Selecting The Right Box
Selecting the right Storage location is an important step in the moving process. However one can’t overlook the importance of making sure your items are safe and properly protected both during and after the move. Making sure that your furniture, household goods, and valuables are properly protected is left up to the boxes and packaging materials that you choose. While old “second hand” boxes may be cheap (or even free) and easily accessible, many storage renters find that they made a mistake when their items get damaged or destroyed due to cheap or improper packing material. Most people when they are moving will use old boxes from grocery or liquor stores, these are fine for a quick move door to door. Be cautious however, because the integrity of many of these boxes are weak from having been broken down already. Most of these boxes have some kind of compromising issues from water damage, contamination from bugs or food. The sizes of these boxes can vary greatly and can make effective storage more difficult for the average renter. Purchasing new boxes may seem like an unnecessary expense, but buying new boxes will make good financial sense for the small investment in the end when they safely preserve your important memories. After all, if it’s important enough to store it – shouldn’t it be important enough to protect it?
The next step after selecting the right boxes, is ensuring that your items are packed safely to prevent damage during your time of rental. Purchasing boxes has many advantages, saving time and getting all your packing material in one trip rather than having to hunt down multiple stores and taking leftover boxes can be worth the purchase alone. The sizes of the boxes you need are easier to find and are standardized (Small to Extra-Large) which makes stacking more efficient in your unit. If you have special items that require a specialty purpose storage container, you will be able to purchase or order specialty boxes from our office. Our DE Storage locations have many box sizes to choose from to help our customers get the right fit for their move.
By using boxes that are of similar size and shape it makes stacking and organizing of your storage unit easier. Stacking your boxes effectively will allow you to make the best use of your space and take advantage of the vertical space in your unit. New boxes tend to be sturdier with less risk of collapse from other boxes and weight above and below them–keeping your fragile and valuable items safer. If you’re using a moving company they can sometimes require the use of quality built and properly sealed boxes, if yours are flimsy they may decide to repack your boxes for you and charge you for this additional service. Make the best use of the space inside your boxes, fill them so as not to waste space but be careful about overfilling or trying to “stuff” boxes. If you attempt to utilize every last inch inside a box, this can create boxes which are too heavy to be stored safely and risks crushing other boxes and items around them.
Make use of packing material like bubble wrap and packing paper to fill empty space, this helps prevent unnecessary movement within the boxes and shifting. Shrink-wrap is also a popular packing accessory used when moving furniture to keep cabinets, doors, and drawers closed and secure during your move (it’s also good at preventing water or dust damage to desk top. Plastic cover sheets are also recommended for covering furniture, and long term storage of upholstery items such as mattresses, couches, and chairs.
DE Storage facilities have a large selection of materials you will need to safely store your items. Ask the manager at your local DE Storage to recommend what items you need to safely store your items, as well as unique ways to organize your unit to maximize your space.
