How to Store Your Electronics in a Storage Unit

Steps to Proper Packing & Storage

Computers, televisions, home entertainment systems, gaming systems, and other sensitive electronics are among your most precious items. Costly to purchase and often costlier to repair or replace, these items need special attention during the moving process.

If you’re planning to store your items before delivery, these are the steps we recommend to keep your items safe, secure, and in good condition.

Back Up Data of Devices & Consoles Before Storage

Your electronics are valuable, but the information they contain is invaluable and often irreplaceable. Before disconnecting computers or laptops, always back up your data by uploading it to the cloud or backing it up on an external hard drive.

While we make every effort to ensure the safety of your electronics in storage, keeping your external hard drives off-site is advisable for additional protection against data loss. It’s also best to carefully review any manufacturer-specific recommendations regarding parking hard drives and preparing your electronics for moving and storage.

Organize Your Electronics for Packing

The first step is to organize your electronics. You can do this by size, material, and length of storage. You’ll want to secure and label all cords, accessories, and peripherals, as these items are easy to misplace and lose.

Rather than attaching them to your computers or televisions, placing these items together in a sturdy, clearly labeled container such as a plastic tote is advisable.

We recommend removing batteries from computer mice, laptops, TV remotes, or other battery-operated electronics. Batteries can leak corrosive substances that can permanently damage these items.

If you have any items with lithium-ion batteries, you’ll want to ensure these are removed and stored in a well-ventilated, climate-controlled space, as these pose a considerable fire hazard.

Clean & Pack Your Electronics in Protective Coverings

Once your electronics are itemized and organized, you’ll want to ensure that each item is properly cleaned and packed. Whenever possible, original packaging is best for this.

However, many television, computer, gaming system, and home entertainment system manufacturers provide custom storage cases that may be worth the investment depending on the age and replacement cost of the item.

If original packaging and custom cases aren’t available or cost-effective, then you’ll want to invest in reliable packing materials. This includes bubble wrap, tape, blankets, and cardboard.

These materials will help protect your items from scratches, dents, and other damage. When packing, pay particular attention to protecting screens and peripheral ports, which are most vulnerable to damage.

Choose a Climate Controlled Storage Facility

Climate controlled storage is essential for protecting delicate electronics from damage caused by excessive temperatures or humidity. Exposure to extreme heat or cold and excess humidity can ruin wiring and hard drives, encourage corrosion, and cause permanent, irreversible damage to a wide range of components.

When you consider the cost of replacing computers, home entertainment systems, and other electronics, climate-controlled storage is a cost effective investment that will protect your electronics and help protect the invaluable data, photographs, videos, games, programs, and personal memories they contain.

Why You Shouldn’t Stack or Lean Electronic Devices in Storage

But the most important question is: Why do you need to store electronic devices differently?

Stack or place them horizontally. Now, any portable electronic device must never be stored in an inappropriate manner. This means… Do not place them sideways, do not place them against each other and do not stack them in a way which could put excessive pressure on the grouping of devices. The following points illustrate these measures from a more detailed perspective:

Prevent External Damage: Yes, stacking screens or devices together when multiple are being used is not a great idea but even this form of handling has some lesser congruencies of external cracks due to pressure.

AvoidMalfunction And Cracks: The long term effects of devices that are simply placed on top of one another means that the sensitive internal components within the devices get misaligned and begin to develop. But with that being said, being aggressive with the device whilst attempting to simply lean one up device on top of the other is not suitable either.

Preserve Integrity: Stacking the devices on top of one another increases the stress on the devices and breaks the structural tolerances these electronics where specifically designed within which in due cause can range from being restrictive or permanently destructive.

Dust Defense: The normal physical approach of storing the devices ensures the safety of the device head of and its peripherals by not being touched or overused so the best solution is not to store everyone of the components inside a device which is then put in a box.

These measures ensure that your electronics are not prone to physical, functional and wear and tear related damage in the long run thus validating the cost paid for buying them.

Why It’s Essential to Power Down and Unplug Devices Before Storage

Improper storage of electronic gadgets without due diligence could result in unexpected faults developing. Below are some of the reasons as to why it is important to ensure that the devices are turned off when being stored for later use:

Enhance Efficiency: It is never a heroic idea to store a power-operated device plugged into a socket as it could cause more harm than good.Such equipment tend to reside a lot with both mobile devices and laptops. Keeping the devices semi detached for storing is very inefficient because the energy required to preserve the battery is wasted and in the long run decreases the battery life.

Reduce Electrical Damage: As previously mentioned, certain devices are insulated to prevent sparks which only increases the risk of a device overheating and igniting due to misuse of current. That’s rather common in third world countries where there’s poor electricity infrastructure. The device can be placed at risk of wire shorts, sudden blasts or overheating.

Reduce Damage: One may prefer to unplug and turn off connectors and wired electronic devices if at all they intend to use them for a longer duration. The rampant use of gadgets being constantly left on charge leads to their deterioration in an estimated time period which is shakily shorter than that of when used responsibly.

Prevent Data Loss: External hard drives can be easily damaged by a sudden surge in power. This can result in files or data getting permanently corrupted. By removing the drive the chances of sudden data loss increase significantly.

There are a number of fairly critical measures that you can undertake so as to safeguard the integrity of the devices and even more so to prolong the time interval within which the devices will succumb to sacrificing reparations or facelifts.

Store Your Electronics With Georgetown Moving and Storage

At Georgetown Moving and Storage Company, our extensive storage facility options give you the flexibility you need at the affordable price you deserve. Our options include climate-controlled storage protecting electronics, artwork, wine, and other valuables from damage.

Georgetown Moving and Storage Company offers specialized storage units designed to accommodate the unique needs of electronic equipment and electronic components. When packing electronics, it’s crucial to use anti static bag to shield sensitive parts from static electricity, which can be detrimental to fragile electronics like gaming console.

The company provides storage tips to ensure the proper storage and safety of your items, such as need to label boxes and stacking heavy items correctly in our state-of-the-art storage facility. Following these best practices ensures your electronic equipment remains in excellent condition during storage.

As a leader in the moving and storage industry, you can rely on our GSA-certified moving specialists to provide the reliable solutions you deserve. Whether you need to store items for a short or indefinite period, we’ll keep them safe and secure until you’re ready to have them delivered to your home.

Call (703) 889-8899 to get a free estimate for the storage solutions you need.