Whether you're moving house, storing recently purchased furniture or have another reason to place your sofa in storage, making sure your prized settee will survive its time in the unit is paramount. While any self storage facility worth mentioning will be equipped with the safety and security equipment required to keep your furnishings safe from thieves, sofas can still suffer if you don't take a few simple precautions before locking your sofa away. Keep the following guidelines in mind when preparing your sofa for storage to make sure it remains in top-notch condition when you retrieve it.
Choosing a storage facility
Besides the usual safety and security concerns when it comes to choosing a self-storage facility, you also have other factors to bear in mind if you need to store your sofa. Most importantly, you should ensure that the storage unit you choose features full climate and humidity control; without the ventilation and temperature control provided by this service, your sofa can become riddled with damp, mould and mildew due to temperature and humidity changes.
You should also ensure that the unit you choose is large enough to accommodate your sofa (and any other times you store in it) with room to spare. Cramming your couch in with a hundred other items leaves little room for air ventilation, creating a stale atmosphere that encourages fungal growth and prevents moisture from evaporating effectively.
Covering concrete floors
Many storage units have bare concrete floors to ensure durability, but this bare concrete can be a nightmare for a sofa. Moist, cool air can travel from the ground to your sofa through concrete's porous surface, leaving the bottom of your sofa very vulnerable to mould and damp.
To avoid this fate, cover the concrete floor of a storage unit with some kind of vapour barrier. A thick tarpaulin is more than adequate for this job, but durable plastic sheeting can also be used. This smooth plastic surface should also make maneuvering your sofa much easier, especially if it is fitted with casters.
Preparing your sofa
Once you have chosen a suitable storage facility, you should set about preparing your sofa for its time in the unit. The most important step here is to give your sofa a very thorough clean to remove any traces of mould that may grow to become a serious problem while your sofa is unsupervised. Letting the sofa dry thoroughly after its clean is equally important for similar reasons.
Wrapping your couch in a protective material or cover can provide added protection, although it is not mandatory in a well-maintained storage facility. Do not use plastic or bubble wraps as they prevent oxygen from reaching the sofa fabric and can cause it to smell. Use more breathable dust covers and furniture blankets to protect your sofa from dust and damage. These covers are particularly handy for protecting leather sofas, which can have their surfaces scratched while you load and unload your sofa.
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