All our stuff will be going in to storage - any tips?

[tory79]

We are selling our house and move in 3 weeks. There is a delay on our new house so we won't be moving in there for at least a couple of months, so all our things will be going in to storage.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to pack up for this?

Will you be going into rented furnished or unfurnished in the meantime?

Living back with my mummy

I have done this a couple of times and also my parents have done it fairly recently.

Be ruthless when you pack up - have a really good de-clutter. When we first did it we were amazed at the stuff we unpacked, that we hadn't missed at all and we really didn't need (ie: four dinner services ).

Clearly label the boxes - sounds obvious but if you leave it to the last minute it can get over looked. If you can be really organised use different coloured paper to stick on the boxes with the name of the room on it and put two labels on - one on the top and one on the side. If you only have labels on the side you can't see what's in each box without lifting them off each other . And make sure the boxes are stacked with the labels showing .

But really, the most important thing is to de-clutter like mad.

Good luck.

Well just pack what you need while with mum and don't forget your techie things and things you cook with that she might not have. Then use your food up and if you have time go through the house having a really good throw out. Then pay the removal guys to pack it all up, an expense I know but I have done it myself with DH and never again, since then we include that cost as part of the expense of moving and it is so much easier.
Also think about the garden, pots etc. will you leave them behind? They can't really go into storage so will have to go to mums.

ragwort genius idea about labels on one side and the top, that will be so helpful.

The very best packing system requires anality on an epic scale.

And a spreadsheet.

Label the box clearly with a number and then write the exact contents of that box into your spreadsheet, ie mugs (best) x8, dinner plates x6, white napkins x6.

If you then pack the storage container in number order you will be able to get to each box and be able to move it to its new home with no problem.

I have never done this as I am slapdash at best, but one of my friends organised her loft like this and I thought it was genius

Our belongings were in storage for 5 months during a house move recently so BTDT.

It never occurred to me to remove the ink cartridges from the printer and it leaked, though it worked afterwards, so I'd remove them next time. The freezer went mouldy around the door - I think it should have been left ajar - maybe ask the removers about storing your fridge-freezer, washing machine, etc. As well as spending time in storage, the stuff might be moved more than usual as it's going from yours to storage then out then to the new house, although some companies just pack it in large containers and put the containers in their storage warehouse.

It was a bit like packing for a holiday but taking more documents. I left out some clothing and documents and everything else was packed like a normal house move.

The storage company will probably say you can't have any food in storage. I wrapped up the herb and spice jars but gave away everything else.

I wished I'd numbered boxes on more than one side. When you have a roomful of boxes, you might need to move other heavy boxes to find the number on a box. I also think colour coding by room might be good, so a bright orange sticker means kitchen or whatever. It's also even harder to remember what's in a box when there's a longer gap between packing and unpacking so worth keeping a list and labelling well.

Good luck.

get the freezer and fridge clean and bone dry. Remove glass shelves, wrap, mark as fragile.Find a few small pieces of foam and tape the doors almost closed with the foam wedged in to hold a gap. This allows air circulation, otherwise these items will go mouldy.

number boxes on size and top.

absolutely NO food in the unit!

my stuff was in a warehouse unit for 5 months and came out fine. That would not be the case in a container unless the container is in a warehouse. And yes, plants and plant pots, garden tools etc were all scattered round various relatives.

things you don't appreciate - having all your possessions in the same house!

If you put travel bars into your washing machine for transit and storage, make sure you take them off when you finally move in... (bitter experience).

You won't be able to put paint etc into storage, so decide if you want to keep or chuck.

Thanks everyone.

What about storage of linen/duvets etc? Is it a good idea to get vacuum pack stuff or can I just chuck it in binbags....

Also did everyone else find themselves with a lot of stuff you couldn't really pack and it just went in loose? Eg baby bath, old pushchair etc etc

I put soft items like towels, sheets and clothing in large laundry bags (the type that cost around £2 from cheap shops) and put a luggage label on each one. As most stuff is in boxes, it made those things easy to find. If you use bin bags, I would use two layers in case they tear. I'm not sure about vacuum packing - what would happen if it later expanded whilst squashed into a very small space? You also might want to use some of the linens as light items in boxes of heavy items to avoid making the boxes too heavy. A lot of our less frequently used clothing and sheets got used that way. I think I wrapped each duvet in 2 layers of black plastic bags but ours are single - probably wouldn't work for bigger ones.

I had a few things I didn't know how to pack and they just took them as they were - microwave oven (take out the glass plate and pack separately),TV, vac cleaner, fans, a step exerciser, bins (I popped them all into the biggest bins), laundry baskets. You could also put sheets/towels/clothing in black bags inside a laundry basket. I put all my gardening tools in one tall plastic bin. They'll take things like a pushchair as it is. My stuff did get squashed and flattened a bit - I'm not sure if that was anything to do with being in storage - so I'd box up whatever you can.

Try to see where your stuff will be stored. Lots of our items were missing, but as DH and friend were sent along alone to help themselves from a hangar-type building, it was not surprising. We did settle for compensation, but wedding-presents etc were irreplacable.