratches, warping, pests, and other damage. Below are the best tips on how to store furniture in a storage unit.
Choose a Climate-Controlled Unit
If you wouldn’t store your furniture in your garage, you don’t want to store it in a non-climate-controlled storage unit. While standard units are great for other items, furniture pieces, especially wood and leather, need climate control. Climate controlled units stay consistent in humidity and temperature, which helps avoid high fluctuations that cause moisture and allow wood and leather to warp.
Clean All Furniture Pieces
Make sure to thoroughly clean all of your furniture before placing it in your storage unit. Clean a few days ahead of time to make sure everything is completely dry to avoid mold or mildew. For plastic furniture, wipe it down with a mixture of mild soap and warm water. For wooden pieces, use a wood cleaner to protect the finish. Fabric items like cushions and couches should be cleaned with upholstery cleaner. Make sure all food crumbs and stains are cleaned up so that no unwanted pests find their way into your unit.
Disassemble Items
If you can disassemble large items like bookshelves, desks, and tables, this will save tons of room in both your moving truck and your storage unit. Breaking furniture down before storing it also prevents damage to and from other items. Make sure to put all hardware, including screws and bolts in a baggie and secure it to the appropriate furniture pieces.
Handle Glass Furniture Separately
When storing glass furniture in a storage unit, you will want to take extra care to keep it safe. Start by wrapping the item in a layer of packing paper. Then, wrap it again in a thick layer of bubble wrap, securing it with tape. Find a tight-fitting box for your glass furniture piece. Fill all empty space in the box with packing paper or bubble wrap. Never use packing peanuts, as they shift during transit.
Don’t Store Directly on the Floor
Before placing your items in your storage unit, place a tarp or pallets down on the ground. For any ground floor storage units, an extra layer of protection, especially for long-term rentals is essential. Low levels of moisture can slowly seep through the concrete floors and may damage your items. Tarps are great to avoid moisture, but pallets are preferred in case of a worst-case scenario, such as flooding.
Cover Everything
Use old sheets and blankets to cover your pieces and protect them from dust and moisture. Most storage and moving companies will sell furniture covers for most types of furniture. Make sure your furniture can breathe. Don’t wrap or cover anything with tarps, as they can scratch furniture and may allow for condensation.
Give Your Furniture Room
While you should pack your storage unit effectively, you also don’t want to overcrowd your furniture. The easiest way to break something is to shove too much stuff on or around it. Pack your storage unit correctly by placing large furniture in the back and smaller items in the front.
We hope these tips on how to store furniture in a storage unit will help when you are ready to rent! For more packing and storage tips, sign up for our once-monthly blog newsletter.
