Whether you have a house full of electronics that you own or you run an electronics business where you keep an inventory that you then sell to others, it’s vital that you know how to safely store these products if you want them to last through a move or in any kind of storage.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for safely storing your electronics.
Stay Away From Direct Sunlight
One of the worst things for electronics is heat. This heat when in the form of sunlight can be especially harmful.
According to Benj Edwards, a contributor to PCMag.com, even bright lights can impact electronics, especially if the casing for the electronics is made of plastic. When left in sunlight or bright lights, plastic can corrode and become brittle. If this happens while your electronics are in storage, there’s a good chance that the plastic casing of your electronics will break apart once you get them out of storage to use. Knowing this, it’s vital that you store your electronics where they can be safe from bright light or sunlight.
Ideally, you should place your electronics in a box where light can’t easily penetrate it. But if you don’t want to put everything in boxes, storing electronics in a room that doesn’t have any windows or isn’t in the light very often will be beneficial.
Keep Everything Correctly Labeled
When you pull electronics apart to store them, there can be a lot of disparate pieces that are hard to keep track of.
To ensure that you know what every cord and cable is, Christina Baxter, a contributor to Move.org, advises that you keep everything correctly labeled. For the best results, you should write on your labels both what each piece is a part of so that you can put the entire electronic back together as well as writing how each piece attaches to the whole electronic. This will make it much easier to put things back together once you get your items out of storage.
Control The Climate
Along with sunlight and other UV light being harmful to your electronics, the heat that comes from these lights can also be bad for your electronics while they’re being stored. In fact, even if you are planning to keep your electronics in a place where the temperature could vary a lot, you still might run into problems when you try to use your tech again.
To combat this, Moving.com recommends that you store your electronics in an area that has climate control. In some storage facilities, climate control can come as part of what you’re paying for. Or, if you’re storing these items in your house, try to keep them out of the attic or garage where you might not have as much control over the temperature.
If you’re going to be storing electronics for any period of time, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you keep your items safe.