We thought it would be helpful to put a few tips together to help you get the most from your storage cube. By following the helpful hints below we feel that you will get the best value for your money from each cube.
Measure your load
It is very important that you know what will fit where. To do this you should be armed with a good quality measuring tape at all times. Our units are 14 foot long x 6 foot wide x 6.5 foot high. If possible stack beds and sofas on their head which will maximise the head room available to you.
Larger pieces first
Plan your larger pieces and try to load in a way that you can utilise space below or inside furniture. If you are not careful in this early phase of loading you can lose a lot of space to fresh air. Be careful to balance larger heavier furniture throughout the cube rather than loading all your heavy objects in one place in the unit. This can lead to damage in transit when the load is not balanced. This helps with balancing the load for travelling and unloading.
Be clever with internal space
If you are storing cupboards, beds with drawers etc. ensure that you empty the contents before loading as furniture is likely to break if loaded when full could be too heavy to lift safely. When you have loaded into your cube you can then load all those fragile items which need protection into the drawers for safe keeping. If you have fragile display cabinets etc. which cannot take a weight loading, store boxes under the legs of the unit and build around it so that mattresses etc. can be loaded on top without making contact with fragile furniture beneath.
Lift from the ground up
A mistake which we see all too often is that people lift furniture from the top. Most furniture items such as cupboards and dressers will have an overhanging lip and the natural thing to do is carry your unit by lifting from this point. The furniture was never made to be carried like this and the top panel is likely to give way under the weight. Bend your knees, keep your back straight and lift from the base.
Use your Bungee Cords
We provide bungees to restrain your load when requested. Be sure to use them to tie down your load. Something that is sitting solidly in the trailer could move when you descend from your unit to load other pieces. So tie a bungee around your piece and attach to the walls of your cube and you can then remove when further items have been added to tighten the load in position.
Padding
If you have bed cloths, cushions from sofas, pillows etc. to load, don’t load them with the bed or sofa. Keep them for extra protection later in the loading process to protect fragile items such as mirrors etc. If you load heavy objects onto cushions and leave in storage for a medium period of time it can leave an imprint on the cushion. If your sofa cushions are built-in you will need to plan carefully what you load on top keeping weight to a minimum.
Fragile furniture
If you are loading fragile furniture be sure to evaluate what can be achieved. Are there long legs on the unit which will allow you to store boxes under the unit? Are there glass shelves within the unit which need packing separately before loading? Use bed cloths and blankets to protect items from getting scratched. Wood against wood will lead to scratching.
Bed bases upright and mattresses on top
Our units are made to take the majority of beds on their ends which is the best utilisation of space available. Where possible plan to leave a gap at the top of your cube so that you can slide mattresses in towards the end of the process.
Build your unit by working towards the back door
Make sure that you use all space available as you work towards the back of your unit. A common mistake is to use floor space too early and then climb over things afterwards to use up the available space. Make sure you can still stand in a position of authority within the unit and use up the space rather than double handling.
Plan it in your head
Loading your furniture is not rocket science but believe us when we tell you we have witnessed some very well thought out cubes and some which really were not best utilised and there is a big difference between the two. You now know the dimensions 14 x 6 x 6.5ft, so do the work in your head rather than in the back of the cube. You know what you have to store and at the end of the day if you can do it cleverly you will save yourself money!!!!
