The Packing for Storage Checklist

Prior to commencing your new home build, you may face the need to move out of your home; maybe to move in with family, to rental accommodation, or perhaps you are doing a knockdown rebuild on the site of your current home. Whatever your scenario, it may be necessary to store your precious belongings until your new home is ready. We asked storage experts, Kent Secure Storage, for some advice to help you prepare.

The Packing for Storage Checklist

Packing your belongings for storage is one of the essential, but time-consuming tasks to undertake when building a new home. Failure to pack your belongings properly can add to costs by forcing you to replace broken items that weren’t packed with care. Packing items with care takes time, try not to do everything at the last minute.

Kent Secure Storage has put together this checklist to ensure your precious belongings make it into your new home in perfect condition and on time.

Decluttering and Creating an Inventory

A big declutter makes packing for storage so much easier. Storage is charged by volume, so the more you have the more you need to pay. Keep your costs down by getting rid of anything inessential by selling, donating or disposing of anything you don’t use, need or love. Decluttering can be a difficult process, so read Kent’s tips on How to Declutter Your Home for Storage for extra advice.

After you’ve whittled down your possessions, you need to create an inventory, this will be your most valuable document during storage as it will help you to get accurate quotes from providers and ensure that everything you put into storage comes out again.

Packing with Care and Purpose

Storage spaces can be hard on your belongings. They’re prone to all sorts of environmental factors they aren’t designed to cope with. Your belongings may encounter dust, as well as mould, mildew and humidity caused by temperature fluctuations. If you haven’t packed with purpose and care your belongings will have no chance of coming out the other end unscathed.

Examples of packing with care and purpose include treating your wooden and leather furniture and ensuring that your whitegoods have been cleaned, disinfected and thoroughly dried before they are placed in storage.

Another key aspect of packing for storage is making sure you protect the space. So, you need to remove batteries from electronic appliances and drain fuel and oil from motorised equipment, such as lawn mowers and whipper-snippers.

Maximising Your Storage Space

So, you’ve done all the preparations and now it’s time to make the most out of that space you’ve paid for. Follow these tips to use your storage space well:

• Don’t just pack to head height. Pack all the way up to the roof. You can do this safely by using sheets of plywood to create stable layers between your boxes.
• Moisture creeping into your space can be a disaster if you leave your boxes on the floor. Keep your treasures high and dry by laying wooden pallets across the floor.
• If you’re storing any items containing liquid make sure these are double wrapped in plastic wrap. A slight leak can spread quickly so don’t risk ruining your valuables.
• A labelling system will make moving items in and out of storage so much easier. A colour coded system works well but you can use whatever system works for you – just make sure the system allows you to locate items within your space just by looking at your inventory.

Check out Kent’s Storage Checklist & Tips for even more tips and tricks.