Storing antique furniture, clocks and pictures

Clearing a parent's house, or moving, can leave a family with old furniture, a clock or some pictures to keep for months. Old wood reacts to the air around it. The Institute of Conservation, known as Icon, and the storage trade bodies set out what to look for.

Choosing between two kinds of storage

BAR, the British Association of Removers, names two main options for storing household goods. One is self storage. The other is containerised storage, which most removal companies offer.

In containerised storage, a remover packs your things into large, strong, purpose-built wooden boxes. The containers go straight from the van into the remover's warehouse. BAR says customer access to its members' warehouses is kept to a minimum, and a member of staff always goes with a visiting customer.

The Self Storage Association UK (SSA UK) describes self storage as a room away from home. Only you should have access to it, and your goods should not sit in a shared space.

What to ask a self storage store

SSA UK lists ten things to consider. Several of them bear on old pieces:

What harms old furniture

Icon's care guide says very dry air dries out and shrinks most timbers, while a damp place may make the wood expand. It recommends a stable relative humidity of 40 to 60%.

Above 70% relative humidity, Icon says, woodboring insects become more active, and mould can take hold. Softwoods, beech, walnut, lime, oak and ash can all be attacked. Fresh exit holes are one sign.

Light and the ultraviolet in daylight change the colour of timber. Icon describes that damage as cumulative and irreversible. It also advises keeping furniture away from heat such as radiators, because the air near them is very dry.

Clocks

Icon says a clock should not be near a heat source of any kind, including strong sunlight. Hands should stay off the dial, because moisture from skin is corrosive and can lift painted or printed detail.

Packing and visiting

SSA UK suggests writing on each box what is in it. Cardboard boxes soften and weaken over time, so a stack that looks firm on the day may not be a month or a year later.

SSA UK also suggests a visit once a month, if you can manage it. Opening the door lets the air move, and it is a chance to check on everything.

What the insurance pays

SSA UK says that storage cover is, in most cases, the cost to replace the items, not what they are worth. For an old piece, ask the store or the insurer what a claim would pay.

When something needs repair

Icon advises against home repairs, because the wrong treatment can do more harm than leaving a piece alone. If you find fresh signs of insects, it suggests wrapping the piece in plastic and moving it away from other items. Then contact a conservator or a pest expert. Icon keeps a directory of professional conservators.

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