Appliances:
Refrigerators
and/or freezers should be thoroughly dry and stored with doors
slightly ajar. Some goods can be stored inside large appliances and
boxes can be stacked on top of stoves, refrigerators and freezers.
Make sure that stoves and cooking equipment are cleaned before they
are stored.
Bicycles and
other metal items:
To retard rust,
wipe all metal surfaces with a rag containing a few drops of machine
oil.
Books and
documents:
Pack books flat to
protect their spines. Do not place boxes directly on concrete floors,
but use pallets or skids to prevent moisture absorption. Use packing
to fill out empty pockets in the boxes. Do not pack fragile items in
the same box with books and do not overload.
Bedding,
clothing, curtains, drapes and linens:
Clothing, curtains
and drapes should be stored on hangers. Wardrobe boxes may be
purchased in our office. If the items are too large for a box or
cannot be hung, such items should be carefully folded and stored in
dresser drawers, cedar chests or wardrobe style cardboard cartons
along with bedding and linens. Food crumbs or stains should be removed
before storing. Avoid storing anything that may attract pests.
Dishes and
glassware:
Place a layer of
packing inside the bottom and at the top of boxes containing
glassware. Ideally these items should be stored in a specifically
designed dish pack box (available in the office). All glass items
should be individually wrapped: nest cups and bowls and stand plates,
saucers and platters on edge. Wrapped glasses should be placed near
the top of cartons. Again, fill all pockets with packing materials.
Label all boxes containing glassware, and do not place heavy items on
boxes containing glassware.
Furniture:
Place a pallet,
corrugated cardboard mat, or plastic sheet on the floor and stand
sofas and mattresses on end. Disassemble beds and tables and wrap
table legs in paper. If a table will not disassemble, place padding on
the floor and place the table on its top with the legs pointing up.
Use dresser tops for stacking cartons and dresser drawers for linens
or small, delicate items. Keep upholstery off the floor. Most
lightweight chairs can be stacked "seat to seat" or placed
upside down on tables which cannot be disassembled. Finally, place a
light cotton (e.g., a bed sheet) dust cover on your furniture or
several types of dust covers can be purchased.
Holiday
decorations:
Save the original
cartons that contained delicate ornaments and pad the ornaments with
packing paper or newsprint. Wrap strings of lights around a piece of
cardboard before placing in a carton lined with packing paper.
Lamps:
Wrap large lamps
and place them in boxes and pack delicate lamp shades separately. Do
not use newsprint to wrap lamp shades or any other goods that may be
damaged by ink stains. Do not store heavy items on cartons containing
lamp shades.
Mirrors, windows
and screens:
These items should
be stored on edge, not flat.
Tools:
Metal tools should
be cleaned and wiped with a rag containing a few drops of machine oil
to retard rust. Long-handled tools such as rakes, shovels and hoes
should be clean, lightly oiled and tied in bundles. |
