Not all residential moves involve packing and shipping items from one home to another. Sometimes you need to pack items in your home for storage – for a variety of reasons.

Maybe you’re downsizing and you need to put some items in storage because you don’t have room for it all. Or maybe your new home isn’t quite ready yet, your old home has sold, and you need to move out and rent for a while until your new home is ready to move into. You’ll need to pack your belongings for movement to a short-term storage facility. Here are some practical tips to help you do that efficiently.

  1. Secure all your breakables – This includes plates, glasses, china, picture frames, etc. Wrap each individual item with tissue paper, or old newspaper. You can also wrap items with linen such as towels or bed sheets. You want to prevent clanging and friction between these items so they do not break or crack.
  2. Stack heavy items on the bottom – Avoid putting the heavier boxes on top of the lighter ones. In your storage unit, put your furniture on the bottom and stack boxes, heaviest first, on top of those.
  3. Stack large boxes on bottom – Whenever possible, put the heaviest boxes on bottom and the lighter boxes on top, but if you have larger boxes and smaller boxes, then put the smaller ones on top. Try to avoid putting large light boxes on top of small heavy ones. If necessary, draw a stacking plan to make maximum use of your storage space.
  4. Cover the storage unit floor in plastic – Especially for outside storage units, you’ll need to cover the floor with plastic because it will likely be made of concrete. Winter temperatures can cause the concrete floors to get sticky as compensation builds up. Ice can form on the floor, which will destroy your boxes. If you cover the floor with a sheet of plastic, you’ll protect your boxes and furniture from the weather.
  5. Cover your appliances – Before putting boxes and other items on top of appliances, cover them to prevent scratching. Also, clean your appliances before storing them. Your best bet is to store appliances in a temperature-controlled storage facility. Otherwise, they may build up rust or bacteria over time. Appliances are not allowed to be plugged-in.

storage box storing spaces in garage lockers units or container
Storage facilities have restrictions on what is permitted to be stored in their facility. This is for the protection of not only your possessions, but also the other customers storing their belongings and on-site employees. As a general rule, items that are considered inherently dangerous will not be allowed. If you have any questions, be sure to ask ahead of time.

These are some of the items that should not be stored:

  • Combustible, Flammable, Hazardous or Toxic Materials
  • Perishable Food and Animal Products
  • Any Animals or Plants (alive or dead)
  • Expensive Valuables (such as jewelry)
  • Income tax information if it will be needed for tax preparation

OR STORE with RJ MOVING in our ‘climate controlled warehouse’ – let us take care of your storage needs!!