No matter if you are moving or downsizing, you can’t keep all of your stuff. You will need a proper storage unit. Storing regular furniture is an easy task. When it comes to antique furniture you need to do a little bit of thinking. Antique furniture requires special care, so you will need to make a plan. With a good checklist, you can even organize a move on short notice. We will firstly go over what to do before storing your antique furniture. Secondly, we will give long-term storage tips for antique furniture.
1. Planning
Storing antique furniture is a delicate task, so we recommend making a plan. The first part of your plan should be to look at what type of antique furniture you have and making a list of it. Making a list of your antique furniture will make it easier for you to make decisions in the future. You will be able to see what type of wrapping materials you will need, how big and what type of storage unit will be best for your antique furniture, etc.
2. Second of many storage tips for antique furniture is how to decide on the best cushioning
Getting the best wrapping material is an essential part if you are going to be storing antique furniture for a long time. For most things, we recommend bubble wrap. For your antique lamps or any little fragile belongings, bubble pack is a good option. The problem with bubble wrap arrives when we have to use it on wooden antique furniture. Bubble wrap is plastic which means that it collects moisture. Prolonged exposure to humidity can and will ruin wooden furniture. The best things to wrap your wooden furniture are clothes, sheets, blankets, stuff that can allow the wood to breed and prevent condensation.
3. Good packing supplies for your antique furniture
The third of eight long-term storage tips for antique furniture is how to get suitable packing materials. You have the list of your furniture, so follow it to get the proper packing supplies. That means getting the right boxes for your antique furniture. Big boxes for wooden furniture. Medium boxes for your antique pictures and mirrors, and small ones for lamps. You always find cheap packing supplies by doing a little bit of research, but we don’t recommend it in this case. Your antique furniture usually has sentimental value, and you don’t want it to break during transportations because you wanted to save a few bucks. When you have gotten the right boxes, make sure to get a good tape with a tape gun. A good quality tape will stick to the boxes and prevent them from opening when being moved.
4. The fourth of eight long term storage tips for antique furniture is to disassemble it if you can
Disassembling your furniture is a great thing to do if you can because it will save you money. It will save money because your furniture will not take up as much space in the storage unit. You can try and do it yourself, but you should browse some useful tips at mastermovingguide.com first. Also, hiring a reputable company that can meet your needs is always an option. A moving company that specializes in disassembling antique furniture will know how not to damage your stuff. They will pack everything neatly and safely, and if you paid them extra, they will provide you with packing supplies.
5. Cleaning your antique furniture before storing it
Before packing your antique furniture and sending it to the storage unit, show it a little love. We assume that you have been keeping your antiques in good condition until now. Before storing your antiques, give them a good dusting. When you have finished dusting, we recommend polishing them. You can do the polishing yourself, but do your research that you don’t ruin your furniture. The best option is to hire a professional who can make your antique furniture look new.
6. The sixth of eight long term storage tips for antique furniture is what storage unite do you need
The most important part is to decide where to store your antique furniture. There are two types of storage units, indoor and outdoor, and it’s crucial to find the best one. For your antique furniture, you don’t even have to look into outdoor storage units. Outdoor storage units are not safe and don’t provide the service that your antique furniture needs, and that is climate control. Antique furniture needs an indoor unite with clime-control. Clime-control units will protect your furniture from the weather. You can research what temperature and humidity are best for your furniture and get the unit that will provide that for you. Keeping your antique furniture in an optimal climate environment will stop it from degrading over time. Be aware that indoor climate-controlled units are more expensive.
7. A storage unit should be easy to access
You should be able to take out your stuff any time you want, so pick a storage unit that is close to you. Do the research and see how expensive are the storage units near you. Your storage unit doesn’t need to be a walking distance of your home, the storage unit can be a 15 to 30-min drive away. You are not carrying any of your furniture on foot anyway. Some storage units provide 24-hour access, but that will cost you more. But we believe that you won’t need 24-hour access, nobody needs an antique mirror in two in the morning.
8. If you are going to store your furniture for a long time, make sure it has security
The last of the long-term storage tips for antique furniture is security. A secure storage unit should have two things, a security system, and a security guard. The security system will record everything, so it can help find your belongings if they get stolen. The security guard is there to protect from any intruders.