Furniture Storage Made Easy: Top Tips for Furniture Self-Storage

When it comes to the items that clutter our homes and quickly fill up our living spaces, furniture tops the list. It’s the biggest thing you’re likely to have in the house, and adding a new couch or dining table usually means finding a new home for the old one. What if you’re not ready to part with it? That’s where self storage in Oklahoma comes in handy. It offers a space to keep your valued pieces safe so they’re there when you need them.

However, some folks are hesitant when it comes to storing furniture in self storage units, especially antique furniture, heirloom pieces, wood furniture, and anything with upholstery. Is it safe to keep furniture in self storage? The answer is yes, but only if you know how to do it right.

Certain types of furniture can be sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This includes all the types we mentioned above, especially wood and upholstered furniture. Furniture like this needs to be stored in a climate-controlled environment, and all furniture that’s going into self storage should be properly prepared, covered, and stacked so it’s not damaged over time.

Ultimately, storing furniture is the same as storing anything else. You’ll need to take the right approach to keep your items in great condition over time. Fortunately, Storage ‘R’ Us self storage in Lawton offers everything that you’ll need to keep your furniture in great shape year after year. We’ll walk you through some essential steps for preparing your furniture for storage and explain how to strategically place your furniture in your unit so that it stays protected and organized until you need it again.

Clean your furniture first! The first step of placing just about anything into self storage is to make sure it’s clean. This not only helps to maintain the condition of the item over time—dirt and grime can do damage as it sits—it also ensures that the piece is ready for you whenever you come to claim it. Furniture, in particular, should be cleaned and treated with the appropriate measures for whatever the furniture is made of, from wood polish to upholstery cleaner to leather conditioner. It’s also important to let everything dry before you cover your furniture and put it into storage. You don’t want to trap moisture, which can lead to mildew and other problems.

Transport your furniture safely! Once your furniture is cleaned and ready to go, it’s just as important that you transport it to your storage unit with care. You may be surprised to learn that most damage to furniture that is being stored happens when it’s on its way to or from the storage unit. The simplest and most important way to avoid damage is to transport your furniture carefully and safely, and always use a team lift to move anything heavy.

Wrap your furniture for long-term storage. Furniture is pretty sturdy stuff. After all, it survives us sitting on it, climbing on it, you name it. When it comes to long-term furniture storage, however, wrapping it is crucial to keeping it protected. This protects it not from the day-to-day use for which furniture was designed, but against slow threats such as dust, moisture, and scratches. Fortunately, a variety of excellent resources are available to help protect your furniture, from larger furniture pads and drop cloths to something as simple as bubble wrap, which is perfect for providing cushioning for delicate parts of your furniture, including glass and decorative woodwork. Be careful when using anything plastic on your furniture, however, as it can trap moisture. You’ll want to cover the relevant area completely but not too tightly. Your furniture still needs a little air circulation to prevent mold and mildew.

Place your stored furniture with care. Just as when you’re arranging furniture in your home, placing large items like furniture into self storage requires a little careful planning. Anything that you place into self storage should be kept up off the floor. It’s also good to avoid overcrowding your storage unit, which can help to promote that air circulation we mentioned. Plus, it makes it easier for you to access the items that you need when you need them. Like any other space, a storage unit utilizes both vertical and horizontal square footage, but you should be particularly cautious when stacking, especially when it comes to furniture.

Don’t stack heavy furniture. Let’s examine that a little more closely. It might seem like a good space-saving solution, but stacking furniture (or anything else that’s particularly heavy) on top of other furniture can lead to structural stress over time. This can, in turn, encourage everything from fabric impressions in upholstered furniture to warping or even cracking of wood. Ultimately, it’s best to avoid stacking anything heavy on your stored furniture. If you do have to stack anything, always make sure that it’s level and that the pressure exerted on lower pieces is distributed as evenly as possible.

Maybe the most important thing that you can do to preserve furniture that you’re placing into self storage is to opt for a climate-controlled storage unit. Climate-controlled storage helps to protect furniture from extremes of heat, cold, and humidity, which can be particularly damaging to wood, upholstered, or leather furniture. If you’re unsure whether you need a climate-controlled unit, ask the friendly pros at Storage ‘R’ Us. We’ll be happy to help you find the storage solution that’s perfect for you.

As you can see, there’s a lot more to moving your furniture into Oklahoma self storage than picking it up and putting it into a storage unit. In order to preserve the condition of your furniture, you’ll want to take a few simple steps to get the most out of your self storage experience. Once you do, though, you’ll be surprised at the difference it can make.

From the biggest and most fragile pieces of furniture to the smallest everyday items, here at Storage ‘R’ Us, we have a storage solution for every need, and we’re happy to help you find the one you’re looking for. We’ve been serving the community since 1972, so come see us today at one of our handy self storage locations in Lawton, Moore, Duncan, Chickasha, Newcastle, or Norman.