4 Tips for Storing Musical Instruments

If your family is musically inclined and you own several musical instruments, you may find moving and storing the instruments challenging. You can keep most musical instruments in a self-storage unit for the short term or long term as long as you prepare them carefully.

Here are some general tips for storing musical instruments.

Consider The Need For Climate Controlled Storage

Climate controlled storage is often the best option when storing musical instruments, but it isn't always essential when you just need short-term storage during seasons when temperature and humidity are mild. Climate control is important for long-term needs since wood instruments can warp with fluctuations in humidity. Hot weather, high humidity, cold weather, and dry air can harm your instruments, so if you're storing your things long-term or during the winter or summer, choose a climate-controlled unit.

Allow Plenty Of Room

Try not to stuff other household goods in the same unit as you keep your musical instruments. If you have a lot of things to keep in storage, you may even want a separate smaller unit just for your guitars, piano, and other instruments so nothing will fall on them and so they aren't crowded and in danger. You don't want to stack instruments, and it's good to keep them off the floor.

Consider bringing in a shelving unit you can place in the middle of the room so each instrument can be placed on a shelf in its protective case. Putting the shelf in the middle of the storage unit allows for air circulation and more even temperatures. A piano or tuba would be too large to keep on a shelf, so make a way to keep them off the floor. For instance, you might place the piano on blocks so the wood legs aren't subject to cold temperatures or dampness from the concrete floor.

Clean And Wrap Instruments Carefully

Be sure your instruments are clean and follow their individual care instructions for storing them. Things like loosening tension on stringed instruments and drums, wiping dust off, and using padded storage cases help your instruments survive their time in storage. In addition to using their custom cases, you may want to place each case in another box with air pillows or other padding and cover the boxes with sheets to add further protection and keep out dust.

Check Your Instruments Occasionally

If your things will be in storage for the long term, such as while you're waiting for a house to be built, try to visit your storage unit to check on the fragile or valuable pieces. A quick check of wood for warping and metal for rusting allows you to find problems early so you can take your instrument in for repair before the problem is out of hand. However, if you prepare your pieces carefully and store them properly, they should be ready to clean, reassemble, tune, and play when you take them out of storage.