Many people enjoy searching yard sales, flea markets, and secondhand stores for old furniture, books, and miscellaneous household items as an interesting hobby, while others collect family heirlooms and antiques as a way of preserving precious memories. Whatever your motivation, there is no disputing the charm and durability these types of items maintain over the years, but finding space to put your collectibles can be a hassle. Phoenix storage units provide the perfect, space-saving solution to your problem. They provide a secure, climate-controlled storage solution while still allowing for easy accessibility. Advantages of Using A Phoenix Storage Unit For Antiques When stored within your home, an antique collection can add clutter and take up unnecessary space, while requiring constant dusting and cleaning. Items that are infrequently used can end up being damaged by mold or mildew, as well as from being stuffed into corners or cabinets, which can result in chips, tears, and staining. A Phoenix storage unit not only provides a safe, centrally located place to store items that you do not need on constant display, but also keeps these items safe and in good condition for when you do choose to use them either for yourself or as a gift to other family members. Antiques that are perfectly suited for a Phoenix storage unit include the following: Furniture, such as antique dressers, dinette sets, or couches and settees, which are often heavy and impractical for use in an apartment or smaller home; Fine china, dishes, and glassware used only for special occasions, which require careful packing to prevent chipping and breakage; Antique jewelry and accessories that take up space in your drawers and can easily get lost or stolen; Coin or baseball card collections and other collectible items that you wish to maintain yet lack the room to properly display; Old books, photographs, and family albums that you wish to preserve for future generations. Preparing Your Antiques For Storage Once you have decided on the items you want to place in a storage unit in Phoenix, your next step is packing them in a way that will ensure they stay safe and protected. Follow these tips to ensure your antiques are kept in good condition, ready and waiting when you need them: For wood and furniture: According to The Antiques Almanac, you should make sure that any furniture you are storing is clean and free of dust, while using particular care on the types of cleaning substances you use on wooden furnishings. Avoid using oil-based products that could leave a residue, and remember that your main goal in cleaning is not so much to make the item shine as it is to protect the grain and patina of the wood itself. For old books and documents: Take extra care with old books and papers as well, and make sure there are no paperclips, which could result in tearing and indentations. Give book dust jackets a light dusting with a clean, dry cloth, and make sure all pages are unfolded and free of creases. The Library of Congress recommends storing books and albums of similar size together, while standing these items upright in their natural position so that they can support each other. For household items and jewelry: Carefully pack all glass, china, and other fragile items in appropriate packing materials, such as Styrofoam peanuts, and keep jewelry and smaller items from getting jumbled or lost by using separate organizers within each of your packing boxes. US Storage Centers 1201 East Cinnabar Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85020 (602) 842-0456
