How to prepare your furniture for removal or storage

Looking to move house in 2019? Items such as beds, sofas and tables are a great expense, so you should take care of them as best as you can. However, ensuring that your furniture remains in good shape is quite difficult during a move, as you need to protect everything during transit. If you’re storing your furniture, you also have to minimise the risk of exposing it to mildew, pests and other long-term environmental hazards.

To get through a move with your furniture intact, follow these helpful tips below.

Preparing for the move

Photo Credit: cheapmovingtips.com

To effectively look after your furniture, take time to do the following before the moving company arrives:

• Pack small components together so nothing gets lost

For example, when you are disassembling your larger items to fit them in the truck or van, keep a zip-lock bag on hand to store screws, nails, tabs and anything else needed to re-assemble that item in your new home.

• Wrap items to help protect them while they’re in the truck or van

To ensure maximum protection, you have several options. Take your cushions, pillows, and blankets, put them into strong plastic bags, and tape the bags shut. As for wooden objects and pieces of furniture, wrap them with bubble wrap or felt material so they don’t get dented along the way.

Don’t worry about cleaning your belongings before packing them in the truck. It is a much smarter idea to wash, scrub and polish once you’ve reached your new place. This way, your chosen agency can relocate your belongings without having to worry about dirtying them along the way. Avoid further stress and just do the cleaning once everything is finally relocated.

Time for storage

If you’re planning on leaving your furniture in a storage facility for a while, you have to put even more effort into the preparations. These environments aren’t as open as your home, so your things will suffer from a lack of airflow, dust build-up and a host of other hazards. To ensure that you come back to undamaged belongings after a period of storage, here are a few helpful techniques:

• Disassemble your furniture prior to storage. Keep everything together and place the smaller items in a plastic bag if possible. Also, retain the instruction manual so you can put everything back together in the future.
• Wrap furniture legs with bubble wrap so they’re protected throughout storage.
• Place lengthy items vertically within the storage area and stack chairs on top of each other to save space (just as you would in a moving truck).
• Apply leather conditioner to the appropriate furniture to ensure it stays in good condition despite the surroundings.
• If storing paintings, never roll them up. Instead, use a box that allows it to stand upright without pressing up against the artwork.
• Books can be quite difficult to store. Make sure that they are clean and dry prior to packing. If any texts have mould, take them to a conservator for removal. Keep leather-bound books away from each other and keep all novels away from the walls of the box to avoid moisture.

By following all of the above tips, you can store your items for a very long time and still come back to them in mint condition.

RedX Transport is a company based in Australia that provides a range of commercial and residential removal services. They also offer secure storage solutions for furniture and other items.