How to Pack Your Storage Unit in Adelaide Part 5

Thursday, 02 December 2010 09:15

Ever smelled a fridge that has been switched off and kept closed for a considerable amount of time.....I have and the smell is shocking. Its like a smelly shoe smell only harder to breathe in. When packing a fridge into a storage facility, you have to prop the doors open just a little to allow circulation. There are a few ways to do this so it doesn't close again and seal

• You can either place an item between the door and the fridge, something like a bed rail or a shelf from a book case
•  Another technique is to tilt the back of the fridge forward with some sort of solid chock so gravity wont allow it to swing back, if you are really keen you can pull the front legs off which will have the same effect

One thing to avoid is jamming a piece of cardboard or clothing inbetween the door and the fridge, this is the easiest way to prop the door(s) open but it can press against your seals. If this happens they will change shape and not seal properly again. If you dont hire experience and reputable removalists like Complete Removals, you may find yourself with a smelly fridge or a fridge that wont seal anymore.

Hot Tip: if you do happen to find your doors sealed while in the self storage unit and it comes out smelly and mouldy, there are two products that will make your life a lot easier. Bicarb soda is ideal for cleaning the mould out, add it liberlly and scrub the mould with it with a hot, wet cloth. Once the mould is removed you can improve the smell by using vanilla essence, mix some in a small contain and rub it around the fridge with a cloth.

Hot Tip No.2: If you are not confident that you are going to be able to keep the doors open in the storage unit, you can throw a box of tea bags in the fridge. The dried tea will soak up some moisture but not a lot, so prevention is the best method.

Part 6 on how to pack your storage unit focuses on mattresses and the best packing techniques for them.

How to Pack Your Storage Unit in Adelaide Part 4

Wednesday, 01 December 2010 09:56

Packing glass safely into your storage unit is one of the big ones.....generally we don't leave our professional removalist blankets in any storage facilities in Adelaide except for our own. Careful positioning of the glass in the storage unit is the key, choose a spot where it can't get knocked by other items. The safest spot is between mattresses but the floor must have some form of padding on it.....if glass is placed on a concrete floor direct it will chip, and the chip can be of a considerable size. We recommend you use either blankets, sheets, a towel or a piece of clothing, even an unpacked box can provid the padding the glass needs.

Hot Tip: Never pack glass into the storage unit horizontally, its recommended and common professional removalist practice to pack any glass vertically.

Second Hot Tip: Try not to be complacent when holding glass, always use two hands. Glass can become very slippery when you least expect it!

To break up our 7 part storage tips series,  you may like to check out this post as moving isnt all serious business. Adelaide based removalists like to have a laugh too, even if it means we have to eat an insect or two.

Ever smelt a mouldy fridge? Its quite possibly one of the worst smells and really hard to get rid of once it sets in. Part 5 of our storage packing tips will focus on how to avoid this.

How to Pack Your Storage Unit in Adelaide Part 3

Tuesday, 30 November 2010 10:19

When you ring a local removalist, if they are experienced and really care for your belongings, they will recommend you use proper furniture removal boxes. The reason for this is one of the main issues with using free supermarket boxes in your self storage unit is the risk of internal collapse. Supermarket cartons will always be single ply and generally very weak, when stacked up, even only 3-4 boxes high (or 5 feet), they slowly begin to deteriorate and eventually give way.

After a month or two they can even collapse which is a real issue in a stacked storage unit because if something is resting on them or they are sitting above another fragile item, they can cause alot of damage within your the unit..... not to mention compromising the safety of the nic nacs packed within the boxes.image if you have a nice coffee table sitting on top of a stack of collapsing boxes or even worse, a heavy and expensive lounge chair. I have unloaded units many times in the past where this has happened and its never pretty.The only solution to packing these types of boxes into storage units are to place them singularly on the tops of the other items within the unit. But....this space is normally kept for the fragile items.

The moral of the story, if you are storing your belongings its recommended to use proper removalists boxes that are in good condition.

For tips on how to pack a box like a professional removalist, check out our comprehensive guide to learn visually on You Tube or simply just read how to do it. On the video, I pack a box full of fragile glass and then purposly drop it from over my head to prove our packing techniques are very good, its worth a look.

Part 4 of our storage packing tips are focused on how to pack glass into self storage unit.

How to Pack Your Storage Unit in Adelaide Part 2

Monday, 29 November 2010 09:48

Another way to pack a couch into a self storage unit is on its end or side, so the outside of the arm of the chair sits on the ground...the same rules apply when it comes to not allowing anything to press up against any spot on the couch but with this technique you need to be diligent about what type of couch you can put up on their end safely. A really heavy couch with very large cushoned arms is the type of item you wouldn't put on its end. Another tip is to make sure you still allow the couch to rest on a angle so that the entire weight isn't sitting on the arm but also on the side bottom corner too. This way you are far less likely to get a big flat spot press mark on the side of you couch arm.  One thing about putting a sofa bed on its end in a storage unit is that you have to tie up sprung loaded bed so it doesnt fling out and damage something.

Hot Tip: Make sure if you put a coach on its side you put something under it to pad it and protect it from the floor. You can use blankets or sheets, any type of material or even flat unused boxes like in the image, you can see 2 on the floor protecting the wall unit on its side.

Have a look at part 3 on how to pack a self storage unit like a professional furniture removalist. We will focus on boxes!

How to Pack Your Storage Unit in Adelaide Part 1

Friday, 26 November 2010 12:52

This is the part one of a seven part series on how to pack your storage unit, we hope you get some great tips out of it!

One of the hardest things for removalists to do is loading a clients furniture into storage units for the long term. Some of the storage units in Adelaide I have unpacked that were loaded from less experienced removalists would make your blood curdle......but this is a positive story to help you understand the importance of employing really good companies like Complete Removals  that concentrate more on our customers needs instead of our bottom line.  

This is probably the most common mistakes inexperienced people make. Couches and lounge chairs are such a point of concern with packing for storage because they are basically big cushions either covered by fabric, suede or leather. If you load them so anything like boxes, other furniture or even the storage unit wall is pressing against the cushions on the arms, seat or backrest, you can guarantee that it will leave a permanent press mark on the fabric. The easiest ways to avoid this to place the couch up above everything so nothing has to sit above it, I used to do this by building 2 towers of boxes and place the couch on the top so it nearly touches the roof....special Hot Tip. Don't let the couch actually touch the roof for two reasons.

1. You will get a press mark
2.  You may get heat burn from the roof of the unit depending on what style of storage unit you have leased.

If you like this advice, you may also like our tips on how to manouver a couch through a skinny doorway. We are revealing our trade secrets!!!

See part 2 for more great advice on how to pack a storage unit like a removalist.

 

Thankyou to Evon Brown for your comments.

Thursday, 25 November 2010 08:01

Evon moved locally  from Seaford to North Gate in the northern suburbs on Thursday last week here in Adelaide. She took the time to write a letter after her move saying how pleased she was with the removalists Simon and Craig. It was surprising to us that Evon didn't realise that we would set up her washing machine for her at the new house....its all a part of the service Evon. Good luck in your new home.

Get in early....

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 15:37

If you are moving in the next 2 months the RED HOT TIP is book early. The best removalists in Adelaide always book out weeks sometimes a month in advance. I have seen it time and time again, clients ring up at the last minute, cant book the companies they want to and have to ring company after company that they probably would not have even considered ringing, had they not been in this situation.... until finally ... they find someone that is available. Book us early and be prepared for your move early, its the best formula for a successful move!

Howdy world

Monday, 22 November 2010 10:34

We have finally released our blog to give helpful tips and updates on what we are doing and new changes to the industry that we feel you need to know. If you haven't already sign up for our quarterly newsletter, it should have some real thump for all you people that move often Locally in Adelaide or Interstate. Did you know that your removalists in adelaide costs can be reduced by half very easily with a few simple steps???? See it in our next post on Monday