How to Pack a Storage Container

Before you start

• Check that everything will fit: one container holds the contents of an average three-bedroom house, about 10 pallets or around 310 average-sized storage boxes.
• Check the list of what you can and cannot store: nothing flammable (petrol, oil, gas, paint), no food or perishables, and nothing that could leak onto the floor.
• Arrange insurance for your contents. It is not included, and the storage agreement asks you to insure your things to a suitable value.
• Drain fridges, freezers and washing machines, and let everything dry before it goes in.

Loading, back to front

1. Lay pallets on the floor if you have them, so nothing sits directly on the container floor.
2. Put the heaviest and least-needed items in first, at the far end: white goods, chests of drawers, boxes of books.
3. Take beds, tables and shelving apart. Keep the fixings in a labelled bag taped to the largest piece.
4. Stand mattresses and sofa cushions on their sides in covers, and keep sofas the right way up.
5. Stack boxes of the same size in columns up to the ceiling, heaviest at the bottom, labels facing you.
6. Leave a small gap between your things and the container walls so air can circulate.
7. Put the things you might need first near the doors, and leave a walkway down one side if you will be visiting often.

Boxes and wrapping

Strong boxes of one or two sizes stack far better than a mix of bags and crates. Wrap furniture in breathable dust sheets or blankets rather than sealing it in plastic, which can trap moisture; our guide to storing furniture long term has more on this, and damp and condensation explains why airflow matters.

Getting there

You can park right beside your container and load straight from your car or van, so there are no corridors, lifts or trolleys. Directions and our what3words address are on the location page.

Questions people ask