If you’re an international student, you’re unlikely to want to take all your possessions with you every time you travel home – it’s a lot to fit in your luggage! However, it might not always be possible to leave your items in your student accommodation. The landlord may choose to let your room over Christmas, or you might be concerned that your possessions won’t be secure.
That’s where student storage comes in handy – your precious laptop with all your coursework on, books and favourite clothes will be monitored 24/7. Plus, the storage periods are flexible, meaning you can come and collect your possessions at any time.
Knowing how to store your items correctly is key, as this will ensure they are in a good condition when you come and collect them. If you’re on a tight budget, you want to ensure whatever you’re storing doesn’t take up a lot of space, too.
Our tips below will help you with both of the above.
Vacuum pack your clothing
Clothing can take up a lot of room in storage, but luckily there’s an easy way to reduce this space. Vacuum compression bags will keep your clothes compact and ensure they stay fresh and crease free. They don’t cost much and are easy to use, too.
Simply roll up your clothes (folding will create creases) and put them inside the bags. Push all the air out of the bags (or you can use a vacuum cleaner) and seal them – simple!
Wrap up drawers
If you need to store any furniture, making sure it doesn’t get damaged in the move is probably your number one priority. After all, it’s not cheap to replace. Furniture with moveable parts, such as drawers, can be particularly difficult to protect whilst in transit.
An easy way to protect drawers is to wrap them up with plastic. Start by emptying the drawers completely – you can put things back in them when they’re in storage to save space, but you don’t want to lug unnecessarily heavy furniture around if you can avoid it.
Next, wrap the whole chest of drawers in plastic, so nothing can open or move. For extra protection, drape some old towels and blankets over the furniture and tape them in place. If the furniture gets knocked at any point during the transit, it shouldn’t get scratched or dented.
Store your books correctly
Whether your books are for pleasure of educational purposes, care needs to be taken when storing them. It’s all too easy to damage the spines and pages of books, so it’s not enough to just pile them into one big box and hope they’ll be ok.
First, you need to dust your books (if necessary); then find some small boxes you can place them in. It’s a bad idea to put too many books into a larger box, as the weight will cause issues for you during transportation – plus there’s a chance the box could break and damage your books.
If possible, use newer boxes: older ones could contain residual smells and dirt which could have a negative impact on your books. When placing them in the boxes, make sure they are laid flat – this may mean they take up more room, but standing them upright will damage the spines.
Clean your bedding before storage
There are several ways to store your bedding, but one of the biggest mistakes people make is not choosing to clean it beforehand. Failing to wash your bedding could damage its condition over time. You also need to check the bedding is dry – you don’t want your pillows to grow mould or develop a nasty damp smell!
Once your bedding smells fresh and feels dry you need to decide how you’re going to store it. The first option is vacuum bags, which we’ve already mentioned. These are excellent if you want to ensure your bedding stays free of allergens and takes up as little space as possible.
Another option is plastic-lidded boxes, which are also great for keeping your bedding clean and allergen-free. If you don’t have any plastic boxes, cardboard ones are a good alternative. To reduce the amount of dust and dirt that could get in, line the box with a heavy-duty rubbish bag and place the bedding inside it. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can and seal it with a simple knot.
For more student storage tips, check out our other guides. If you have any questions about Titan Storage’s facilities, please give us a call on 0800 644 0018 or fill out our quote form.
