Any tips for packing for storage please?

[Gettingonabitnow]

Hi

With a heavy heart we are going putting our stuff in storage and going to relatives so as not to lose our buyer.

Any tips for packing glassware, nice curtains I don’t want damaging, genera dos/donts etc? God knows how long stuff will be in there.

Thanks

We are in the very same boat as you and waiting on dates so we can book our storage so also had this question.

We are packing our stuff also to try and save on costs.

The tips I have gotten so far are buy a ziploc like protector for your mattress and also get covers for your sofa and chairs.

I would be interested to hear any more tips from others.

Ah covers for sofas, didn’t think of that!

We did storage for our last move and unfortunately we are having to do it again. It's doable and if you use a decent storage place then you don't need to worry about damp etc.

This time I am learning from all the mistakes I made last time.

I didn't bother flat packing everything that was originally flat packed, this time I will as we far exceeded the recommended space for a 4 bed house. This time I have booked one unit for a 4 bed and another for a 2 bed which I can put stuff into if need be.

Even though I labelled cardboard boxes it was hard to know what was what. This time we have invested in a whole load of clear plastic boxes from ikea. More expensive but I'm hoping they will make life a whole load easier. Last time we had packers too which I reckon would be fine if you are literally just moving one room to another room but if you are going via storage it helps to know what's in what box. And to declutter beforehand! Packing yourself allows you to ask yourself if you really need something. There were so many things we unpacked and just could not believe we had wasted money on storing it. My sister in law said the same when she had packers pack when she was moving back from overseas- having paid for a container she couldn't believe she had half filled it with junk!

Measure all of your furniture! Our stuff has been in storage for 6 months and I made a few notes when we were looking at other houses, but I really wish I'd done it properly as I've no idea what will fit where.

Also, think about what to being with you. We have no summer clothes as we didn't expect to be here for this long. Also wish I'd brought a spare wash basket, a few kitchen bits (my cake cutters, frying pan and my le creuset). Really think about what to bring.

I am sure I'll have more tips in 2 weeks when we move into our new house and see what a mess I made of packing...

I agree with plastic boxes. Then you can see at a glance what's inside, and of course pack similiar things together (like pots and pans and kitchen ware). If you use boxes write on top and sides what's inside.
And yes consider the cost of storage against the value of what you are storing!

Pack seasonal things together, so winter clothing, sports kit. So if you are using it longer than you imagined, you can just go and grab a box or tub. We put big furniture in the back, but kept shelving and bookcases to go kn a wall in front of that and then put boxes on the shelves to it was more easily accessible.

Definitely look at climate controlled places if you are storing soft furnishings, also ask them about rodent control measures.
I got some big tubs of stuff that absorb humidity in the air to keep the dampness levels at a minimum and I put a tarpaulin on the floor too

Don't put heavy things like books in large boxes unless you have help to lift them!
When we moved, we moved in a lot of stages over about 6 months, so had to box up a lot of stuff, unbox, then reuse the boxes for the next load. We bought some very robust, stackable plastic crates 2nd hand to shift books ( we have a large number) in several separate loads. The boxes are very strong and robust, strong enough for books, protective enough for my good china (which I packed carefully in proper foam wrapping and bubble plastic). The boxes proved to be incredibly useful and we are still using them for storage when we decorate a room, etc.. They stack two deep easily on a sack truck if the truck has a wide enough board fixed on the base. They were this sort, though we bought used ones for less: www.kitepackaging.co.uk/scp/plastic-boxes-and-pallets/attached-lid-containers/?sfpartno=COP600X400X310-R&gclid=CjwKCAjwzruGBhBAEiwAUqMR8JchnzdldVraXpEKiqF9X3d8V-n9cWVNLaZNsnPu8VBOxvozqi5EyxoCIt8QAvD_BwE

I painted a patch in the lid, and on one long side and one short, with blackboard paint. Then I could label them with chalk, wiping and re-labelling when I reused them.

When we did the final big move with removers, they lent us cardboard boxes which were fine for things like clothes. I think they also sold them. They advised what size of their cardboard boxes was as large as should be filled with books.

[if you have valuable china/glassware, a) pack it well with no voids, and in very strong plastic boxes, and b) could you leave those boxes with a friend or relative who is the careful sort, or who has a spare room they could go in?

With china, I always put at least a sheet of tissue between plates/bowls, so they don't scratch, but preferably thin sheet foam. I use the sheet foam for cups and glasses and similar. If there is a shop close to you which sells china, they might sell you some. I think some places call it sheet foam, or roll foam. I fill voids in boxes with bubble plastic or foam chips to stop stuff moving about.

Declutter HARD before anything goes into storage.
Put all the “definitely won’t need this before we move in” stuff at the back and pack it in tightly. Put beds at the back, so that they’re last in the lorry and first off it at your new place.
Pack books in small boxes.
Bubble wrap your breakables and use tea towels to fill gaps in boxes.
If you can afford it, rent a smaller unit for things you’ll need the moment you move in, like cleaning stuff, kettle, toaster, towels, bedding. And you can also put the “might need to get at stuff” in it too. Don’t do what we did and then spend half a day climbing over things to get to a filing cabinet with a vital piece of paper in it…

I did this a year ago from a three bedroomed house. Had no idea when I'd find a new house and was going to be sofa surfing with family.
I got the best removal company I could afford, they came and assessed all I had and worked out what sized storage unit I'd need. They also gave me some wise tips about what not to bother putting into storage. So I didn't put clothes into storage. There were some things too good to chuck out and I didn't know if they'd fit into a new house so they suggested they put these into storage last, that way I could get to them easily ( it was self storage and I could access most times) That was really useful because when I found a house and knew I wouldn't need certain items I was able to sell these easily. I let the removal company know I'd be using them for the next move and I'd like to think they took extra special care of everything knowing they'd be doing the exact move again a few months later.
Oh and I just packed as I have for every house move, nothing different as removal company took some things apart then out them up again a few months later

Teabags in the fridge. Soak up any residual moisture. I presume they will help in the washing machine too. Make sure they are fully dry first
Keep an inventory so you know what's in which box.

Watch out for wheat bags or anything similar- I had a pair of those slippers you can heat in the microwave. They were in a bag with some winter clothing. They attracted rats and got eaten, as did most of that bag of clothes

I can only reiterate about chucking stuff you don't need. We ended up with things in storage for about 18 months once and the final two packing cases were just full of 'wtf?' items we had carefully transported from place to place at great expense.