Storing Furniture: What You Need to Know

preparing furniture to store in a storage unit


July 13th, 2021

That desk you love but have no room for can still be in your life again, if you give it a safe home in your self storage unit. So can your favourite chair, which needs to move out while you renovate your living room.

They can even stay in an unheated unit through the winter, if you prep them properly.

Here’s how you do it:

  • Clean everything thoroughly. Vacuum and clean fabric chairs, couches, and mattresses with a suitable antibacterial cleaner. Give it plenty of time to dry before you store it. Dust wood furniture, then wipe it down with a gentle wood cleaner and a soft cloth. Polish any metal to remove tarnish and protect the finish.
  • Use protectants. If you have leather furniture, use a leather conditioner. Give your wooden pieces a rub with polish or paste wax. Use a fabric protector on fabric upholstery.
  • Disassemble and label parts. Remove table legs and take headboards apart. Make sure you gather all the screws in a plastic bag, label it, and keep it with the furniture pieces.
  • Wrap, wrap, wrap. Cover fabric furniture with padded furniture blankets (or even regular sheets and blankets) to keep dust and moisture out. Wrap wooden furniture pieces in plastic, to keep them from drying out, and use those padded furniture blankets again to keep things from getting chipped or scratched during transit.
  • Store carefully. Avoid putting anything heavy on top of your upholstered furniture, in order to protect the cushions. Keep furniture as far away as possible from the door of your unit to minimize exposure to moisture, heat or cold. 

If you’re thinking about storing your antiques in an unheated storage unit, we’ve got some advice for you. 

Don’t.

Antique furniture is often fragile, and original stains and finishes may not hold up to extreme heat or cold. It’s also susceptible to cracking or deterioration from moisture loss, so if you’ve got special heirlooms you need to store, it’s best to spring for a temperature-controlled environment if you’re storing long-term, and then follow as many of the steps above as you can.

These steps should help keep your newer pieces in good shape, so they’re ready to take their place in your home again whenever you have space for them.

Want to know how much storage space you need? Mini Mall Storage is here to help. Check out our size guide!

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