We all have sentimental items in our homes, things that mean the world to us without ever being able to perfectly explain exactly why, but no matter how much they mean to us, if there isn’t space for it, there isn’t space.
The true value of a sentimental item is never something so shallow as money, on the contrary, to the right person a scrap of paper can be worth 100 times more than a diamond necklace. The hidden meanings and values of items can be incredibly strong, so we understand the need to protect those belongings that you can’t part with. Fortunately, for those meaningful items that you couldn’t bear to be without, but can’t display within your own home, there’s an alternative to the drastic choice of throwing it away – storage.
Whether the sentimental item in your home is something as big as an inherited antique table or as small as a collection of old CDs, make sure you declutter your home carefully by storing your sentimental items safely.
How to store sentimental items
While the steps involved in storing your sentimental items will change depending on what exactly you’re storing, as certain things will require different preparation, packaging equipment and storage spaces, the process remains largely the same.
- Step one: Firstly, you’ll need to prepare your items for storage. The most item-specific stage, this means washing fine china and crockery, dusting ornaments, polishing wooden furniture and so on. Put plainly, you should be packing your sentimental items in their best condition possible so that, when the time comes to remove them from storage, whether that be so you can display them in your home, pass them on to a loved one who can, or simply because you want to see them, you’ll find them in perfect condition.
- Step two: Next, you’ll need to source the right packaging supplies for your items. We stock all the materials you’ll need in our on-site box store, including built for purpose boxes and high quality packaging supplies such as archive boxes for books and similar items that need to be preserved and wardrobe boxes which are perfect for storing old suits and dresses from special occasions. Additionally, with our friendly and experienced staff ready to help you choose the right supplies, this stage is incredibly easy. Getting exactly the right size, shape and type of packaging materials will inevitably make the next stage easier, so it’s worth putting in that little extra effort.
- Step three: Perhaps the most difficult step in that it can be a time consuming process broken up by moments of nostalgia and emotion, step three requires you to pack up your sentimental items. Taking the time to reminisce as you pack away your sentimental items is important and can be a cathartic process, and gives you the time to ensure everything is packed perfectly to ensure the item suffers no damage while it’s in storage. For furniture, this would include using cling film to ensure the surface is safe from bumps and scratches during transport whereas for collections of crockery and delicate ornaments, you’d need to individually bubble wrap each item to protect it from breakages.
- Step four: The last step in storing your fully packaged sentimental items is, of course, to actually store them. Most often, what motivates people to store their sentimental items is a need to declutter homes, so the best place to store your packaged boxes is in a self storage unit. Not only is this safer than keeping the boxes in a shed or garage, where the items could become damaged by poor weather conditions, damp or even stolen, but using a secure and sheltered space outside of the home also leaves you with more space where you can store more immediately needed items.
Self storage for sentimental items
Decluttering sentimental items can be an emotionally draining process, but sometimes it’s a necessity. Most of us simply don’t have the room in our home to display full collection of vintage ornaments left behind loved ones, can’t afford to change the style of a room to accommodate a large piece of inherited furniture or need cupboard space for something more frequently used than boxes containing dusty collection of cassette tapes, CDs and old vinyl records you can’t bare to part with.
The most important thing in all of this is that the items you care about are properly cared for, so should you need to declutter your home, you can rest assured knowing they’re safe and secure in a self storage unit.
Benefits of decluttering sentimental items with Storage World
With three locations across Greater Manchester, including one within easy reach of Manchester City Centre, we’re confident that we can supply exactly the right size and type of storage unit for you, no matter which facility you are closest to.
Whenever you’re ready to pack away your sentimental items and declutter your home, simply give us a call or visit our enquiry page and we’ll help you identify which unit you’ll require and give you a quote on our convenient storage solutions.
