MOVING BOX PRICES
How to Save Money
How to pack for a move
All about moving boxes
Avoiding Trouble
Putting Stuff into Storage
|
| PUTTING STUFF INTO STORAGE |
| |
| Storing Boxes |
|
| |
| It's
best to store boxes with a little air space beneath them. Here in San
Diego, boxes left resting on a concrete floor will begin to mildew within
a few weeks. Set the boxes on bricks, scraps of wood or -- best of all
-- old pallets. If the storage area happens to be sprinklered, a loose
draping of a plastic tarp over the stack might be a little insurance in
the rare event of a sprinkler failure. |
| |
| Storing China |
|
| |
The
most important advice we can offer is never store china or crystal
wrapped in old newspapers. Newspaper ink will rub off and stain china.
Old fashioned crystal with etched designs is even more sensitive to
staining. (The ink becomes embedded in the etched portions and is very
difficult to remove.) Use unprinted newsprint, tissue paper, paper towels or foam packing pockets.
Don't use bubble pack for very long term storage. The bubbles can go flat in a year or so -- even the "barrier bubble".
Pack items neatly so that you can unpack without breaking something. A
large portion of dish breakage occurs during unpacking. It's easy to
pull out a "lump" of paper or bubble wrap and find you haven't quite
gotten hold of the teacup inside. Sugar bowl covers are almost
impossible to detect in a bundle of wadded paper. We recommend the use
of foam packing pockets rather than bubble wrap or packing paper. |
| |
| Storing Fine Furniture |
|
| |
The
best practical advice we can offer is to try to find a storage area
that avoids extremes in temperature and humidity. Attics can get hotter
and dryer than is really safe for fine furniture. (The same goes for
garages and most commercial storage spaces.) A spare room is usually a
good choice. If you must use a basement let us suggest that (no matter
how dry it is) you set the furniture up on cement blocks in case of a
sewer backup.
Most of us feel we need to cover furniture to avoid dust and
scratching. Use of the wrong furniture cover can cause a surprising
amount of damage. There are three things to look out for in furniture
covers:
- The cover should have NO loose fibers. Over
extended periods of time, (3 years or more) loose fibers can become
embedded in the finish.
Don't use soft, fuzzy flannel!
NEVER use mover's wrap (which is a batt of soft fibers backed by a paper sheet)!
Even mover's pads have fibers which can cause problems over time.
- The cover should be chemically unreactive.
NEVER use old newspapers. They can transfer ink.
NEVER use vinyl sheets. They will ooze plasticizer.
NEVER use paint cloths with paint spots! -- No matter how old the paint is.
- The cover should breathe.
Don't use plastic sheeting which can trap condensed water against the finish.
The most valuable antiques are stored in large crates
with only the bottoms of the feet touching a surface. Old bed sheets
may do a decent job of covering most furniture. We offer a paper pad which we feel is an excellent way to do the job. |
| |
| Remodeling |
|
| |
Remodeling
can present very acute storage problems. The in-home workers
will generate large amounts of plaster dust and saw dust. Generally the
furniture will be stored near the work area. To make things even worse,
the furniture may occasionally be moved by the workers.
In this case, old sheets or blankets will not do a good job. Fine
plaster dust will filter right through them. The best advice we can
offer is to wrap all of the furniture carefully and heavily in paper or fabric moving pads. Also, it's a good idea to vacuum the covered furniture before unwrapping it. |