Protect Your Family Heirlooms: Store Them The Correct Way
From record players to necklaces, family heirlooms come in all forms. However, one factor is consistent — heirlooms are precious. Due to a move, home renovation, or another life event, you've found yourself in a predicament where you need to store these items. Given their sentimental value, you need confidence that your family treasure will remain unscathed and in good condition.
Be Wise
Always use your intuition when storing your family heirlooms. There are certain items that you should keep on you. Storage facilities are safe and take all sorts of measures to protect the belongings of their customers, but the reality is that accidents could always happen. Even when it comes to transport, a mishap could occur.
Those items that are incredibly fragile due to age are at more risk of damage. As an added precaution, you might want to hire a professional mover with experience moving antiques to ensure the heirloom is transported and placed into the storage unit with the utmost level of care.
Wrap With Care
Take special precautions when you wrap your heirlooms in preparation for storage. The makeup of the item will determine how you should pack the item. Take photographs or paper items, for instance. These articles should be stored in an airtight envelope and sealed. Make sure the envelope is made from acid-free materials to avoid damage to the paper.
For upholstered pieces, such as chairs, never wrap the item in plastic. The plastic will create a safe place for moisture to form, which can damage the fabric and cause mold and mildew to form. A furniture cloth or blanket is the better option.
Invest in a Storage Unit
Don't just select the cheapest storage unit you can find—invest in a storage unit. All storage facilities are designed to meet the storage needs of a variety of different customers. For some customers, no extra precautions are necessary; for people like yourself, extra measures are essential.
First, choose a climate-controlled unit close to the middle of the facility. Climate-controlled units that connect to an outside wall are more susceptible to temperature fluctuations based on the weather conditions than units in the center of the building. Second, choose a facility with security control. A keypad, key fob, or fingerprint system allows the site manager to keep track of who enters and exits the facility, and when. In the event of a concern, the facility will be able to track down the possible culprit readily.
How strictly you adhere to these tips will have a significant impact on the overall condition of your family treasures, so make sure you plan accordingly. Contact a company like National Self Storage - Denver to learn more.