Packing & Storing Valuables

By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group 

For almost everyone, someday, you're going to have to pack and move or pack and store, all or part of your belongings. When it’s time, it's vital that you have acquired the art of packing valuables and fragile belongings--you do not want your favorite mug coming back smashed, or your wool sweaters with more moth holes than fabric. Packing for storage in Little Rock, even in the short term, necessitates some care for the specifics.

One of the first details that needs to be decided upon is the location to store your possessions. If your storage needs go along with with a household move, when you're drifting down the road wondering which storage facility is best for you, keep driving. You have already picked a mover for transporting your belongings to a new residence, why don’t you check with them to see if they provide storage, also? Many professional moving companies provide warehouse storage--with the same professional employees to assist you in organizing your stored boxes and furniture that packs the moving truck for your move.

If you are moving internationally, or your move is not long-term, you'll require a plan for any boats, jet skis, or motor homes that are too big to move with you. You can store those vehicles with your moving company, and again, you can simply park them on the premises or park them inside—it's your call.

Even if you are not moving, you might need extra space--if you have inherited some things, if you've got an adult child who is boomeranging back to your houseback in the nest—lots of things can happen that necessitates more space for a little bit. Or, if you are pondering moving and trying to declutter your house, you will want to form the appearance of hardly-lived in space, so everything on the counters, small furniture you fall over in the dark, and the things you need to generally live your life, all must go to storage until after your move in Little Rock.

After you have figured out where to store your items, the next task you should ponder is how to pack all of your things for safe storage. The trick to packing crystal, china, and other delicate things is to wrap everything individually. You could do that with a few different kinds of supplies or insulation, it's really your call which you prefer—as long as each piece is appropriately protected against knocking against each other, use what you like best. Newsprint (as opposed to newspaper, newsprint is the plain off-whiteish paper that comes in large sheets at any moving supply or big box store), bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam padding--any and all will work, but you will find that mixing and matching determined by the individual item works best. Select small, heavy duty boxes for delicate items. Take care that you do not wrap too tightly; things require some air space inside the wrap.

Some additional things that require special consideration when going to storage aren't always things that you would realize.

Here is a short list:

• Albums--Yes, they are making a rebound. If you are a collector you know how prized they are, and if you are a casual listener who likes listening on a record player you are aware how tough it is to locate replacements. Albums that are going to storage for any length of time in the spring or fall must be in a climate and humidity controlled facility.
• Clothing--Cotton clothing and most synthetic blends are hard to damage. You'll want to wash and iron whatever you store, but most of the time it comes out in the same condition it went in. Wool and wool blends need to be packed with a decent amount of mothballs, cedar blocks, or both so you do not unpack hole-filled sweaters and coats. Moths are not as much of a presence in colder climates, but throwing in a few mothballs is still a good idea.
• Shoes--Leather shoes need to be in a humidity controlled environment, particularly in a climate where humidity is high. They will mildew when it gets damp or humid, and when it's dry and cold the leather cracks.
• Art--Art is in the eye of the beholder, so you will be as deliberate of your child's 1^st grade paintings as the curator at the Met is of his on-loan Picassos. For the kiddo's art projects, buy a big flat plastic tub, and layer the pages between acid-free paper. (You can get it at a craft store.) For framed prints, you can either stand them up against the wall and wrap them with sheets, beach towels, or moving blankets, and they will be okay. When your art is real, have the paintings professionally crated and packed, and use climate and humidity controlled storage. Because the frames of many antique pieces are as valuable as the paintings themselves, protecting them is crucial.
• Mirrors--Like art, lots of older mirrors are in very valuable frames. Treat them like the works of art that they are.
• Chandeliers—Take off the crystals, and wrap them in a big zip lock bag. Secure the hanging hardware and crystals in a box, and either have the lighting itself crated, or wrapped for transit and then hang it in storage--most units have hangars across the ceiling to hang light fixtures and other things from.

And by all means, we are aware that you have great intentions of sorting through all those boxes of college papers and cancelled checks from 1996 and throwing out all the junk. However, A-1 Freeman Moving Group will always have storage in Little Rock for you, until you can get that done.