How to Pack for Storage and Organise Your Space
Storage sounds simple. Put your things in a room, lock the door, come back when you need them.
But items in storage sit for weeks or months. They go through two loading and unloading cycles, in and out. Temperature changes, humidity, and dust take a toll. And if you do not organise the space properly, you will spend hours digging through boxes looking for one thing you need.
This guide covers everything: what type of storage to choose (see our storage solutions for the full comparison), how to pack properly for long-term storage, and how to organise your space so you can actually find things later.
Jump to: Storage Types | How to Pack | Organise Your Space | Timeline | FAQ
Need storage? Get Your Free Quote, learn more about us, or read our room-by-room packing guide. 1st week FREE with any removal.
Part 1: What type of storage do you need?
How London House Removals handles storage
We offer two options depending on what you need.
Our own container storage. We store your items in 250 cubic foot (7 m³) wooden containers at our secure facility in Rainham, Essex (RM13). A 1-bed flat needs 1-2 containers, a 2-bed house 2-4, a 3-bed house 4-6. Our team loads your items into our vans, takes them to storage, and places everything carefully into your container. When you are ready, we bring everything to your new address.
- Price: £30 per container, per week (includes VAT). 4-week billing period.
- Insurance: Included at no extra cost. Higher cover available on request.
- Access: 7 days notice required. Assisted access from £48 (2-hour minimum, £24 per hour after), plus £30 for the forklift access up to five containers. Call us before you need access and we will talk you through the options.
- Refunds: If you move out early, refunds are calculated per full week remaining.
Big Yellow storage through us. If you prefer the flexibility of self-storage but want someone else to handle the moving, we can arrange a room at Big Yellow on your behalf. Their main branch we work with is in Edmonton, Advent Way N18, but other locations are available. We transport your items there, load them into your room, and you have access whenever you want during opening hours.
Room sizes range from 25 to 300 square feet. Enough for anything from a few boxes to a full 5-bedroom house. We cannot quote a fixed price here because Big Yellow’s rates vary by location, time of year, and availability. But because we book with them regularly, we can usually get you a better rate than walking in as a retail customer.
If you would rather not be involved at all, we can handle everything: arrange the quote, book the room, move your items in, and hold the keys. In this case, inspections require one of our movers to accompany you (8 days’ notice, £24 per hour, 2-hour minimum) and VAT is added on the top of the Big Yellow prices, as we organise and pay on your behalf. Refunds for early move-out are calculated per day.
What size storage do you need?
Our containers are 250 cubic feet each (roughly 7 cubic metres: 2.35m high, 1.52m wide, 2.13m deep). Container price is £30 per week per container (includes VAT, insurance included, and redelivery). 4-week minimum billing period.
Self-storage pricing comes directly from Big Yellow and varies by location, season, and availability. We cannot list fixed prices here, but we typically secure better rates than you would get walking in as a retail customer. Contact us and we will arrange a quote on your behalf.
1st week of storage is FREE with any removal.
If you are between sizes, go larger. An overstuffed storage space is impossible to navigate and you risk damaging items trying to squeeze past them.
Where should your storage facility be?
If you need regular access, pick a facility within 20 minutes of your home or workplace. A 45-minute drive each way to grab one box gets old very fast.
If you do not need access, container storage, store-and-forget, the location matters less. What matters is price, security, and insurance.
Part 2: How to pack for storage
Storage packing is different from moving-day packing. Your items sit in a container or room for weeks or months. They go through two loading cycles. Temperature changes, humidity, and dust add stress that a one-day move does not.
Buy the right materials (do not cheap out)
Storage demands stronger protection than a single-day move:
- Double-walled corrugated boxes (not single-wall, they weaken and sag over time)
- Brown PVC tape (clear tape dries out and splits after a few months in storage)
- Plenty of bubble wrap and packing paper for fragile items, more than you think
- Plastic covers for mattresses, sofas, and upholstered furniture (dust and moisture protection)
- Silica gel packets for boxes with electronics, books, or anything moisture-sensitive
- Furniture blankets for wooden furniture and appliances
How to pack your boxes
Use small boxes for heavy items, books, kitchenware, tools. They are easier to carry and less likely to collapse under their own weight over months.
Use medium and large boxes for light items, bedding, clothes, cushions, lampshades. Fill boxes completely. Half-empty boxes crush when stacked. If a box is not full, fill the remaining space with crumpled paper or bubble wrap to maintain structural integrity.
Every box gets a label on at least two sides and on top. Write the room name and a brief contents list. “Kitchen, pots, pans, utensils, baking trays” is useful a month later. “Stuff” is not.
Furniture preparation
Disassemble what you can: beds, tables, shelving units. Keep all hardware (screws, bolts, brackets, Allen keys) in a labelled zip-lock bag. Tape the bag securely to the largest piece of the furniture it belongs to, never to a surface that will be visible when the furniture is reassembled.
Wrap wooden furniture in blankets or plastic covers to prevent scratches. Upholstered items need protection from dust, plastic covers or old sheets work.
Never store fabric items directly on a concrete floor. Concrete sweats moisture. Use pallets, plastic sheeting, or at minimum a layer of cardboard as a barrier between the floor and anything fabric.
Appliances and electronics
Fridges and freezers: defrost at least 48 hours before storage. Clean and dry thoroughly. Leave the door slightly ajar, do not tape it shut. A sealed fridge develops mould within weeks.
Washing machines and dishwashers: drain completely. Run an empty drain cycle if possible. Leave the door open slightly.
Electronics: back up data before packing. Remove batteries from anything battery-powered, leaking batteries destroy devices. Pack electronics in their original boxes if you have them. If not, wrap in anti-static bubble wrap (pink) or regular bubble wrap with a layer of paper between the device and the plastic.
What NOT to put in storage
Part 3: How to organise your storage space
A well-organised storage space saves hours of frustration. Do not just stack boxes in a pile and hope for the best.
Create an aisle
Leave a central path from the door to the back of the space. Even a narrow aisle, 18 to 24 inches, lets you reach any box without moving ten others. The aisle is the difference between a usable storage space and a wall of cardboard.
Stack smart
Heavy boxes and appliances go on the floor. Lighter boxes stack on top. Furniture goes against the walls. Tall narrow items, mattresses, headboards, doors, stand vertically against a wall, not flat on the floor. This saves space and prevents warping.
Stack boxes with the labels facing the aisle. You should be able to read every label without moving a single box.
Zone your storage
Group boxes by room or by access priority:
- Front zone (near the door): Items you might need during storage, seasonal clothes, tools, sports equipment, the kids’ toys they suddenly cannot live without
- Middle zone: Occasionally needed items, books, decorations, spare bedding, kitchen items you are not using daily
- Back zone: Long-term items you will not touch until move-out, furniture, appliances, archived paperwork, sentimental boxes
The map
Tape a simple map or list to the inside of the door or the front wall. It does not need to be architectural. Just mark which zone is where and what is in each one. Six months from now, when you are standing in front of 40 identical brown boxes looking for the Christmas decorations, you will be glad you did.
The “open first” box
Pack one box with essentials you might need during the storage period: a few kitchen basics, a basic toolkit, spare phone chargers, important documents you might need to reference. Label it “OPEN FIRST” on every side in the largest letters you can. Place it directly in front of the door. If you ever come back for one thing, it will be in that box.
Packing timeline for storage
Need storage? Call us on +44 207 118 7778 or Get Your Free Quote. We handle everything: loading, transport, storage, and redelivery. 1st week FREE with any removal.
FAQ
Ready to store? Call +44 207 118 7778 or Get Your Free Quote. Container storage from £30/week including insurance, collection, storage, and redelivery. 1st week FREE.