3 Tips For Storing Major Appliances
Posted on: 19 September 2016
It's always ideal to move your things straight from one home into the next, but every now and then, it makes sense to put large items into temporary or long-term storage. Storing furniture and boxes is easy enough – just make sure that everything is wrapped up in plastic and taped up tightly. But storing your large appliances is a different matter. Take a look at some tips to help you safely move and store your large appliances.
Preparation
It's important to clean your appliances thoroughly, particularly appliances that may contain some food particles, like refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, or deep freezers. Bugs are great at finding any small holes in the wall or cracks under the door of a storage unit, and if there's any food for them to find, they'll set up housekeeping in your appliances, and spread to your other items as well.
For dishwashers and clothes washing machines, run an empty cycle substituting white vinegar or bleach for detergent – this will help ensure that any food particles and film are removed. Scrub the interior and exterior of all appliances, and don't forget to clean intake areas, like lint filters, tubes, and grids. Make sure that the interiors of your appliances are completely dry so that there's no possibility of mold growth. Take out any glass shelves or other fragile parts, wrap them in protective padding, like bubble wrap, and store them separately.
Moving
Use painter's tape to tape the doors of your appliances securely shut for the ride to the storage unit. You don't want the doors opening in transit, as they could knock into other items and cause damage. Cover glass windows in appliances like dryers and ovens in bubble wrap. Refrigerators should always travel upright.
When you're loading the truck, load the large appliances last. That way, they'll be first off of the truck and can be stored in the back of the storage unit. This will allow you easier access to smaller items that you may need more frequent access to.
Storing
Once you arrive at the storage facility, remove the tape from the doors of the appliances. While you want the doors to remain shut while driving, it's better to prop them open inside the storage unit to prevent mildew growth. It can also help to place an open box of baking soda inside your stored appliances to prevent any odors from developing.
Be careful of using your empty appliances for additional storage space. You can save some space by storing small items inside an empty appliance with the door propped open, but don't stack heavy items, like books or weights, inside your appliances – you could damage them. Cover the appliances with tarps or sheets to protect them from dust and scratches.
The last thing that you want to do is replace your appliances after you're finished moving. By using these strategies to prepare and protect your appliances, they'll be in good working order when you're ready to move them out of storage and into your home.
For more information, visit http://www.storageinphila.com or a similar website.
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