Covering Your Storage Items

1/16/2017 (Permalink)

Now that the holidays are over, many homeowners are storing away their festive decorations until the next annual outing. Some residents may not have enough space in their home, and a storage facility is often the next best place for wanted items, that are not used frequently or have sentimental value but take up unnecessary space. The Self Storage Association reports about 10.85 million US households rent storage space.

It is easy to forget about those items, nestled away, in storage until a catastrophe happens. Familiarity with your homeowner’s insurance is a must. Unfortunately, many policy holders find out the holes in their policy all too late, when what they need is not covered. Many policies do cover off site storage, but check your policy to make sure an additional rider is not required. Sometimes coverage limits are set lower for belongings located away from your home and is often described in most policies as off-premises coverage. Here are some tips for covering your items while in storage.

• Make sure the facility is in a safe well lighted neighborhood, preferably with gated access.
• Ensure the property is in good repair. Ask to tour an empty unit, to check for cracks, pests, etc.
• Pack your items with care.
  • Use sturdy boxes; placed on pallets to help protect from flooding.
  • Pack clothes in a wardrobe box. Plastic containers often trap moisture and may cause your clothes to mildew.
• Clean furniture before storing, dismantle if possible, and cover with a sheet.
• Wrap your fragile items in bubble wrap.
• Some items, such as antiques, require special care and temperatures. You may wish to consider a climate controlled storage facility for those items. While it may cost more, it will ensure your valuables remain in the same condition year in and year out.

Recently a Triangle resident needed our services because their storage pod, along with many other, had incurred some smoke damage while being moved on a 18 wheeler trailer. The transportation company did not inform the owners until after delivery. We were able to remediate the smoke damage to the contents in the storage pod and save many of the homeowners items.

This is just one more service, we provide getting your life back to “Like it never even happened.”