If you are looking at putting your furniture in storage you will want to ensure it stays in a good condition. You have come to the right place for some top furniture storage tips to ensure your furniture is protected while keeping them stored away. 

It’s important that you take the time to store furniture items safely. Doing so will help to protect them for use in future. Whether it’s a priceless heirloom, gifted furniture or furniture you’re moving out of the way while having work done on your home, these tips will help keep it all safe while in storage.

Furniture Storage Options

How do you treat your furniture? Do you keep your furniture for the long term? Or do you prefer to sell it and buy new furniture for your new home? In many cases, choosing to store furniture away makes sense when you’re in the middle of moving house or doing larger renovations on your current home.

When putting furniture in storage, it’s essential you protect it from the elements. If you are serious about keeping your furniture for years to come, then you will want to make sure the storage environment is safe, clean and secure. You want a storage facility that protects your belongings from the weather that keeps them safe and secure. 

While there are a lot of furniture storage options out there, you may find that a purpose-built storage facility is the most sensible and effective furniture storage option.

Clean Your Furniture

To ensure your furniture is protected in storage, you need to clean it thoroughly before it goes into a storage unit. If you place unclean furniture into storage, it can have offensive smells or odours that can permeate your furniture while in storage. Dust, dirt or dampness on your furniture can also cause further damage to your items when it is left for a long period of time.

If you are putting your furniture into storage and it needs cleaning, then we have put together some tips for you. 

For plastic or wooden furniture that you are placing into storage, use a wet baby wipe. This will clean all visible dust off. You can also use it to wipe any dirt or marks off of the furniture too.

When you are cleaning fabric items like sofas and seat cushions before putting them in storage, we would recommend a fabric or upholstery cleaner. Once you have used the cleaner ensure that everything is completely dry before you start packing it. It’s also a good idea to vacuum the internal pouches. This is because they can gather things like sweet wrappers, coins, crumbs and dust over time.

If your furniture has any metal sections, we recommend that these are cleaned too. This can be done with a polishing cloth and some metal cleaner. Cleaning your metal in this way, will help to remove any existing oxidisation. In turn, this will reduce and delay the build-up of tarnish.

Take Furniture Apart

Before moving large items of furniture, check if they can be taken apart. Where possible, take apart everything that you can. This includes things like desks, bookshelves, wardrobes, dressing tables and more. 

Taking your large furniture apart will make it easier to get into the van to get it to the storage unit. It will also make it easier to fit into the storage unit. Moving the furniture will be easier too, and damage less likely. By having smaller items to carry you will reduce the likelihood of breaking or scratching your beloved furniture.

It is important that you remember to keep all screws, nuts, bolts, runners, Allen keys, handles and other small items in a bag. Label the bag clearly with what is in it and the item of furniture it is from. If possible, then attach these bags to the item of furniture it belongs to. This will make it easier when you take the furniture back out of storage.

Wrap Your Furniture

Correctly wrapping your furniture when keeping it in storage on a long-term basis is essential. This will help ensure it is all protected. You can cover your picture frames in bubble wrap for example. We would recommend placing mattresses and sofas in protective covers. If you have fragile items, wrap these well in packing paper and place them in strong boxes so they are properly supported.

It is very important that you do not place your furniture in secure storage without protection. Things like dust sheets and plastic wraps can be used to cover your pieces of furniture and protect them from dust or the elements. It’s important to remember that you aren’t just protecting your furniture when it’s in storage. You need to wrap your furniture to ensure it is protected for the move to and from the storage unit too.

If you have any antique furniture or large wooden furniture that you want to place in storage, we recommend dust sheets instead of plastic wrap to cover and protect it. The benefit of dust sheets is that they will allow the furniture to breathe. This will reduce the risk of any potential damage to your furniture while it is in secure storage.

Protect Glass Furniture

If you are moving and storing glass furniture such as mirrors, pictures or glass tabletops for example then it should go without saying that extra care and precaution will be needed. Using bubble wrap and corner protectors will help in further ensuring your glass furniture does not become damaged while moving or storing it. 

While it may be tempting, never stick packing tape directly to the glass. This is because it can result in a nasty residue that could take a lot of time to clean off when the furniture comes out of storage.

If you have smaller glass picture frames or glass ornaments and vases, these can be wrapped and then placed in strong boxes for extra security. We recommend that you use double-walled cardboard boxes. This is because they will be strong enough to hold and protect your belongings. The boxes will also be strong enough to be stacked.

Never Overpack Furniture

The best way to safely store your furniture in a secure storage unit is to avoid overpacking. You may think you’re great at playing Tetris, but these skills should not come into play when placing your furniture into storage. If you cram too much into a box or storage unit, it is likely to become damaged, cracked or broken. 

Take the time to think about what you need to place into storage if it comes apart and how big it is. This will help you decide how much storage space you need for your furniture. Don’t forget to calculate in the packaging materials to keep the furniture safe and protected too. A good way to pack your furniture is to start with the largest pieces and then the smaller items. By doing it this way, you can store the smaller items under legs or inside cupboards to save space.

Think about access to the furniture in the storage unit too. We recommend leaving a pathway or aisle through the centre of the storage unit. This will allow you to gain access to any items you need without having to fully empty the storage unit before putting it all back again when you have what you need. It’s a good idea to keep the storage space clean, clear and uncluttered too. This will avoid the risk of trip hazards in the storage space.

Placing your furniture into a secure storage unit doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. If you need help with packing materials to protect your furniture or you don’t know how much space you might need, call our team. We are always on hand to offer any advice or guidance you need for safely storing your furniture in our secure self storage units in Peterborough and Darlington.