If you are going to store larger household fixtures and appliances from a house or apartment that you will be vacating, you might want to call your local utility company to disconnect service several days in advance. While in transit, all doors should be taped tightly shut. For longer storage, wedge open doors on refrigerators and freezers to prevent mildew. Make sure insides are dry and clean. Do the same for storing stove tops and ovens. Keep in mind that you can store items and even small boxes inside large appliances. Cartons can easily be stacked on top of stoves, refrigerators, and freezers.

You can save space by disassembling your bed frames. Fasten them together with tape or rope. Cover mattresses to keep them clean. Place bolts in a small inner plastic bag, which you can tape to the side of the bed frame. Indicate on your list of contents where you put the bolts. See Furniture.

To avoid rust, wipe all metal surfaces with a rag containing a few drops of machine oil before storing for longer periods.

Always pack books and documents flat to avoid damaging the binding and spine. Although no boxes should ever be placed directly on the floor, cartons containing paper are particularly susceptible to the damages of moisture, so take good care to line them with paper, or preferably, plastic (such as garbage bags). Books and documents are also surprisingly heavy, so use smaller boxes (available at the Lockaway front desk). Be sure not to place fragile objects in the same box with your books or other documents.

For your convenience, a wide variety of boxes can be purchased at the Lockaway front desk. Generally, the lighter the individual item, the larger the box you should use. Although boxes may be rated for a much greater weight capacity, to prevent possible injury and strain, try to limit the weight of all boxes to under 30 pounds.

If you want to be sure that chairs and couches emerge in pre-storage condition, cover furniture legs with padding material. Use slipcovers over upholstery. Cover chairs with plastic chair covers. Don't store boxes on top of couches. See Furniture. Mattress and furniture covers are available at the Lockaway front desk.

Clothes are best stored on hangers. Lockaway has wardrobe boxes available. Alternatively, you can fold your clothes and leave them in dresser drawers. It is important to clean all clothes, bedding, curtains, drapes, and linens before storage. Using mothballs is a good idea.

First line the top and bottom of each dish with packing material. Wrap all fragile items individually and rest them on their edges, NOT stacked. Pack glasses toward the top of the box. Fill empty spaces with crumpled paper. Lockaway sells dish and glass packing sets to help keep your glassware safe. See Fragile Items.

Utilize the drawer space to store small, soft, delicate and fragile items. Sweaters, blankets and towels are perfect to wrap these items. Be sure to label the contents carefully! You can stack cartons on top of dressers.

When packing electronics, always use cushioning materials such as packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Never use materials that will conduct electricity, which could damage your electronics. Remove all parts that can be disconnected and wrap each piece separately in bubble wrap. Secure ends with tape. Line the bottom of the box with a thick layer of packing peantus or bubble wrap. Place the largest piece of equipment on the bottom. Fill holes with cushioning material. Place smaller protected items on top. Fill all remaining spaces with cushioning material to ensure nothing shifts during the move. Indicate which end is up. NOTE: CDs and software do not tolerate high temperatures. See Fragile Items.

Slow down! It's easy to throw all your things into boxes and stack them up, but you're likely to find quite a few broken objects if you don't give a little extra care to your fragile items. It's important to provide a generous amount of cushioning products, and to individually wrap the items. Before you seal the box, fill the empty spaces with crumpled paper. Mark the box with a big red "F" (fragile) on all sides. Stickers marked "Fragile" are available at Lockaway's front desk. Fragile boxes should be placed at the very top of your piles. Do not pile anything on top of them.

You can store larger furniture far more efficiently by standing pieces such as sofas and mattresses upright on one end. But you must make sure that you line the storage area floor with plastic or use the free wooden pallets (available at the Lockaway front desk). Many lightweight chairs are made to be stacked. See Beds, Chairs and Couches, and Dressers and Bureaus.

Wrap lamp bases in padding and place in boxes, dresser drawers, freezers or washing machines. Wrap lamp shades separately and pack in cartons. See Fragile Items.

IMPORTANT! It is of vital importance that you drain the tanks of any fuel. See Bicycles.

Pack mirrors and framed artwork separately. Use bubble wrap to protect wood frames. Use mirror boxes if possible. See Fragile Items.

Records should be stored on their edges to avoid warping. Tape the moving parts of turntables and other equipment (tone arm, turntable, etc.)

Where possible, remove the table legs. Bind the legs, leaves and pads together. If the legs are not removable, store the table upside down, with the legs up, and stack boxes on top of it. Be sure the table is properly covered and amply protected before you turn it over.

Rakes, hoes, shovels and other long handled tools can be bound together with tape or rope. See Bicycles.