Whether as a keepsake from your parents, an inheritance from your grandparents, or perhaps you just appreciate the finer things from yesteryear, antique furniture can provide anything from a signature pop in your home decor to a special reminder of loved ones. However, oftentimes these older items can come with extra precautions and steps in care and maintenance—especially when it comes to storage.
If you’re relocating, downsizing, or just holding on to it until you’re ready to put it to use or display, antique furniture can be safely stored inside a storage unit when you follow the right steps and use the best storage features.
How to prepare antique furniture before self storage
The first thing you have to do to prepare your antique furniture is to clean it up, and an easy first step is giving it a good dust. Dust can build up over time, inevitably becoming dirt or grime that will be that much harder to clean later on—if not creating lasting damage. After this, depending on the material and furniture type, you’ll also have to appropriately clean and treat it. For instance, the wooden rocking chair may need another layer of polish to keep it from drying out, and a leather couch may need some conditioner for additional reasons.
Another important part of this step is disassembling and cleaning out if possible. If storing an antique hutch, you may have to check its drawers and shelves for any items left inside. Meanwhile, if storing a table with removable legs, take them off (delicately, of course) and properly wrap and label. In fact, now is a good time to wrap all of your antiques that you plan to store. This may include bubble wrapping mirrors and glass, though wood would do better with a fabric cover.
This part is important to help reduce the weight and make it easier to move into storage, avoiding potentially costly bumps and scraps.
Best storage features for storing antique furniture
One important thing to note is that all your preparation before the storage unit can go to waste without the right storage features used. For instance, if you live in a humid, swampy region with extremely high temperatures, your antique wooden table will inevitably warp while left in storage, and the fabric in your lamp shades may start to smell musky to say the least. And this doesn’t even mention risking property being stolen or vandalized.
To keep your antique furniture safe in a storage you unit, you need the right features. For instance, the climate control feature maintains a constant temperature and humidity level within the unit to preserve sensitive materials and items—antiques in particular. You’ll also want strong security features such as electronic gate access, which requires a keycode to enter the facility, as well as onsite management and video surveillance.
Another feature to consider, especially if you’re storing larger items or perhaps a bigger collection of antiques, is to find a unit with drive up access. This feature allows you pull your vehicle directly up to the unit for easy drop off and pickup and avoid any difficulty with narrow hallways or elevators.
Place your antique furniture in a storage unit
When it comes time to place your antique furniture within your storage unit, there’s still some key tips to follow. For instance, store heavier items such as mirrors horizontally to avoid any accidental falls and breaks, and never stack boxes on top of these sensitive belongings as well.
If possible, keep things well organized and visible for easy identification and collection on a later date, and be sure to write down on a notepad or even on your phone to track what items are in self storage.
Antique furniture never goes out of style, and thankfully with a few easy steps and the right features, you can keep your collection or pieces lasting for the long haul.
