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Whether you plan to relocate or remodel your home, there is a great chance you’ll need to use storage units. Most people have actually used storage facilities NJ at some point in their lives. This means that you are most likely aware of the fact that you can store your items either short-term or long-term. There are things to be careful about, though. For instance, there are some items that are unsuitable for long-term storage. So if you plan to put some of your belongings away for a longer period of time, you might want to take a look at our list of items you shouldn’t store long-term.

storage facility

Storage units come in handy while moving or remodeling your home.

Why do people use long-term storage?

Before we get into the details of long-term storage dos and don’ts – let’s talk about why people use it in the first place. It’s easy to imagine the great necessity for storage facilities that occurs before, during and after a relocation process. More often than not, right after contacting your local movers NJ, you need to think about a place to safely store your belongings. The reasons are numerous. Your old home might be bigger than your new home. This immediately creates a lack of space for some of your furniture.

Also, you might not be able to find a suitable place for some of your items in your new home. Perhaps you just don’t want to have them around anymore. The list of reasons goes on. The main thing is that people often need a place to store their belongings for an indefinite amount of time. Be careful, though. Not everything you have lying around is suitable for long-term storage.

Reasons there are items you shouldn’t store long-term

There are some items you shouldn’t store long-term that are just common sense. Naturally, you wouldn’t want to store away any perishable food long term. Most of the edible products would simply spoil in a matter of days, even inside climate-controlled storage facilities. So, before you hire packing services NJ to pack your household for relocation, set aside the specific belongings you wish to store long term and then go through our list.

  • Appliances should be avoided when planning to store your belongings long-term. We all know that household appliances can get easily damaged or broken if they aren’t used regularly, so perhaps it’s best to keep an eye on them, rather than leaving them in a storage unit.
  • Toys are some of the items you shouldn’t store long-term. Unless they are perfectly packed and protected, dust or moisture can ruin your stuffed toys. If you need to store them away, make sure it’s only for a short while.
  • Leather products shouldn’t be on your long-term storage list. These get easily ruined by extreme temperatures. You don’t want your favorite leather jacket smelling musty, do you?
a camera and some photographs

Your old photos and photo albums should definitely not be stored long-term.

Try not to store your wooden furniture long-term

If you think about it long and hard, it just makes no sense to store wooden furniture for a long time. Wood is highly susceptible to damage caused by extreme temperatures, moisture and other detrimental effects of long-term storage. Of course, you could consider renting a climate-controlled storage unit. This would prevent some of the adverse factors to cause damage to your wooden furniture. However, it might be best to avoid storing it long-term altogether.

You old albums and photographs

Some of the things that should definitely not be stored long-term are your photographs and photo albums. Precious and priceless memories are something you should generally not store to a place you are unable to have daily access to. Additionally, photographs can get damaged quite easily. And you can never replace them, so be careful. Try to find a safe place for them in your home, as they do not normally take up a lot of space. Try to think of a creative way to keep them away from storage units and storage facilities.

Important documents should be kept away from long-term storage

There are certain parts of our household that can get damaged or deteriorate if you store them for a longer period of time. Others, however, are simply too important to be stored away. We’ve already mentioned priceless memories, but let’s not forget about important documents. It is just common sense, if you think about it closely. Your documents are things that you must always keep at hand. Furthermore, you shouldn’t take any risks. There are, of course, documents storage areas, but unless you find 100% reliable storage services providers, you’d better not take any chances. Keep your documents in a safe or in a drawer at home. Storage units are not a secure place for important papers.

A contract

Unless you know a reliable documents storage provider, keep your important pieces of paper at home or in a safe – not in long-term storage areas.

In the end, there are indeed endless benefits, as well as possibilities when it comes to long-term storage. It is more than useful to be able to keep your belongings in a secure storage unit for an indefinite amount of time. You can use this option to declutter your home or to keep your extra items safely stored after relocating. The options are numerous. However, as you can see, there are things you should be careful about when storing your possessions. There are simply those items you shouldn’t store long-term. Just keep this in mind when preparing to put away pieces of your household (or your office) and you should be fine.