Home renovation projects are quite demanding. Many who have gone through it say that the intense stress comes from your life getting thrown so off balance for a certain period of time. You have a strong desire to meet all your expectations for the home, but at the same time, you constantly worry about the disruptions to your routine and the ballooning expenses.
Apart from those, there are other concerns to think about — particularly, how to take care of your belongings during the renovation. Will you be using a storage service? Will you be buying packing products?
Ensuring the quality of your belongings is important because not only do you want them to match the new look of your home, but you want to avoid additional and unnecessary costs due to damaged items as well.
So, what should you do to care for your possessions while getting your home renovated?
A Storage Service Provider’s Top 6 Tips
1. Gather all the packing and storage items you own
Look around for items you already own that can be repurposed for packing purposes. A home renovation is a perfect time to improvise and put them to good use:
- Tupperware containers
- Pots and pans with lids
- Microwavable containers
- Bags (reusable grocery bags, school bags, and purses)
- Suitcases
These are all items that can double as useful containers for smaller possessions that could easily get lost or broken in the whirlwind of activity during a home renovation. Use these to secure keys, nails or screws for putting furniture pieces together, cards and others.
2. Buy packing boxes, tapes, labels and other packing or storage essentials
Supplies such boxes, paper rolls, wardrobe containers, storage mini pods and bubble wraps can be used for all the belongings that your simple packing and storage solutions can’t hold. You may use these storage solutions for securing more delicate items such as small appliances and valuables that require extra care.
You can purchase these from your storage service company. These products can make organizing your possessions a whole lot easier. At the same time, with their good quality, they help protect valuables better, making it much easier to move those pieces around especially while being taken to a storage facility. Designed specifically for heavy-duty use, they also have dimensions that are suitable for stacking and storing away.
3. Use a self-storage service
This is an affordable provision for people in need of a temporary storage solution. It is ideal when you are renovating your home and must stash away everything, from big-ticket items like furniture and artwork to bags of knick-knacks and clothing.
Mobile pods serving as self-storage units are designed to protect items. If you have valuable pieces of art of furniture and other delicate items, storage companies also offer units with temperature and humidity controls. You can be certain that the quality of your pricey belongings will not get compromised while they’re stored away.
What’s more, reputable storage companies provide flexible arrangements. Clients are given easy access to units 24/7 so that gradually emptying the rented unit as the home renovation process nears its completion can be done with greater convenience.
They also offer pick-up services and will safely transport your belongings to the facility.
4. Provide a cover for all the items that have to stay where they are
Provide a dust barrier such as old bed sheets, drapes, and even newspapers for all of the things that cannot be moved out of the house. It will also help to provide a label for each concealed items so the people working on the project can identify each item without removing the cover. By doing so, they can steer clear of that grand piano nobody can move anywhere, and thus prevent potential damage.
Alternatively, a storage and moving team can be called to carry everything you need to be cleared away from the project site and transfer them to a more secure storage area or a storage pod.
5. Get rid of all unwanted items
Sorting through the items you need to pack away into storage units also gives you an opportunity to clear out clutter — anything that no longer deserves a place in your home. Separating these from your packed items not only saves space but will also help preserve the quality of the items being sent to the storage facility.
Think of broken items as the rotten tomatoes in the basket of fresh ones. That bra with the underwire sticking out of the fabric can snag other items of clothing or tear through packing plastic or bags. A cracked plastic container can slice through anything. Get rid of these to keep your packed things secure.
As for the things you no longer want or need, it’s best to dispose of them once and for all to make sure that your newly renovated home will be free of clutter. These items also present you the opportunity to financially recuperate if they can be sold for a little profit. Hold a garage or yard sale one weekend to earn money off of your “unwanted.”
6. Use smart packing techniques for easy storage
- Seal items that can spill by taping around lids and covers.
- Use pieces of clothing or towels to wrap breakable items in.
- Place books in suitcases with wheels for easy transport.
- Color-code your boxes so you easily know where certain items go.
- “Group-pack” hanging clothes. Use a large garbage bag and then slip it from under a group of hanging clothes, and tie the edges of the bag around the hangers.
- Always place tape across the glass components of framed pictures and mirrors. The tape will make sure the glass won’t shift out of place, and it can also help absorb the “shock” of being moved from one place to another.
- Do research online for other packing hacks you can use to protect your belongings.
There you go — six of the smartest ways to protect your possessions when having your home renovated and your things sent to storage. You can’t go wrong with smart packing tips and use a reliable storage service; for sure, putting everything back in their proper order once the renovation project is finished will be a breeze.
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