There’s nothing quite like the excitement of renovating a home. It’s the time where you finally get to put all of your dreams into action and turn your vision into reality. It’s not all fun and excitement though, you have to carefully manage the project and a big part of that management is figuring out where you’re going to put all of your things while renovating.

Storage is the best option for renovators, but if you’re going to put your things in storage you need to know how to pack them properly. To help, we’ve put together these packing for storage tips, below:

Your First Job
Your first job will be creating an inventory. The process of creating an inventory involves making decisions about what you really need to store. The amount your storage costs you will depend on the volume of the items you store, so this is a good time to be ruthless and dispose of anything you don’t need, use or love.

Once the inventory is finalised it’s time to start packing.

Give Your Belongings Professional Treatment
 Storage units aren’t like homes. They can be affected by all sorts of factors such as dirt, dust, mould, mildew, humidity, cold and even vermin, particularly if you don’t choose a professional, high quality storage provider. That means that your belongings have to be specially packed to protect them. All delicate items, such as photos, book, documents need to be double wrapped and any leather or wooden furniture should be treated to protect it from damp.
 All whitegoods should be thoroughly cleaned and dried to prevent mould and mildew from ruining them. You should also leave the doors and lids slightly open to allow air in and keep odours from building up. Leaving the doors closed can also damage the rubber seals, which are annoying to replace.
 To protect the safety of the storage unit you need to ensure that all oil and fuel has been drained from any machinery that you wish to store. It’s important that you check all of your machinery that you put it in storage because the consequences can be very serious.

Make The Most Of your Storage Space
You’re paying for every inch of your furniture storage space, so you may as well use every inch. Here’s how you can get the most out of your storage space:
 Pack all the way to the top of your space by using plywood to create levels within your boxes. This is the best way to safely pack all the way to the top.
 Moisture can easily creep into your unit so make sure you cover the bottom of your unit with wooden pallets so you can keep your belongings off the floor and dry.
 Anything that has liquid in it should be double-wrapped to protect the space and your belongings from any potential leaks.
 You need a labeling system that will allow you to easily access your belongings. The labeling system should correspond with your inventory so all you have to do is look at your inventory and you’ll be able to locate what you need right away.