Common Questions About Preparing Items For Self Storage
Placing your items into self-storage can be the only option you have for freeing space in your home. However, it is important for you to note that there are some special steps that you should take to reduce the odds of your possessions suffering from some routine sources of damage and degradation while being stored. In particular, you should always follow these two tips to keep your prized possessions safe while they are away from your home.
Pack Your Books With Care
It is an easy temptation to simply place books in a large box before loading them into the storage unit. However, if your books are not properly packed, they can suffer extensive damage and wear. More precisely, the spine of the book and the covers are more likely to suffer damage when stored improperly.
To avoid this type of damage from happening, you should always place your books in the box so that they are laying flat. This will reduce the pressure on the spine. Also, you should only use small boxes for this task to avoid overloading them. When too many books are in the box, the ones on the bottom may be warped. Lastly, you should consider placing silica packets in the box with the books to prevent moisture from damaging them.
Know The Risks Of Using Newspaper When Packing
Newspaper is commonly used to pack and cushion items that have been placed in boxes for moving or storage. However, you should note that this can expose your items to the risk of developing stains. These stains come from the ink on the newspaper, and this can be particularly problematic when you are in an area that experiences high humidity and frequent rainstorms.
This type of damage can be avoided by only using packing paper that is completely white. You can usually purchase this type of paper from your local print shop, and while this may be slightly more expensive than printed newspaper, the damage it can avoid may make this a minor expense to pay.
Many individuals make the error of not following some simple tips when preparing their items for storage. This can expose their possessions to numerous sources of substantial damages, and this can be an unpleasant surprise when you retrieve your possessions from the storage unit. While making sure that your books are properly packed and buying blank newspaper for packing paper can be somewhat inconvenient, this is far superior to being forced to replace these possessions.
For a local storage unit, contact a company such as Santa Barbara Mini Storage.