Keeping extra and unused appliances around the house is impractical and, more often than not, nearly impossible. These large items take up a lot of space in your garage or basement and are usually too heavy and bulky to carry upstairs to an attic or spare room.
Thankfully, self-storage is a convenient and affordable solution for protecting your appliances both short and long-term. To keep your appliances in good working condition and ensure they are ready to use when you need them again, follow the best practices below as you prepare them for storage!
1) Clean and Drain Appliances
Large appliances such as dishwashers, washer/dryers, and refrigerators are expensive investments. Leftover dirt and moisture in stored appliances can cause damage, deterioration, mildew, and insect infestation over time.
Preserve the value and quality of your investments by thoroughly cleaning and drying them—and all internal and external components—before storing them. You must ensure no food or crumbs are left behind, and don’t forget to use an insect repellant to prevent pests!
2) Wrap Appliances Securely
When relocating your appliances, it is important to wrap them in protective film, moving tape, and blankets to prevent them from getting dirty, scratched, dented, or damaged during transit and storage.
Pro Tip: If the appliance has removable parts, such as glass shelves in a fridge, it’s essential to store and wrap them separately!
3) Get a Climate-Controlled Storage Unit
Household appliances are highly sensitive to variations and extremes in humidity and temperature. If they are not kept in a consistent environment, these fluctuations can damage internal parts and cause the appliance to cease working altogether. Therefore, to ensure the safety of your appliances, it is recommended that you store them in a climate-controlled storage unit.
4) Store Appliances in the Back of Your Unit
To keep your appliances out of the way and make other, more frequently used items easily accessible, place your appliances in the back and up against the sides of your storage unit. If you can (or at least put down a blanket or tarp), raise them off the ground with pallets and prop the door open. This will help reduce the risk of moisture buildup and mold growth.
For more than 30 years, Sentry Mini-Storage has been dedicated to helping you protect your most valuable belongings with our premier self-storage solutions. Call us today at (727)845-1529 to secure a unit and ask about our move-in specials!
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