Storage Tips: How to Store Leather, Furs, and Quality Upholstery

If you are planning on moving valuable items into a long term storage unit you should take special consideration in storing them properly to ensure their quality and life. We want to make sure you have all the resources you need to help you appropriately store your items, whether leather boots, handbags, jackets, fur coats, or quality upholstered furniture.

It is very important to know how to store leather, furs, and quality upholstery. Here is a short list of steps to take when storing your special items:

How to Store Leather:

• Clean and treat your leather.

  Making sure your leathers are clean will help uphold their quality during storage and treating them with leather conditioner will also help with the quality and life of your leathers.

• Stuff shoes, boot legs and sleeves with acid-free paper.

  The absorbency of acid-free paper helps to keep a balanced moisture level.

• Use sturdy hangers.

  For items you plan to hang make sure you are using wide, sturdy hangers. Because leather is heavy, you don’t want creases to develop on your items or have the hangers bend and/or break during storage.

• Store items in breathable containers, no plastic.

  Store hanging items in a fabric bag, plastic bags or wraps will hold in unwanted moisture. Suitcase or wooden trunks would be best for non-hanging items. Leather needs to breathe properly to avoid mildew.

• Make sure storage space maintains cool temperatures.

  If storage unit is too hot leathers can dry out and crack.

• If storing items long term- it is beneficial to take them out periodically for air.

How to Store Furs:

• Clean and protect from insects and rodents with fabric deterrent.

  Having your leathers cleaned before storage is always good to assure quality is maintained during storage.

• Air out.

  As with leather, too much moisture can cause mildew in fur fabrics. It is good to allow them to breathe to make certain all cleaners and any other moisture is completely dried.

• Store items in cool, dark, dry places.

• Protect with fabric bags, suitcases or wooden trunks.

  The easiest way to ruin furs is by storing them in undesirable climate.

• If storing for long-term, climate controlled environment is best advised.

How to Store Quality Upholstered Furniture:

• Clean upholstery.

  Make sure to clean covers and surfaces well. Fabric disinfectant would be most beneficial here to help further protect from mildews and mold.

• Air out, to ensure all fabrics are moisture free.

• Disassemble any parts of furniture that can be.

  To make moving and organizing within your storage unit it is best that all pieces of furniture are broken down as much as they can be.

• Wrap in plastic or shrink wrap.

  This helps protect your furniture from dust as well as keeping unwanted moisture out.

• Use pallets to keep furniture off the floor in case of flooding.

  This is a very unlikely scenario but if your items are worth storing, they are worth protecting. That means preparing for the worst.

• Line floor with plastic to create a moisture barrier.

  Concrete draws in moisture so creating a barrier between the floor and your items will help keep that moisture out.

If you have any questions about what type of conditions our Reno NV storage units provide or if you are looking for any other long term storage tips please contact us.

Happy moving, everyone!

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