How to Store Appliances: 20 Storage Ideas
Home appliances are significant and valuable investments worth protecting for many years. But if you move or your living situation changes, you might not have room in your home for every large and small appliance you own.
Stop & Stor helps customers store appliances and offers appliance storage ideas to maximize the space you pay for. Here are 20 practical tips and creative appliance storage ideas to protect your appliances in a storage unit.
Prepare Before Your Store
Whether you're moving, downsizing, renovating, or decluttering, it's crucial to prepare your appliances before storing them.
1. Take Inventory and Snap Photos
Memories quickly fade when things are stored out of sight and out of mind. Take inventory to document every type of appliance you put into storage. For insurance purposes, include details like items' make, model, and condition.
2. Deep Clean Your Appliances
Dirty appliances can attract pests and make stored appliances unusable over time. Make sure to remove any grease, standing water, or crumbs. To prevent mold in refrigerators and freezers, defrost them and allow them to completely dry.
3. Disconnect and Drain the Water
Another tip for storing appliances is to drain the water from all hoses of fridges, dishwashers, and laundry washers. Eliminating water during storage will prevent leaks, freeze damage, and mold.
4. Prevent Pest Infestations
To prevent pests in your appliance storage area, apply natural repellants and deterrent sprays. You can prevent nesting by taping doors shut. However, only tape doors loosely shut to prevent nests but still allow airflow.
5. Protect All Moving Parts
Home appliances packaging involves wrapping and securing all moving parts. Secure any doors or cords, and use tape or zip ties for wires and cords. When moving appliances into a storage unit, wrap them in shrink wrap, bubble wrap, or moving blankets.
Large Appliance Storage Ideas
Large appliances are notoriously heavy and challenging to move and find space for. Here are some tips about storage for washers, dryers, refrigerators, and managing other oversized items.
6. Choose the Right Unit Size
Stop & Stor offers many sizes of units for storing small appliances and larger items. Our 10x10 units are popular with customers who have more than one major appliance to store. If you only have a few small appliances to store, you may be able to use a budget-friendly 5x5x4 locker.
7. Upgrade to Climate-Controlled Storage
Climate-controlled storage is an excellent idea for storing appliances. With a steady temperature and humidity level, you can prevent rust, freeze damage, and warping. We highly recommend climate-controlled storage for storing a refrigerator or other appliances with plastic or rubber parts.
8. Store Appliances in the Best Position
How you place items in your unit matters with appliance storage. You can use pallets to elevate large items and shelves for small ones. Having airflow beneath appliances will also prevent water damage from condensation.
9. Don’t Plug Appliances into an Outlet
It is critical not to plug any appliance into an outlet in a storage unit. Doing so creates a fire hazard and the risk of short-circuiting.
10. Be Strategic with Placement
If you’re wondering how to pack appliances, place heavy items at the back and along the sides of your unit. Leave space between appliances for later access and ventilation.
Creative Tips for Storing Small Appliances
Many people need extra storage space for small appliances like blenders, toasters, bread makers, and coffeemakers. Here are some tips for storing small appliances.
11. Use Shelf Risers for Stacking
Consider stackable shelves for small electric items that sit on kitchen counters. You'll maximize storage space, and items will be easy to see and access whenever you need them.
12. Use Labeled Plastic Bins
Plastic bins are useful for kitchen collections like baking tools and coffee supplies. Label bins well so you know what's inside later without having to open them.
13. Keep Track of Accessories
It is also helpful to keep all items associated with the same appliance together for organization purposes. For example, organize a smoothie-making kit with your blender, powder scoop, and cups.
14. Incorporate Lazy Susans
Lazy Susans are useful in storage units because they make items accessible on a spinning wheel. You could store pressure cookers and mixers to save space and increase accessibility.
15. Place Loose Parts in Bags
Buy a few vacuum-sealed bags so that you don't lose cords, lids, and accessories. Label these bags with their contents to prevent dust and damage.
Home Appliances Packaging from Home to Unit
Now, here are some tips for how to pack appliances as you transport them from your home to your storage unit.
16. Maximize Vertical Space with Shelves
Add adjustable wire shelving to your storage unit to maximize vertical space. Freestanding shelving racks are affordable and can keep small appliances organized.
17. Group Appliances Together
It may help to designate a specific appliance zone within your storage unit. Keeping everything together will facilitate access and inventory tracking.
18. Install Pegboards and Hooks
Another of our appliance storage ideas is to hang lighter appliances and accessories from hooks or pegboards. Consider hanging items like electric knives, handheld mixers, and cords.
19. Bring in Portable Cabinets
If you have many appliances in storage, portable cabinets can provide both protection and in-unit organization.
20. Place Frequently Accessed Items in Front
Ensure ease of access for items that you will need to access often. For example, you might organize a shelf with morning breakfast appliances for occasional use.
Contact Stop & Stor for Appliance Storage
Renting a unit from Stop & Stor simplifies the process of storing a refrigerator, laundry machines, and other bulky or delicate appliances. Our secure, high-quality storage facilities help you take the best care of your appliances while freeing up more space in your house or garage.
If you’re ready to store your appliances safely and flexibly, please contact Stop & Stor to find the right storage unit near you.
Keep your possessions safe and secure during the entire phase of your home renovation by seeking out storage units in NYC. Here at Stop & Stor, we have a wide range of storage unit sizes. We offer small 25 square foot units that can hold a few furniture pieces as well as large 300 square foot units that have enough room to hold all the possessions from a 3-bedroom house. Find an available unit today to learn about all of our storage solutions so you can free up space in your home until the construction is complete.
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