Find out about storing your antiques at home well, and about alternatives to home storage to consider.
Antiques are a wonderful addition to the home in all their various styles and uses.
Sometimes, the home does not have a place for the antiques that we have. Maybe there’s no room yet or, the design of the home isn’t really right for the vintage items we hope to one day display.
Whatever the reason is that your antiques aren’t meant to be displayed just yet, you’re going to want to store them properly. Storing them well means protecting your investment, and ensuring those antiques look great when you finally want to have them on display.
In this article we’ll let you know how to display your antiques well at home. We’ve also got some handy alternatives to home storage that might help if you want another safe space for storing.
The Risks Of Storing At Home
There are lots of risks of storing valuables like antiques at home including:
● Dust and debris from renovation
● Sunlight damage
● Theft
● Flooding
● Temperature damage
● Pests
● Human damage
● Pet damage
These are the main risks of storing at home, but many of those risks are preventable. Here’s how to protect your antiques from the risks above:
Dust and Debris from renovation
Secure your belongings in a room that you can then make airtight during the renovation. Ensure the dust and debris is completely removed from the home before opening the door to the storage room again. You could also tightly plastic wrap the antiques during renovation but this is a less reliable method.
Sunlight Damage
You should ideally store your antiques in a space that has no sunlight at all. That way, the heat and light from the sun can’t fade your antiques. Areas like the garage or the loft can be really good options for sunlight-free storage at home.
Theft
Home security options like CCTV, security lights and better locking systems are all really good ways to protect your home against theft.
Flooding
Unfortunately, if you are in an area prone to flooding then you are unlikely to be able to protect your home against flooding. You could place antiques in higher rooms in the home though, which means if it floods those items are less likely to be damaged.
Temperature damage
Temperature control is very hard at home as inside, the temperatures are likely to be programmed based on your needs for warmth. In the garage, the extreme cold might be an issue. The best way to store your items in as neutral a temperature as possible is to store them in the spare room where the heating is turned right down, or off.
Pests
The best way to protect your antiques from pests is to avoid storing them in areas pests can get in, such as the garage. Although pests can get in the home, they’re most likely to go into the garage as there is more access from the outside, and less human activity.
Human Damage
To protect your antiques from human damage, place them in a room that can be locked and stack them in a way they can’t easily fall over. The same tips apply for protecting your antiques against pet damage. If the pets can’t get to your things, they can’t damage them.
Would You Prefer A More Failsafe Storage Option For Your Antiques?
If you want a guaranteed solution to all of the above risks and more, it might be worth considering cheap self storage. Self storage facilities know that you’re paying them for a safe place for your things.
They take extra precautions against pests, they offer climate control, they have flood control and various other measures to keep your things safe. Your antiques are usually much safer within cheap self storage than they are at home. If you truly want them as you left them, it might be worth having a look into local self storage here.
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