Whether you’re just repainting your office or are planning a cross-town or cross-country move, storing electronic office items, such as computers, fax machines, copiers, and others is essential.
Even more important is ensuring that these pricey items are stored safely, securely, and properly until you need them back in your office again. You want to be sure that everything remains in a good condition and is in working order.
Electronic office equipment is quite fragile and needs to be stored properly to avoid any damage. This sensitive equipment has many different parts and pieces, all of which require special care when it comes to storage; especially when it comes to temperature and humidity. Therefore, you need to properly prep these items before sending them to a climate-controlled storage facility.
Back Up All Your Data
The first and probably most important step in preparing your electronic office equipment for storage is to back up all of your electronic data. That information is essential for your business; you don’t want to lose it while you store your equipment somewhere. Even if the data is old, you may need access to it in the future.
Data loss is no small thing. The deletion of important documents or client information could cost you in the long run. So, taking the time to back everything up before stashing your electronic office equipment in a secure storage center will help avoid costly mistakes or regret later on.
You can easily back up all the data from your electronic devices to a cloud server or external hard drive. Once all your information has been saved, you can retrieve it when needed, whether you have access to your electronic equipment, or if it’s in storage and you’re working remotely.
Clean Your Equipment
You can significantly increase the longevity of your electronic office equipment by cleaning them before putting them in storage. With most electronic hardware, you can simply wipe down the surfaces with a microfiber cloth. However, there are tons of hard-to-reach places. In this situation, consider cleaning your items using a compressed air duster.
This is the best method for cleaning out dust and other debris that accumulates on electronic ports and fans. The compressed air duster blows a thin stream of air, helping you you to reach the many nooks and crannies in electronic items. By cleaning your equipment thoroughly before storage, you are likely to avoid any damage to the sensitive parts and pieces found within these items.
Take What You Can Apart
Most electronic items consist of numerous parts and pieces. These could be part of the main device or just extra components. Ideally, you’ll want to store all the parts individually to keep them safe and secure. It’s also important to remove any CDs or DVDs from your devices and to store them in their own boxes. This will prevent them from getting stuck or damaged during storage.
Additionally, remove any batteries to store separately. A damaged battery can leak acid which, in turn, could irreparably damage your devices. Since there may be many components to keep track of, it’s a good idea to store them in storage bins or boxes that have been properly labeled. This will make your life much easier when you’re ready to reassemble everything again at a later stage.
Cover or Seal Items
Electronic devices are extremely vulnerable to dust, especially when sitting around unused. That’s why it’s good practice to properly cover and seal all electronics before storing them. This simple step will protect your electronic equipment from dust while in the storage unit.
Cover your monitors or screens in cotton, canvas, or cardboard as these are all materials that provide ideal protection. The dust will accumulate on the covers instead of on the sensitive equipment. Although you may be tempted to wrap your electronic items in bubble wrap, this material is made from plastic, which should be avoided. Plastic can lead to moisture build-up over time, leading to condensation. Condensation and electric equipment aren’t a good match; the result could be a reduced functionality of your devices. To help save money on potential equipment repairs, be sure to protect your electronic devices by covering them with an appropriate material.
Use Your Original Packaging
Hopefully, you still have all the original packaging and boxes for your electronic office equipment. If you do, then you’ll want to put the items back into their original boxes when getting them ready for storage. The original packaging was custom made for each particular device, meaning fragile items have maximum protection while being shipped or stored for long periods of time.
Having said all of this, very few people hang on to the original containers in which their office equipment arrived. If this happened to you, and you misplaced or threw out the original packaging, it’s possible to purchase custom boxes for certain electronic items. This may be a good idea, especially for expensive electronic office equipment.
While you’re packing those items away, you’ll also need to unplug any wires and detach any added accessories, then pack them separately before you place everything back into the box.
Choose the Right Storage Space
Electronic equipment is vulnerable to environmental elements, which means that you need to store it in the right conditions. A clean and dry storage space is essential if you want to preserve your electronic devices for an extended period of time. So store your electronic items in climate-controlled storage units. Such units offer carefully controlled temperature and humidity levels, which can lessen the chance of something going wrong.
When selecting that storage space, be sure that the environment is neither too hot nor too cold. Heat can warp plastic parts and shorten the battery lifespan of electronics. At the other end, cold could potentially send devices into shutdown mode, which will affect their functionality. Also be wary of humidity, which can lead to moisture build up and the potential for static discharge. A general rule of thumb is that storage offering room temperature with neutral levels of humidity is best for storing electronic office equipment.
Store Your Electronics the Right Way
Avoid regrets and costly mistakes by taking the time to store your electronics the right way. Packaging these items correctly and storing them properly will help ensure their continued operations when you’re ready to use them again.
Find climate-controlled storage units that are perfect for keeping your electronic office equipment safe while protecting them against extreme temperatures. Whether you need to store your electronics short-term or long-term, you can rest assured that these important items will be safe and secure. Best of all, you can count on their functionality when it’s time to put them back to work.
