9 Useful & Essential Long Term Storage Tips

Joel - Owner, Adventurer & Thrill-Seeker • May 24, 2022

To help you place your items into storage, here are 9 long-term storage tips from the storage experts at ANVSJ.

1. Assess the Stuff You Want to Store

The first thing to do before you think about putting your items into storage is to think about what you need to store.

Considering your needs for your items is essential to consider as soon as possible, as this will help you identify the features, sizing and location of your storage facility later down the line.

2. Work out How Much Storage Space You Require

As soon as you’ve thought about everything you need to put into storage, you can begin to get an idea of how much room you will need to store your items.

The larger the storage facility you need, the most expensive it will be. That’s why it’s beneficial to try and work out the square footage of the space you require.

3. Think Location, Location, Location

The location of the storage facility you choose to use is an essential part of the selection process.

City centre storage facilities can be expensive due to their central location, and severely out-of-town spaces are cheaper but can be difficult to get to.

One of the best places for storage facilities to be located off motorway junctions, as they’re quick and easy to get to, and offer storage solutions at an affordable price.

4. Storage Features

Storage facilities offer many different types of features in their storage units.

CCTV, pest control and access times are some of the key features to consider when choosing a storage facility.

One of the key features of any storage facility is the size of the unit you’re renting, so ensuring that you’ve got enough space for all your items is a key consideration.

5. Vehicle Accessibility

Some storage facilities do not allow access to some types of vehicles.

Common examples include lorries not being able to fit up to the storage unit for easy unloading, narrow driveways making it difficult for cars to access, as well as removal companies not being welcome to use a facilities services.

Make sure that if you require vehicle access for a removal company, lorry or a wider car, check with the facility before booking your space.

ANVSJ welcomes removal companies and our units are ground level with wide driveways and access available for lorries – meaning you don’t have to worry about vehicle access.

6. Cost & Prices

A key piece of advice for putting items in long term storage is to consider the long-term cost to store your possessions.

If a storage unit is £5 extra a week compared to another storage unit, then the overall cost adds up if you’re storing your items long-term.

Having your items in storage for a year could end up costing you an extra £260, so ensure that your chosen storage facility has all the essential functions you require in order to save money.

7. Use a Climate-Controlled Storage Unit if Necessary

A climate-controlled storage unit is one that maintains an exact air temperature and humidity.

This means if the items you store require a specific temperature or humidity in order to preserve their quality whilst in storage, then you will need to select a storage facility that utilises climate-control technology.

If you don’t require climate-control, then it’s worth looking for a storage unit that doesn’t have it included, as it will just add an additional cost to your overall storage unit.

8. Packing Tips for Long Term Storage

Ensuring that you’ve packed your storage items effectively is a key part to successfully storing items for a long time.

Prepare Materials for Packing

Instead of simply packing your items in random boxes, it’s essential to plan the materials you will need to effectively store each items for a long time.

Depending on your item, you will need tape, boxes, packing peanuts and other items to ensure the quality of your items is preserved for a long time.

Make a List of Everything in Storage

By making a list of every item you’ve placed in storage, this will make it easier to remember each item that was stored when you come back to the facility in the future.

Pack Heavy Items at The Bottom

Heaving heavy items at the bottom of your boxes in storage means that lighter items won’t get crushed or damaged beneath the heavier items.

Especially if you’re storing items for a long time, you need to ensure that your heavier items are packed towards the bottom of your boxes.

Protect Items with Covers

It’s essential to protect valuable and fragile items with covers or relevant packing materials to avoid breakages.

Items such as mirrors and furniture certainly require a little extra protection to ensure they won’t get damaged in storage.

Labelling

Making sure that all boxes are clearly labelled will help you when you’re unpacking your items in the future.

This will save you the time and effort of going through each box to find one thing you’re looking for, and ensuring that everything is correctly labelled will make it a lot easier to identify and locate your possessions in the future.

9. Check in On Your Items Now and Again

It’s a great idea to go and check on your items in storage now and again, just to make sure that everything is okay.

If something wasn’t packed efficiently, then it could have started to slip and be at risk of becoming damaged, and could easily be avoided if it was checked upon several times during a long stay in storage.