Mini Entrepôts Sauvegarde’s:
Moving and Storage Guide
Moving routinely ranks as one of the top life stressors an individual can experience, and with good reason. Packing up all your clothing, furniture, appliances, and other precious belongings and transporting them to another location not only disturbs the tranquility of your life but puts your possessions at risk of damage or theft. The stress of moving can be compounded if the date of your move-in is later than the date you must leave your current home. In this particular instance, not only will you be scrambling to find temporary lodging for yourself, but you must find a space for all your belongings in the interim as well! To help reduce your stress at an already stressful time, it helps to have a plan. To that end, Mini Entrepôts Sauvegarde has put together a comprehensive moving and storage guide that will aid you in ensuring you and your possessions are well taken care of!
Moving and Storage Guide I: Before The Move
If you find yourself needing a space to store your belongings for a few weeks or months before you move into your new home, then renting storage from a place like Mini Entrepôts Suavegarde is a good idea. They offer a variety of different-sized spaces at competitive prices and with their multiple layers of security features, you can rest easy knowing your belongings are safe.
Once the decision to rent storage has been made, the unenviable task of packing must begin. Following the plan in this Moving and Storage Guide will allow you to pack your things quickly, efficiently, and in an orderly manner that keeps them both safe and easy to find.
Step 1: Pack a Travel Bag
Since you’ll be spending an extended amount of time without a home, you’ll need to pack some essential items for your temporary stay at a friend’s house, relative’s place, or hotel room. Toiletries, clothing, electronics like laptops and cellphones (along with chargers), and other day-to-day items will need to be accessible to you while you wait for your move-in date. Of course, the quantity of these items will need to be determined by the length of your stay. Whether it be weeks or months, you’ll need to account for the time you won’t have immediate access to your personal effects!
Step 2: Use Transparent Bins
If it’s at all possible, try to store small and miscellaneous items (like keys, letter openers, toilet paper rolls, extension cords, etc.) in transparent plastic bins. This will allow you to see exactly what’s in the box without having to laboriously write a multitude of item names on the outside of it.
Step 3: Write The Contents Of Your Box On The Outside
If transparent bins are too costly or impractical for your tastes, you can always use plain cardboard boxes for your move. However, it’s important to clearly and visibly write what is in your box on the outside of it. This will allow you to know exactly what is in the box, as well as group boxes according to type and by what room in your new house they will go into. It’s also a good practice to write the room your box is destined for on the side of it as well.
Step 4: Pack Fragile Items Carefully
Any good moving and storage guide will advise its readers to pack fragile items like dishes, vases, and drinkware carefully. Wrapping each item individually in bubble wrap is the safest way to go, as is using shredded newspaper or cardboard as bedding in the box itself. Pro tip: stack your dishes vertically rather than horizontally to minimize any potential chipping, cracking, or shattering!
Step 5: Disassemble Furniture | The Right Way!
One of the most labor-intensive and tedious tasks to perform when moving is disassembling furniture like beds, coffee tables, and bookstands. One thing this moving and storage guide can’t emphasize enough is to perform these particular tasks patiently and meticulously, so as not to damage your furniture or lose pieces you’ll need for reassembly.
Unless you’ve managed to keep the assembly instructions for all your furniture, the first thing you’ll want to do as you are disassembling is to take pictures of the process. This way, you can reverse the procedure when you reassemble your furniture without having to worry about forgetting a step or mixing up parts. Of course, you can always check the internet for assembly manuals, but not every company keeps them online like Ikea does. Additionally, you may need to remember the exact model number or name of the item you bought, so photo-documenting the disassembly process is your best bet.
To ensure you don’t lose any screws, plates, or castors, carefully place them all in Ziploc bags that you will then label. You can store all the bags in a separate box to be extra safe, or simply tape them to the back, drawer, or inner surface of your furniture until you’re ready to reassemble.
Moving and Storage Guide II: In Storage
Strategizing where and how you will place your belongings in your storage container is something else this moving and storage guide advises.
Placement
It makes the most sense to store your furniture and appliances towards the back of your storage space, and boxes at the front. This way, when you eventually move out, the furniture will enter your new home first, with boxes populating the free spaces on the floor or in the closets afterward. This will give you more space to reassemble furniture and place it according to your aesthetic before you start unpacking boxes. Also, having the boxes closer to the storage room door makes it easier to look for something you may have forgotten you need or need emergency access to.
Organize
Even with your boxes up front and your furniture toward the rear of your storage space, you should still create rows between your stacks of boxes. This will allow you to move freely between them in case you are searching for something. As well, you’ll want to stack fragile items at the top of your columns so they don’t get crushed under the weight of heavier boxes or items. You should also mark boxes that contain fragile items in red marker, or with stickers marked “FRAGILE” so movers know to be extra careful with them.
For more moving and storage guide tips, or to inquire about our rates and services, contact Mini Entrepôts Sauvegarde today.