Home Appliance Storage
Unused appliances can take up a lot of spacel A lot of people sell their used appliances but others prefer to use them in vacation homes, hand them down to friends and family or keep them as a back up. Since new appliances are expensive, you may want to consider renting a public storage facility to make extra space in your home or garage. A self storage rental can be an affordable and convenient solution for short-term or long-term storage. Properly preparing your appliances for remote storage is important.
Our self storage professionals can answer any additional questions or concerns regarding appliance storage.
Run a final cycle
Prior to placing a washing machine in a public storage units you will want to run the empty washer through a complete wash cycle using either a cup of bleach or white vinegar instead of detergent through the system.
Drain liquid
Emptying excess water from hoses, holding tanks, plastic tubing and other internal components will help prevent freezing and mildew.
Clean the interior
When storing refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens it is important to clean out the appliances and scrub them completely. Food and sugar remnants can attract bugs, even in interior storage units. Most refrigerators have a defrost pan either below or behind the appliance you will want to clean and dry the defrost pan. For Appliances that use water, wipe the rubber cushion seal around the perimeter of the door as mildew tends to collect in this area.
Treat for insects
Insects are attracted to food and sugar once you have thoroughly cleaned your appliance you may wish to treat it with insect spray.
Clean the exterior
Motor-driven appliances have intake areas such as lint filter, tube or grid so be sure to clean these areas. A vacuum may be used to do the trick, greasy openings, you might use an old toothbrush.
Remove glass and protect finish
Remove glass shelves or fragile parts before transporting them separately from the appliance as this will help to keep them from breaking. Protect appliances with finishes that can scratch or dent by wrapping them in blankets or bubble wrap. Always transport refrigerators upright.
Secure with tape
When transporting to the storage unit you can use tape to hold the appliance door closed. The tape should stay in place during the move, be mindful that tape can leave residue on your appliance so choose a type that won’t such as blue painters tape. Once in the storage unit, remove the tape and prop the appliance’s door open to prevent mildew.
Choose a suitable storage unit
Air conditioned storage may be the way to go especially if you live in a high humidity area. The indoor air conditioned storage units also offer a more dust free environment to store your appliances which will help to protect electronic components.
Load last
Transport Refrigerators upright and pack them last on the truck so they are the first items coming off the truck.
Unload first
By unloading the truck first the large appliances can by place in the back of the storage unit. This will allow for you to keep things you will need to access from the storage unit up front.
Prop open the door
To help deter mildew you will want to find a way to prop the appliance's door open for the duration of the storage rental.
Avoid unwanted odors
Baking soda can help prevent smells from accumulating in your stored appliance so place open baking soda containers in your appliance before placing it in the storage unit.
Conserve space
You can use the space inside your empty appliances to stow some items, but be careful do not put heavy items such as books inside the appliance. Some storage and moving companies advise against stowing items inside your appliances for additional storage space but, a clean, dry, open appliance is a good spot to store lighter items, including fragile things.
Cover and protect
Wrap appliances with a finished surface with a blanket or furniture pad before placing them in the storage unit to prevent from scratching.