Are you a resident of Crawley who has some memorabilia you’d like to store safely and reasonably, while not having it sit in your house? Self-storage in Crawley is one of the best ways to store memorabilia.

What is self-storage? It involves renting out a storage unit for your personal use. When you rent out a storage unit, you can store your personal possessions, such as memorabilia. Because it’s a “self-storage,” you’re in control. After you’ve signed a contract for fees, you are given a padlock, a key, and you can visit your storage unit when you need to.

One of the advantages of a quality self-storage is that the unit is secure from the elements, climate-controlled, kept safe with security procedures such as CCTV, protected by smoke detectors and fire alarms, etc. In many ways storing memorabilia in a quality self-storage unit is preferable to storing such items in your home. Here are 3 tips for storing memorabilia in a self-storage unit.

1. Store Your Memorabilia in Proper Conditions

Memorabilia, by its very nature, are items you cherish, wish to keep, are unique, and are often expensive. If you store your memorabilia in sunlight, in a humid area, in an area that is too hot or too cold, you can easily damage it. For example, let’s say you have a book that was published in the late 1800s. Sunlight and humidity could easily ruin such as item. Therefore, keeping your things in proper conditions is rule number one. One of the benefits of a quality storage unit is that the unit is temperature-controlled and free from humidity and sunlight. Your basement or your attic, for example, probably won’t allow for such proper conditions.

2. Avoid Cleaning Memorabilia Before Storage

If you choose to clean your memorabilia before you store it, you must be careful the way you do it. So ask yourself, do I need to clean my item before it is stored? Furthermore, ask yourself if it should be cleaned at all. Coins, for example, can lose their value if you make them shiny. Antique furniture can get damaged with certain cleaners.  Guns on the other hand might require cleaning before storage, especially those assembled AR-10 rifles which have just returned from a deep game hunting trip. In most cases, merely storing your memorabilia without cleaning is sufficient.

3. Be Careful the Way You Wrap Memorabilia Before Storing It

The way you wrap an item before you store it is extremely important. For example, if you have a 1950s sweater that you adore, do not cover it in plastic before storage. It’s best to wrap such an item in tissue paper and place it in an acid-free box. If you’re storing precious china or glass, they should be wrapped in bubble wrap before storage and placed in a box, ensuring not to overfill the box. Art should be wrapped in blankets made of natural material and stored vertically. Newspaper, for example, should not be used as the ink can bleed onto the art.

If you live in the Crawley area of the UK, Henfield Storage has quality storage units for your memorabilia. Visit Henfield Storage to get started.