If you are relocating, it may make sense to combine the act of moving with storage. Are you moving because you are taking a short-term job somewhere else? Are you relocating to another country? Perhaps you need to live in a smaller apartment until your new home is ready.
Whatever the reason for your move, you may actually need to combine storage and moving. However, regardless of why you need to combine these two aspects of relocation, you do need to be prepared. Packing some items up for storage and others for moving can be quite arduous. It is important that you give equal attention to the stuff you’re packing for storage as you do for the things you are moving.
Taking the time to be thorough and organized while packing up your house, will make you much happier in the long run. It will make moving into your new home a lot easier as well as allowing you to efficiently deal with your storage unit. We’ve put together some tips to help you get through the task of combining moving and storage.
- Before you pack anything, get rid of the stuff you don’t need. Then, decide what you want to take with you to the new house and what needs to go into storage. You can have a garage sale or donate your stuff to charity.
- Don’t pack anything without cleaning it first. Wash your dishes, clean your clothes, and wash anything else you can. Pests will be attracted to food remnants and other soiled materials. Use cedar blocks and mothballs in boxes that you will be placing in storage.
- In an effort to keep everything organized, try to pack everything into small boxes and containers. This will make it easier for the movers to load and unload the moving truck as well as your storage unit. Additionally, your storage unit will be more organized.
- Make sure that you label everything clearly. This way, when you unpack everything in the storage unit, you’ll know exactly what is in each box – the same goes for the back of the moving truck.
- In addition to clearly labeling your boxes and containers, make an inventory list and number your boxes. An organized and systematic method of dealing with your boxes will make it a breeze to deal with your storage unit and moving process.
- Be prepared for anything. Though unlikely in a climate-controlled storage unit, moisture may get inside the facility and we all know moisture can damage your stuff. So, never place your boxes and containers directly onto the floor. Your professional moving staff will know exactly how to take care of your items Raising the containers up off the floor will prevent mildew and mold from seeping into your boxes.
- Talk to your insurance company to make sure your belongings are covered while in storage. The moving and storage company will be able to provide additional coverage as well.
Getting ready to move can seem like a huge undertaking; combine that with preparing for placing your stuff into a storage facility and you may feel like you’re having a nightmare. But, it doesn’t have to be so bad – follow our suggestions above and you should have smooth sailing from this point on.
Jon Huser
