As an importer or exporter of furniture items, you know that long journeys and lengthy drayage stays can damage items. Properly preparing your items for transit and storage saves money on costly inventory replacements, repairs, and customer returns. There are many factors to consider when you prepare your merchandise for shipping overseas, and you can take careful steps to protect it from damage in long-term storage.
1. Clean the Furniture
Residual dust or dirt on items can result in staining or damage during transit and long-term storage. Wipe down the wood furniture with a damp cloth, vacuum upholstery, and polish any metal areas to remove existing oxidation.
Ensure all furniture is dry before wrapping or placing them in boxes to reduce the chances of moisture damaging the finish.
2. Take Furniture Apart
The transportation and storage process can result in scrapes or dents that impact expensive furniture. In severe cases, removal employees can drop heavy pieces of furniture, causing significant damage. It’s a good idea to dismantle furniture to lighten packages’ weight and make each box’s dimensions smaller for easier stacking and moving during transportation.
While it may be easy to unscrew furniture and place it into smaller sections, it can be extremely challenging to do this in an orderly manner. Trained professionals ensure each piece of furniture is included with its corresponding parts, making reassembly quicker and easier.
This level of organization helps to ensure parts do not go missing during long-term storage, ensuring there is no need to replace expensive furniture because one piece is no longer available after the storage period.
3. Pack Furniture Appropriately
It’s essential to treat each piece of furniture individually. If smaller items fit in plastic bags, this is an added layer of protection that repels moisture and prevents scratching. Bubble wrap is essential for more robust defense, and sturdy boxes and containers are vital for safe storage and transportation. Always seal each compartment to prevent dust and dampness from entering and damaging your furniture.
All furniture items should be packed tightly into containers, leaving no room for movement during transport. If the wooden chair or couch has space to shift, it can cause scuffing or scrapes on the finish.
Keep an inventory list when preparing your items, as this allows you to keep track of every piece of furniture you are committing to long-term storage. In a few months, you may find it more challenging to remember what inventory is in storage and what has been sent to end-users, so keeping a list removes any confusion.
4. Protect Glass Items
Glass items understandably need extra protection during transportation and storage. It’s important to wrap mirrors and glass items such as coffee tables and glassware hutches with extra care. Less experienced firms may tape packing paper directly onto the glass, leaving a sticky mark after removal.
Full-length boxes can accommodate glass without the need to apply sticky adhesives that can leave a mark on your office furniture.
5. Secure Drawers and Doors
If you are shipping items such as desks, dressers, and buffets, secure any moving parts before packing them into a container. Use zip-ties, plastic, or rope to keep doors and drawers from opening during transit. Do not apply tape directly to the surface of the furniture because this can damage the finish. Instead, wrap plastic wrap or foam sheets around the item, and use tape to secure the wrap.
6. Long-Term Storage Facilities
At Asiana USA, we know how important your inventory items’ quality is to your business’ bottom line. For long-term furniture storage, it’s essential to prevent humidity from building up, inviting mold, deterioration, and pests to cause permanent damage to your pieces.
We recommend storage in climate-controlled storage in warehouses and storage units to protect your items from extreme temperatures. Climate-controlled units and warehouses also protect your furniture from cracking over long periods of time in extremely cold climates.
If you are renting a storage unit to store your inventory when it arrives from overseas, ensure it is in a secure area with 24-hour security. Inspect the lighting, the pipes for leaks, and the security of doors and walls to ensure your furniture items are protected.
Contact Asiana USA
Asiana USA is an expert in long-term furniture storage. We can arrange for storage space and transportation anywhere globally and work with a network of reliable and trusted partners.
We work with experienced storage facilities to offer a full-service long-term furniture storage solution and help you achieve the best value at the most affordable price. For a consultation and quote for your long-term commercial furniture storage requirements, contact the Asiana USA sales team at (855) 500-1808.
