Find out about the best ways to prepare a self storage unit for being locked for a long period of time.
Self storage is brilliant for domestic and business purposes. It enables you to regularly come and go, utilising the space you pay for whilst your office, warehouse or home remain free of stock or clutter.
Self storage is also great for long-term storage. When you go on a gap year, or you indefinitely move abroad, or downsize for a while, you can keep your things safe and secure in a unit.
If you do want to pay for a unit that will be untouched for a long time, it is important that you prepare it as such. It is important that you ensure that your things are going to be in the same shape you left them in.
Here are our top tips to prepare your self storage unit for a long-term lock:
Choose The Right Self Storage Facility
If you are leaving your things for a long time you need to trust that the self storage in London (or close to you) is trustworthy. Take your time picking a great business, because you won’t be able to check in all the time and move your things if you aren’t happy.
Prepare Your Items For Packing
Items should be prepared well for packing. That might mean removing fuel or batteries. It could mean cleaning and drying the item. The right preparation means the item is more likely to be in a great condition when you return.
Pack Well
It is so important that you pack your things well when you prepare them for long-term storage. An issue that isn’t obvious when you leave your things can be a horrifying issue when you return. Moisture for example, can quickly turn to mould and rot soft furnishings, or rust and eat metal. Or heavy boxes stacked, can seem OK when you leave them.
Over time if the box at the bottom isn’t strong enough, it can slowly be crushed and not only do the items inside get crushed, but the whole stack can fall over – disaster.
Clean Your Unit
Your unit should be cleaned as well as possible to ensure that there are minimal ways for your things to get dirty whilst they are stored. The main issue is going to be dust, which can be a problem. To deal with this issue, sweep and hoover your unit before you fill it. You can then hoover and sweep again once you have filled it just to be sure it’s all gone.
Check Climate Control
The best facilities have climate control. This enables you to put the unit temperature at a setting to suit your needs. At the very least it enables you to keep it at neutral, free from extreme cold and heat. Temperature settings can also be handy for things like wine keeping, which benefits from a cooler temperature, like a cellar.
Leaving your belongings in long-term storage is a great idea when you need somewhere neutral and safe to keep things. By preparing well, as per the tips above, you’ll ensure the belongings you leave are the same ones you come back to.