Hints
Through feedback from several removalists and from our personal experience, here are a few tips that will help you in packing and storing your goods.
Be it packing or storing it is always best to have a plan of action. Remember you have to unpack one day.
Packing Storing
You need to plan for such things as weight of cartons. Keep items from one room separate from those of other rooms. Mark clearly on all boxes what they contain and what room they belong to. Make sure that your cartons are strong enough for the items you are packing and fill cartons to the top. Remember when transporting your goods to stack them in the order in which you want access to them. First on the truck is the last item you put in your storage space.
You may need to think of such things as if you need access to items you have in storage. Leave enough room to access items at the rear of your storage space. Stack heavier cartons containing such items as books and other unbreakable goods on the bottom, leaving your fine china for the top.
White goods
Washing machines should be thoroughly drained, as the water will give off a pungent odour if left for a short time. Other white goods such as fridges and freezers should be cleaned and dried. When storing these white goods you will want to leave the doors and lids ajar to prevent bad odours. If packing goods into fridges, freezers or washing machines to conserve space, make sure they are relatively light items such as pillows, cushions. Pack them in airtight plastic bags such as garbage bags. It is always good to place deodorisers in white goods to prevent odours. Be careful not to overload shelving and don't use items that may cause scratches.
Breakables
Pack items such as plates, bowls, cups, glasses, and casseroles etc. individually using good clean packing paper. Place flat items such as plates, saucers etc. on their edge and nest, cups, bowls and such items into each other, separated by good clean packing paper. Boxes can be lined bottom and top with tea towels and layers separated by tea towels as well. Other soft items such as unused dish clothes and sponges are also handy. You can never be too protective with glassware. Mark GLASS clearly on carton. Always pack out cartons with scrunched up paper, tea towels or the like to prevent items moving around during transit.
Electrical goods
Computers, stereos, televisions etc. should be packed in dust proof and padded containers. This can be done by individually wrapping each item in bubble-wrap, placing them in containers (their own if you have them) and sealing with strong packing tape. Remember to pack out any gaps that will allow your item to move in the container. CD's should be placed into their individual cases, remembering that these cases are very fragile. Records are generally packed on their edges with plenty of packing on the top and bottom of the box. Pack records tight to prevent warping.
Furniture
Dining room chairs and tables should be packed in heavy-duty plastic covers to prevent bruising and scratching. Lounge chairs and armchairs should be vacuumed and free from food residue to prevent vermin. Pack them in heavy-duty purpose made plastic covers with some form of mothball or similar product to protect them. Wardrobes, chest of drawers, dressing tables, tallboys etc. should be emptied and covered with purpose made covers to prevent doors opening and scratches. Mattresses and bases should be covered and sealed with mothballs or similar. Seal them in purpose made covers to prevent mould and insect damage. Any items that have removable legs should have them removed to prevent damage and conserve space. Stacking these items on their edge will also conserve space.
Wall hangings
Such items as paintings, framed photos, mirrors etc. can be protected by flat pack cartons and or bubble-wrap and stacked and stored on their side to prevent damage and conserve storage space. Never lay these items flat or they will get damaged. It is a good idea to mark these items fragile showing which side is glass.
Toys
Remember your local childcare or charity are always looking for good used toys, so now is a good time to thin out unwanted goods. These are your children's treasures; so let's look after them. Make sure to remove all batteries and pack them separately. Pack toys with care. Soft items can be used to separate the hard or plastic ones. Fill the cartons and pack out the holes with the soft toys.
The garage
You will have a mixture of many shapes, sizes and degrees of fragility. The mower, whipper snipper and other engine operated devises must have empty fuel tanks. You cannot store flammable goods in Self Storage. Clean all oil and grease from goods to prevent stains to your other goods and the Self Storage Unit. Ensure that there are no oil leaks. Pack sharp edged tools as to prevent damage to their cutting edges and other items in storage. Pack tools in their own boxes if you can. If this is not possible use good heavy-duty boxes. Do not pack boxes too heavy, as you have to carry and stack them. Metal objects and tools should be wiped over with an oily rag to prevent rust (but don't over do it).
Packing your storage space
If you need access to any goods in your unit, stack these items into your unit last. It may be necessary to allow for walkways to access these items. Stack the heavier and larger items at the rear and bottom of your unit. Work forward and up till you have the lighter and fragile items at the front and top. Using professional packing cartons and materials makes your storage space safer and can save you a lot of time and money.
Questions?
Do you have a particular item you wish to know how to pack properly? Please give us a call. We have experience in packing most items. We have the packaging materials and the time to help you.
Do you have any suggestions that can be of help when packing or storing, if so please e-mail brightselfstorage@gmail.com
We appreciate all your suggestions