How to Prepare Your High-Value Items for Long-Term Storage

Proper long-term storage is essential for preserving high-value and sentimental items, from collectibles to family heirlooms. This guide for storing valuable items provides practical tips for organising, preparing, and protecting your items to prevent damage over time. With the right storage methods and long term storage company, you can ensure your treasured possessions remain safe for years to come!

So, you’ve made the wise decision to invest in a long term storage company  for storing  valuable items, but now you need to actually prepare your valuable and precious belongings and choose the right self storage provider. Knowing how to maintain these items ensures their longevity, meaning they’ll retain their value and stay in pristine condition for years to come. Whether it’s a sentimental art canvas you bought with your first paycheck, storage furniture, like a handmade coffee table from your grandfather, or a prized antique watch collection, we’ve got you covered with these top tips for storing valuable items!

Valuable items are not always expensive––they often hold historical or sentimental significance, such as: 

• Collectibles: Stamps, coins, comic books, vintage toys, and rare books
• Luxury items: Designer handbags, jewellery, artwork, and whiskey collections
• Family heirlooms: Antique furniture, silverware, china, and photographs
• Personal valuables: Decorative blankets, custom-made pieces, and keepsakes passed down through generations

No matter what kind of item you value, proper storage will ensure they remain intact and pristine for future use!

Here’s how to start storing valuable items long term:

Step 1: Organise and take inventory

Before placing your valuables into long-term storage, make sure you take note of everything going in there, even down to the guitar picks inside that retro guitar case. This helps keep track of what you own and allows for easy retrieval later.

• Create a detailed list: Itemise each valuable possession including a description of its current condition. 
• Take photographs: Include pictures of your items from various angles so any pre-existing damage is visible––this is invaluable for insurance.
• Label storage containers: Add clear, large labels to any boxes or containers to avoid unnecessary handling.

Step 2: Clean and prepare items

The last thing you want is to collect your prized antique photo album after a few months in storage only to find that one damp corner has spread and ruined all your precious photos! Not properly cleaning items can lead to severe deterioration, so ensure your valuables are stored in their best possible condition.

• Dust and wipe down everything: Clean metal, wood, and glass surfaces with appropriate solutions, including the inside of your storage facility.
• Wrap fragile items: It’s unlikely your items will shift on their own, but use bubble wrap for ceramics and glassware just in case you knock something when you’re moving around your self-storage unit.
• Store items appropriately for their material:
  • Prevent cracking of leather goods with specialised leather conditioners.
  • Store textiles like vintage clothing or quilts in breathable garment bags.
  • Vacuum seal blankets, pillows and duvets to prevent dust buildup. 

Step 3: Consider storage environments

Ensuring you have rented the correct self-storage unit for your valuables is essential in preventing damage and protecting from temperature fluctuations, pests, and wear and tear! Storage providers like U Can Store offer secure and stable environments to protect your valuables. When choosing a storage unit, consider the following:

• Choose the right size storage unit: Ensure your chosen facility is large enough for moveable space around high-value items, preventing scratching and damage.
• Use desiccants: Silica gel packs placed around the storage unit will absorb moisture in the enclosed storage space.

Step 4: Prioritise security

Security is just as important as environmental care when storing valuable items, especially in Johannesburg where break-ins are a sadly common occurrence! 

• Choose a reputable storage facility provider: Ensure the storage provider is well-known and has glowing reviews you can trust. Check out U Can Store’s customer testimonials as an example of a fantastic, reputable provider.
• Look for gated access control: Having secure gated access means your items are at much less risk from unauthorised personnel snooping around the facility, no matter where in Johannesburg the facility is located.
• Prioritise 24/7 surveillance: Storage facilities with 24/7 CCTV surveillance have much lower risks of break-ins and robberies, meaning your valuables are well protected at all hours.
• Check items periodically: Pop into your storage unit every few weeks to help spot potential issues early.
• Insure your valuables: Consider taking out insurance for peace of mind against theft or damage. Storage providers favour storage facilities like U Can Store, who use state-of-the-art technology to provide the highest levels of security in Johannesburg. 

Why U Can Store is the Best Long-Term Storage Company for storing valuable  Items 

Whether you’re preserving a whiskey collection, safeguarding family heirlooms, furniture, or ensuring your collectibles stay pristine, following these best practices for storing valuable items will keep your treasures safe for generations to come. 

And now you know how to properly store your high-value items, make sure you choose the best storage provider for your needs! Investing in a quality long term storage company ensures the longevity of what matters most to you, and U Can Store is the best provider on the market. Not only do U Can Store self-storage facilities provide high-end technology solutions to keep valuables safe and secure, but their wide range of storage options mean you can find the perfect size unit, in the ideal location, and for the best cost on the market! 

Find out more about why U Can Store is ideal for high-value possessions!