Storage of household items

We had to store all of our household items, when we sold in SA and moved to WA.

Struck a real problem in that no one other than the removal people, who had everything in two 20ft containers, stored inside warehouse, would give us insurance.

We found that to be very expensive, but when eventually the gear arrived we had no problems.

Being advised that in transit, container temperatures go way high, and having some very old furniture, we waxed them very heavy, and they came through ok.

However do not wrap furniture in bubble wrap, as it sweats and will mark the finish. We had friends who brought their furniture down from Ireland, and in two months the finish became very marked.

Packing the china in cartons, not too heavy though, well wrapped in newspaper, with plenty of padding top and bottom will then be OK.

We found that locally we could pick up enough removal cartons, they normally come in two sizes, which then stack well. Clothing etc should be plastic bags, and you can get cardboard wardrobes, and put some naftha flakes in the bottom.
The removal people have cartons to suit all items.

I know that Grace Bros in Sydney have a big storage area, and I believe they will supply all gear and advice to store. With frigs and freezers, you have to get them toyally clean and dry, so mould will not grow.

The exiting part comes when you unpack, all ther treasures you have put out of your minds.

Regards

Col

Gooday,
Have done this many times, my advice may sound a little complicated but it pays off& is not a lot of work.
Firstly get a ruled book to use as an inventory, start off with No1, then for boxes, get Citrus/apple boxes from your local Stupermarket or fruit shop, ask them to hold them for you & collect every day or twice a day if you have to. Number each box on the lid & all four sides as you pack it, you may have 3-4 boxes on the go at a time, as you pack things in the boxes note it on your inventory as you go, eg, bathroom cupboard, top drawer from kitchen for lots of things from that location, saucepans, dinner plates etc etc, need not list every single item but a familiar clue as to where you would look for it in it's old position. These size boxes stack well, are not too big to carry & if you need to look for something even before you get out of the house you can just slip the lid off to get at it. Removal boxes are a pain in the armpit, too heavy to shift without a fridge trolley, & can put too much in themwhen looking for something.

Use ex wine bottle cartons for books & the like, otherwise too heavy to move.

Paintings etc & larger items to be protected use bubble wrap or lrger pieces of cardboard.
Surely ther must be some Mini Storage where you live, we have used them on numerous occasions, even built & operated some in a previous life.
If you are using a shed or such & doubtful about water getting on floor make sure you have storage up off floor, pallets are about the most suitable for this.
You are pretty broad in your location if you are flexible on location try a country centre they will be a lot cheaper than City & many country towns over a couple of thousand people have a Mini Storage facility, they are a lot cheaper & you have access when you need it.
After all your planned 4 months may extend & it is amazing what you don't miss when it is packed away out of sight.
Gaurantee you this method is well worth the little bit of effort.
Cheers Boroma 604.

I have had full household stored long term with grace. They did all packing with several different sized boxes, clothes hanging cartons, pictures etc. After 5 years storage every thing was still in good condition. Only thing on unpacking I wondered why i had paid to store lots of things i had forgotten I owned.

Bruce