HOW TO STORE YOUR BELONGINGS IN YOUR UNIT:
Here are some tips on how to pack certain items for your storage unit.
Household Appliances
Before storing your household appliances in your unit, make sure they’re clean and dry. This way, you won’t only avoid a nasty surprise the next time you use them—you’ll also prevent them from smelling bad over the time they’re stored. You can store things inside them if you need the extra space: think of placing small, lightweight items on the refrigerator shelves. Still, any belongings left inside your appliances will eventually need to be aired out. Remember to unplug and clean your fridge at least 24 hours before the day you move, propping its doors open so it won’t smell stuffy. And wait 24 hours after any move before plugging your fridge back in.
Electronic Equipment
The best way to store your electronic equipment is in its original packaging. If you have to use different boxes, make sure the material they’re made of is stiff enough so they won’t warp, especially if you’re stacking them. You can also label cables and wires with tape and small coloured stickers. Take pictures of how your electronic equipment—computer, television, etc.—was plugged in: that way, reconnecting everything weeks or months from now won’t become a headache-inducing chore. Tie cables together and if anything has small detachable pieces, place them in a Ziploc bag labelled with the name of the device (“inkjet printer,” “stereo,” etc.) and tape the bag to it.
Books & CDs
Store your books in boxes made specifically for filing and storing office documents—they’re made of stronger cardboard and will hold more weight. To avoid breaking CDs and DVDs, arrange the cases into stacks and pack them in bubble wrap, towels or washcloths.
Storing Clothing
Clothes you’d normally fold and put away in drawers can be stored in regular boxes. The ideal solution for suits, dresses or other garments you’d hang closets is to leave them on hangers and put them in boxes specially designed for this purpose (wardrobe boxes with a hanger bar inside).
You can also take bunches of 5 or 10 garments on hangers and package them by tying the hangers together with tape or twist ties, then inserting them into a large plastic garbage bag, then perforating it so the hooks stick out: you’ve just made a garment bag that will protect your clothes during transportation! This time saving trick will make handling your clothes so much easier.
One final word of advice: it’s always a good idea to wash or dry-clean clothing before storing it.
Storing Dishes
To safely store dishes, each item needs to be individually wrapped and carefully arranged inside the box; any extra space should be filled with crumpled paper or other lightweight packing material to prevent the box from buckling. You can further reinforce the box by putting an extra layer of cardboard on the bottom. Remember to label these boxes FRAGILE. You can wrap your dishes in newspaper, Kraft paper, paper towels or even dishcloths or napkins.
Storing Furniture
If you can, disassemble your furniture before you take it to your unit in order to maximize the space. Cover furniture with sheets or blankets and stack pieces on top of each other—carefully though, so nothing falls—to take advantage of your unit’s high ceiling. As you’re putting furniture away you can also use drawers to store small objects. Tables can often be dismantled: wrap the legs together and put any screws or bolts in a small, labelled bag attached to the table, so that all the pieces you need will be handy when the time comes to put it back together!