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How to Protect Items in Storage Units – From Choosing a Facility to the Best Packing Tips

Posted in How-to,Moving Tips & Tricks,Planning the Move on June 30, 2021

If you don’t want your storage facility to look like the Lestrange Vault at Gringotts crammed from floor to ceiling, accessible solely with the help of a cunning goblin and impossible to be navigated without the use of advanced magic, our guide on how to protect items in storage units is for you. This process might appear dreary and tiring, but with our practical suggestions and tips, you’re guaranteed to finish it off with flying colors and in high spirits.

Storage seemed like a perfect solution to keep your items during a period of long-distance moving, yet here you are unable to move with no idea on Earth where the clothes you need for that interview tomorrow are. You try to make out what’s written on the boxes, but some aren’t labeled, and the others entail signs you can’t decipher. A thumping sound of something rushing to the ground interrupts your wallowing in despair, and you’d gladly guess what it is if only escape weren’t the only thing on your mind now. You repent the fact you skimmed all those beautifully-written guides on how to pack and choose storage and wish to start anew. Here is your time-turner; use it wisely.

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Plan How to Protect Items in Storage Units Ahead

This sounds like automatism, but as a famous witch once said, we’ve got to plan to figure things out and common moving mistakes and all hell breaking loose usually happen due to inadequate plans. Even if you’re pulling off a last-minute move and your only plan is to panic, try to insert some strategy, as it can go a long way here.

In this case, knowing what facilities you want to book could be a logical first step of your organization. While you research, you should also declutter and decide what parts of your household inventory list will be sent to storing units and how you plan to pack them up. This step will remind you to think about the best packing materials to help you with your belongings, and the only thing left after that is to master the tips on loading your unit properly. These tasks are not for the faint-hearted, but getting organized will help you stay efficient even if the sword of Gryffindor doesn’t present itself to you when the going gets tough.

person writing on a paper
Plan is always the key

Choose a Storage Unit That Has All You Need and Meets Your Expectations

If you’ve binged all those storage reality TV shows, you sure know why you shouldn’t take chances and become adventurous when it comes to spaces you choose for your belongings. The world is your oyster if you’re spunky and unattached to material possessions, yet if you fall into the other category, going for supreme storage facilities offered by reputable cross-country movers is the only road to success. These are some factors you should consider in this regard if you want to have a  stress-free move.

The Ideal Storage Unit Lets You Maximize the Space

Once you’ve been through items that can’t be stored (there are no clear guidelines on Horcruxes if you know what we mean), you’re ready to go to the next step in learning how to organize your move, and that is choosing the ideal facility. You don’t need magic to know that the number and weight of your belongings will influence the size, but what you should also pay attention to is height. If learning how to move efficiently is your goal, going for units with high ceilings is an excellent solution, as these will help

Before You Prepare Your Items, Check Heat-Control and Surveillance Systems

If your list of reasons to move and arrange storing facilities does not include losing some of your possessions, ensure you opt for units that have heat-control and tested surveillance systems. You won’t wake the High Priest Imhotep from his centuries-long slumber in any case (hopefully,) but you can risk theft or damage. For this reason, inquiring about insurance on time is the expecto patronum you can’t go without.

Containers at a depot
Check everything about the units you're after

Pay Attention to How You’ll Pack Different Items

Impromptu ideas and creativity are amazing, but the safety of your items should always come first. If you can’t perform the legilimency incantation and penetrate the mind of a professional packer while wrapping your possessions and you plan on leaving them at storing facilities, make sure you study top packing tips and tricks for different categories. Here’s a summary of the most significant things you should know.

Don’t Forget to Disassemble All Furniture Pieces

The question of how to pack furniture is crucial if you want your pieces to remain the same as you remember them. Once you wash all the surfaces, vacuum, and apply protective spray (wax for wood or oil for metal,) you can start disassembling all pieces. It’s not as complex as Wizard’s Chess, but it does require you to focus.

You should first look whether a specific item can be emptied and, after that, take off all the components that can go separately. Your knowledge of how to use bubble wrap will come in handy for all the odd parts here and there, and moving blankets are your vial of Felix Felicis when it comes to protecting furniture long-term. Don’t forget to put all parts for one item together either if you want to keep it clear.

Appliances Need to Be Packed Properly to Avoid Any Damage

When you’re done with getting a grasp on how to pack kitchen items, you should hop on dealing with appliances. Depending on which one you’re tackling, you should seek them where their voices sound and learn the rules for the items at hand. However, if after mastering how to pack dishes, you move onto the fridge or freezer, make sure you clean them thoroughly, defrost, cut any water supply, and pack the hoses inside the appliance. An expert tip is to leave the door slightly open during the period of storing because that can enhance ventilation.

Your Fragile Items Require a Lot of Devotion Too

Figurines, framed mirrors, precious vases, the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, and all other possessions that make you wonder how to protect fragile items in moving call for some serious studies of packaging fragile objects. You need to have the best-sized boxes for each piece in case you’re not going for custom crating as part of excellent long-distance moving services, and you should arm yourself with loads of supplies.

If the dilemma of how to protect framed items when moving gives you a headache, don’t worry. Remember to put an X with masking tape on glass and other easily breakable surfaces, and always add a protective layer of cardboard. And if you’re taking photographs in frames with you, make sure there’s enough padding in boxes and no room for shifting. You don’t want shreds or mosaic materials, so shunning tips for packing quickly would be smart here if you don’t know the mending charm.

Couple lifting a couch
Disassembling makes a world of difference

How to Approach Packing Your Unit – This Is the Question

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the crux of your quest. After the dragons, the Merpeople, mastering how to pack clothes and also how to relocate furniture, you’re ready to organize your unit. It might seem that people change when swamped with frustration over this issue, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Your arch-opponent can be tamed effortlessly with these superb tips.

Start With Large Items

If you’re moving to a smaller home, there’ll probably be certain large items you can’t bring with you. Your unit should be stacked in such a way that these are in the back and that they present a base for the lighter items. Resist the temptation to cram them near the door, as that can lead to countless unwanted scenarios.

Go Vertical

There’s no need to rent more than one unit and spend more than you have to from your relocation budget when the tactic is all that matters. Stacking items horizontally is a rookie mistake, and you should remember to put furniture upright and boxes high. If you’ve got shelves, make full use of those too, or insert some on your own to add that extra space.

Know What to Do With Your Containers and Boxes

Boxes are the prime example of relocation essentials, and regardless of which kind you opt for, you need to know how to stash them the right way. If you don’t want the pack charm to haunt your dreams, these are some suggestions to heed:

  • Lighter ones go on top of heavier containers,
  • Boxes need to be below your shoulder height because you don’t want them to crush to the ground,
  • Labeling is indispensable, and it will help you mentally control your unit and save time when you want to reach for something.

A Pro Tip Is to Create an Aisle to Give You Room to Walk

Making an aisle that runs the length of the unit is paramount for those cases when you desperately need that object lost in space and time in the layers of items in the back. If you have a passage, you can reach all parts with more ease and check where to find what you’re after. Unloading and reloading your facility won’t help you come to terms with how to deal with moving stress, and it can only make you feel irritated that you don’t have a broomstick.

Pack What You Use Often Closer to the Door

The chances are high that there are certain items that you’ll simply need more often than others. If you’re moving with kids, you’re probably well aware of what they could ask you about, so give yourself the initial advantage. Why dig through piles of boxes and belongings, hoping to stumble upon what you need when you can create a packing shortcut.

Storing units
Try to keep what you frequently need close to the door

If You Start Feeling Self-Pity, Professional Long-Distance Moving Services With Covered Insurance Can Help You Turn That Frown Upside Down

After all, you’ve come a long way in honing your skills, and your efforts won’t go to waste. Still, if you’re pressed for time or insecure over certain aspects of the entire project, hiring professionals who can provide you with top-notch packing services can be your salvation. With helpers who are equipped and trained to send your household to storing facilities, nothing can go south. And you can enjoy the fact that car-shipping services are another string they have to their bow in case you need assistance with your four-wheeler.

Blake Shaw

Bostonian and residential moving and packing expert. Blake Shaw enjoys bar-hopping, music, and writing insightful content.

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