Understanding Storage A Little Better

If you need to store your household items in a storage trailer while you are away on an extended work assignment, then it is vital that you follow these do's and don'ts to keep your items protected from damage while in a storage trailer:

Do store all of your clothing and bed linens inside of sealed plastic tubs. When you purchase the tubs to store your belongings in, choose clear plastic tubs with lids that seal well. Tight seals prevent dust from collecting on your fabric items and clear tubs allow you to see the contents of each tub without having to unstack them and open them up. To keep insect problems at bay, you should place a small piece of cedar wood inside of each storage tub. Cedar wood is a natural insect repellent.

Don't wash your fabric items just prior to packing them away into the storage tubs. While you want to store your clothing and linens while they are fresh and clean, placing items directly into storage tubs from your drier will cause moisture from incompletely dried clothing to grow mildew. Instead, wash and dry your clothing a few days before you will be packing it away. Set it out in the open air and allow it to completely dry before packing it into your storage tubs.

Do buy some cheap painting drop cloths and use them to wrap your box spring and mattress to help protect them from dust, bugs, and moisture. You can find inexpensive drop cloths at your local hardware or home improvement centers in the painting aisle. Wrap them loosely around each separate piece and then tape them together using moving and storage tape.

Don't store your box spring or mattress in an upright orientation. Standing up your mattress or box spring will cause it to sag or bend. This bending will greatly decrease the lifespan of your bed. Instead, lay each piece flat on the top of your dining room table, or store them on the top of a stack of moving boxes or plastic tubs.

Do stack all of your moving boxes or plastic storage tubs on top of pallets. Pallets are inexpensive and will keep your boxes and tubs from coming into contact with moisture from the floor of your storage trailer.

Don't stack any of your storage tubs or boxes directly on the top of your bedroom furniture pieces. If you must stack things on top of your furniture items, first place moving tarps on their surfaces to keep the boxes from scratching and damaging your bedroom furniture.