4 Things To Be Aware Of When Storing Wooden Furniture During Your Move

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Wooden furniture can be particularly fragile. This is especially true in the case of antique furniture pieces. Unfortunately, there are many storage hazards that can potentially damage wooden furniture. If you need to keep wooden furniture pieces in storage after or during a move, you need to take efforts to avoid these hazards to ensure that your furniture stays in good condition and doesn't require expensive repairs later on.

Being aware of the following four factors at a storage facility where you'll be keeping wooden furniture can help preserve your items:

Potential temperature fluctuations

Wood has a tendency to expand and contract when it is exposed to temperature fluctuations. Also, metal hardware pieces in wood furniture can be warped by temperature changes. This warping can detract from both the structural stability and appearance of wooden furniture.

Ideally, you want to keep wooden furniture in a climate control unit to avoid damage from temperature-induced expansion and contraction. If this is not possible, consider limiting storage time to only periods of moderate weather and clearing wooden furniture out of your unit before the hottest or coldest time of the year. 

Humidity level and moisture control

If the air at a storage facility is very humid, moisture can soak in to wooden furniture and cause mold or mildew development. This not only compromises the structural stability of furniture, but it can also create an unpleasant odor that will be hard to get out of the wood.

A climate control unit will usually have air conditioning that prevents humidity from getting too high in the unit during the summer months. If you need to leave wooden furniture stored at a facility where humid air is possible, you should inspect it regularly and limit the amount of time it's in storage to prevent mold and mildew from ruining it. 

Space limitations

Storing furniture isn't always easy because furniture pieces take up a lot of space. If you need to store wooden furniture and you're short on space, you might want to consider disassembling it.

Wooden furniture is often very easy to disassemble because it breaks down into only a few main pieces. Optimize space by breaking this type of furniture down and reassembling it when it's needed. 

Weight load placed on top

Many people are tempted to leave heavy loads supported by wooden furniture pieces when they're in a hurry to get their storage room arranged during a busy move. However, a heavy load on a fairly frail wooden chair or table could cause the furniture piece to collapse.

It's a good idea to pack fragile wooden furniture pieces into your unit last to avoid placing heavy objects over top of them that could compromise their stability. 

To learn more, contact a company like Allen's Transfer


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