You have settled into your new home for months, and you remember a random item you had stored in the garage. As you pull out storage bins, expecting the items to be safe, only to find out that your items from your move were not properly stored. Storage bins are cracked, full of bugs, the wood warped and cracked, items are broken, and full of mold. Only to remember that during your move, you prepared items to be moved and not stored, storing the moving boxes in the garage.
The reason? When homeowners/residents are looking to move, they don’t prepare their belongings for storage, overlooking or rushing the process. Time later, when pulling items from storage, they are found damaged, broken, or even moldy. Here is expert advice on best practices to help prepare items for storage while you are in the process of moving.
1. Sort Before You Store
When thinking about moving, homeowners start packing like crazy and don’t think about storing items. To prevent falling into this trap, ask yourself: Will I be using these items right away? Can I part ways with this? Is this trash, or can I donate this? Can this go into storage? Understanding this will help you truly understand what can be stored, helping save space, money, and time.
Practical Sorting Tips:
- Donate gently used toys, clothing, home decor, and furniture.
- Toss broken or unusable items.
- Group items by categories: seasonal (clothing, decor, and outdoor items), furniture, keepsake/personal items, and business.
Sorting your items before your move helps you better understand what you can part with, what can go into storage, and what can be donated.
2. Prepare for Storage
Once your belongings are sorted into groups, it’s time to prepare and pack for storage—protecting them from bugs, mold, and damage.
Cleaning Your Belongings
Even if your belongings look clean right now, you have to remember that some of these items are going into storage for months and even years. Storing them as is results in mold, unpleasant odor, and pests. Clean your belongings thoroughly and let them dry completely. The number one reason mold grows is through the little moisture left after cleaning. To prevent this, dry thoroughly with a rag, always drying with a dry one, or air-dry items.
Pro Tip: If you know that something will be left in storage, try adding a bit of baking soda to storage bins. Baking soda absorbs odors, prevents mold, and increases the longevity of items, especially for clothes, linen, and shoes.
Choose the Right Packing Materials
One of the most common mistakes when storing belongings is using the incorrect supply; they use a cheap one, or they attempt to do it themselves. We recommend using sturdy boxes for heavy items. Often overlooked are sealed bags for clothes, bubble wrap or towels for fragile items, and plastic bins for long-term storage.
Label Every Box
Let’s be honest, the probability of you remembering where everything is stored is unlikely—an easy fix is to label the outside of everything. Label what it is: Christmas decorations, clothing, and business documents. You can additionally take it a step further and put the contents too: Christmas decorations—ornaments, Santa decorations, Christmas lights, etc.
3. Choosing the Right Storage Option
Depending on the items you are storing and the amount of space in your new home, choose storage options that work best. If you have a limited amount of space or you have a lot of items going into storage, a storage unit can be a great solution.
Storage Units
Storage units offer climate control and security, helping to preserve electronics, wood, delicate fabrics, and large furniture.
In Home
Other options are storing items in your new home in appropriate rooms. For example, with Wisconsin’s humid summers and cold winters, storing wood in the garage causes warps and cracks in the wood. Additionally, take into consideration the importance of the items; with the weather, you may need a sweatshirt or coat even on a Wisconsin summer day.
Pro tips: When storing, remember that heavy items go on the bottom and fragile items on top. Store like items together to ensure that heavy items and fragile items are not mixed in together.
Final Thoughts for Long-Term Storage Success
Properly preparing your items before the move begins helps you better protect yourself and your items before storage. By sorting items and cleaning them thoroughly, you prevent mold and pests from destroying your valued belongings.
With a little planning and care, your storage experience can be simple, organized, and worry-free —and your belongings will be just as you left them when you need them next.
