When you plan to ship products to distant locations, you always expect that the delivery will take only a few days. The packaging materials won’t even matter once all your items reach the destination. However, when you plan to store items for extended periods, your concerns shift. Suddenly, you start considering how strong and durable packaging can transition into reliable options for long-term storage.
When you plan to store items for longer durations, they come with different risks. When evaluated, it turns out that you have to use the same kinds of packaging materials, just in a different way to ensure that you keep your items safe from different scenarios.
When shipping items to different locations, you may have been concerned about any jolts or damage that your parcel might encounter; however, when storing the same items for extended periods, they are at risk of absorbing moisture, developing mould, and experiencing corrosion if made of iron. Therefore, always ensure that when you are planning to safeguard your items for the long term, you need to think slightly differently and in a manner that protects them from all kinds of potential problems, which may or may not exist at the moment.
Understanding the Unique Risks of Long-Term Storage
What are the potential problems that come to your mind when you think about short-term storage or shipping problems? Several potential issues can arise, such as items being dropped or damaged from sudden impacts, packaging opening, or boxes becoming slightly slashed due to pressure from other packages. These are all short-term or rather quick impacts. In the case of items packed for the long term, problems arise slowly over time. While these issues may not manifest immediately, a little mishandling can lead to significant damage over time. We have listed the potential impacts below.
- Humidity and condensation can lead to warping, corrosion, and mould growth.
- Temperature changes can damage adhesives, paper products, and electronics.
- Pests and dust have the potential to deteriorate items that are being stored.
- Long-term stacking pressure leads to the crushing of fragile boxes.
To safeguard your items from these problems, you need to ensure that you get the packaging done right so even the changing weather and other conditions do not affect the items placed inside. Here in the next paragraphs, we have discussed how choosing the right box is the first step towards ensuring that your items stay right even for the long term.
Start with the Right Boxes
When items sustain damage, the first to suffer are the boxes—the packaging materials. They are the first things that come into contact with the environment or even with any kind of probable problem, which will act as a potential trigger that can damage the stuff placed inside. Therefore, first of all, try to choose the right boxes for the packaging of all your stuff.
- Double-wall cardboard boxes are ideal for heavier or stackable items. Their rigid structure resists compression over time.
- Single-wall boxes are best for lightweight items or short-term storage.
- Archive boxes are excellent for files, documents, and books. Many come with lids and handles for easy access.
Why a Large Roll of Bubble Wrap Is a Storage Essential
One thing that you should never do while packaging your items is underestimate any kind of packaging material. There are several kinds of packaging materials available, but a few of them are essential to ensure that all the items stay safe and secure when placed in their protection. One such packaging material is a bubble wrap roll. A large roll of bubble wrap, when wrapped around any item, will save them from getting damaged due to jerking or breaking. Also, since it is made of plastic, it blocks any kind of moisture, humidity or dust from entering the wrap. When wrapped inside them, they function as a shield, preventing any damage.
- Insulation: The air pockets help buffer temperature fluctuations.
- Moisture resistance: Bubble wrap can prevent condensation from reaching the surface of sensitive items.
- A physical barrier serves as a shield against dust and pests.
Summing Up
To sum up, there are various kinds of packaging materials, but it is important that you keep in mind the purpose of packaging before literally packing your stuff. When planning to pack anything for a longer duration of time, you need to ensure that they won’t get damaged in the process due to various reasons, including the environmental concerns. You can easily buy these packaging materials from Packaging Midlands, a leading seller of packaging items in the UK at quite cheap and affordable rates, and the best part is that you get them delivered right to your doorstep, so you don’t even need to commute to buy them in person.
