The Most Difficult Items to Store
Whether you’ve made a decision to move or you just want to rearrange your belongings, some things require special attention. No one wants their precious commodities ruined by poor handling. So, we’ve prepared for you a list of the most difficult items to store and some expert tips on how to do it properly.
Antiques need some extra precaution
Beautiful Egyptian vases are wonderful things to have. It’s exciting to wonder whether ancient spirits really stayed within them and if you have actual pharaoh energy guarding your lovely home. But considering how fragile these treasures can be, you need to put in additional work to protect them from the ravages of time.
Begin by cleaning
Cleaning everything before storing it is an excellent idea. Good polishing will ensure your antiques are ready for storage. Wood polish or wax can help you avoid drying and cracking of wooden pieces. Oiling metal frames can help prevent corrosion. Do your research on how to get the perfect product for the suitable material. Cleaning also allows you to check on your antiques – watch out for woodworms and other threatening parasites.
Adapt storage space to antiques – not the other way around
Avoid stacking items on top of each other. It may appear to be a smart solution to increase storage space and keep more things, but it’s not. Improper stacking adds extra strain on the bottom parts, endangering your antiques – and that’s the last thing you want.
Protect them well
Protecting your antiques is essential for preserving them for the next generations. Dust and moisture are at the top of your enemies list, and their appearance needs to be prevented. But be cautious while choosing materials to wrap your goods in. Bubble wrap may protect breakables like mirrors and lights and items like tables and chairs from scuffing. But don’t use bubble wrap for too long. Plastic wrap can suffocate wood and cause mold. Use textile instead.
Look out for environmental swings
When it comes to storing antiques, you need to keep the temperature and humidity in check. When there isn’t a lot of moisture around, wood can be damaged. On the other hand, a lot of moisture can’t be good for metal. The humidity level should be at 50% ideally. Temperature variations can be dangerous, too – try keeping your storage space in the 68-70F range.
Instruments need to be carefully handled too
As a general rule, you should keep instruments away from drafts and doorways. According to the storage and moving experts at Zippy Shell Louisiana – the best place to store them is in the center of a room, where they won’t be as influenced by temperature swings that are harmful to them.
Temperature changes are terrible from the perspective of tuning any instrument. If you put your guitar in a room that keeps changing its temperature – you will end up with several broken strings and no recognizable chords once you try to play it.
Adapt storage strategy to your instrument
It’s even worse for piano owners – the trouble and cost of bringing experts to tune your piano is something you definitely want to prevent. Heavy padding should be placed around the piano’s legs, pedals, and bench as a preventative measure against damage.
If you don’t intend to play your drums any time soon, it’s best to loosen the skins so they don’t stretch out. Also, protecting pianos and drums from dust by covering them with a clean cotton sheet is always a sensible move.
Protection is the most important part
To protect the instruments from being scratched, you can use plush velvet as a liner for instrument cases. This lining might cause long-term damage to an instrument. However, the bad outcome can be avoided by putting a piece of acid-free fabric between the lining and the equipment.
Boats are the most difficult items to store
Choosing a place to keep your boat when it’s not in use is an important (and challenging) part of owning a boat. Whether you choose to store it in the water or out, it will determine the course of further preparations for exteriors, engines, and electrical systems.
Considering how boats are valuable and useful, when preparing your vessel for storage, you want to do it properly. If you’re storing your boat in the winter, you’ll want to avoid ice damage to it. So, make sure it’s completely dry.
Keep them in or out
Depending on the storage space available and your financial resources, you have various options for storing a boat. If you want to keep it indoors, you may consider:
- putting it in your garage
- settling for dry stacked storage
- indoor options at a self-storage facility
However, if you prefer outdoor settlement, you can choose to:
- park it on a trailer at your home
- invest some more money and store it in a marina slip
- consider covered or outdoor options at a self-storage facility
Honorable mention – old-timers
If you’re a lucky owner of a classic car, you’re probably aware that it needs way more attention than modern vehicles. The winters can be tough on the old ones, and you need to take some measures to prepare and preserve them.
To help your beloved car survive and shine in all its beauty, you have to clean it, wax it, cover it with suitable material, and adjust your garage or storage unit conditions to it entirely.
Extra care it requires puts your old-timer on the list of the most difficult items to store. However, classic cars never lack admiration and love from their owners, so your precious vehicle will probably be handled just fine.
