London Storage Tips: How to Properly Store Your Winter Sports Equipment

The summer months are the perfect moment to bring out our canoes, bikes and camping gear and prepare for some fun. For the inhabitants of the British capital, this means it’s time to pay a visit to their self-storage as most London homes are quite small. Owning or renting a place outside your house to store all seasonal equipment and tools you don’t need daily, is a great way to keep your home in order. There are many tips and tricks when it comes to arranging the items in your unit, and we will share some of them with you. So let’s get the summer gear out and teach you how to store your winter sports equipment properly.

Prepare Your Ski for the Summer

The number one rule for storing ski is to wax them before placing them away for the summer. This will create a protective layer on top of their metal bottoms and prevent them from rusting. Here are the steps you need to follow:

• Clean your ski from the leftover dirt.
• Polish them to remove all rusty spots.
• Wax the bottoms carefully.
• Place them in a ski bag or wrap them in a plastic sheet.
• Put the ski in your unit either facing up or straight, on the ground. If you pick the first option, remember the fronts of your ski must point upwards.

Your storage must be dry, and you need to be able to control the temperature to avoid damaging the surface of your ski. If you are at a loss what type of unit to rent check out our complete storage guide. There you can see all the different options you can pick from and decide on the best one for you.

Don’t Forget to Place Your Ski Boots in Your London Storage

Ski boots much like regular shoes need to be cleaned before they are put away for the summer. Remove the inner part and wash it. Place it back in the boot only after it is completely dried off. When you are getting ready to store your ski boots, remember to buckle all of the hooks to prevent the plastic from losing its shape. After everything is done, put them in a box, plastic crate or a bag. Do not place anything on top of them in your storage.

What about Snowboards?

If you are an adventures type, you may be a snowboard lover. In this case, here is what you need to do:

• Use a soft cloth and water to clean your snowboard from the leftover mud and dirt.
• Avoid applying any detergents as they might damage its surface.
• Remove the bindings and wash them separately.
• Sharpen the edges of the snowboard, remove the rust and wax it. (You can either go to a professional or do it yourself.)
• Put the snowboard in its bag or wrap it in plastic.
• When placing it in your London storage, make sure to secure the snowboard properly and leave it standing on its tail.

Much like the ski gear, the snowboard is ideally preserved in a dry, cold place. This makes storage units perfect for the job.

Winter Sports Accessories in Your London Storage

Regardless of the sport, you practise you will need to make space for all additional equipment like helmets, protective gear, goggles. Our storage experts have a couple of tips for them:

• Avoid touching the lenses of your goggles and always use a microfibre cloth. Place them in their original box or buy a specialised container for them. Make sure they are stored in a dry spot where nothing can accidentally scratch them.
• Remove the inner part of your helmet and wash it. Place it back when it’s all dried off. Thankfully, helmets are easy to store. You can put it in a bag or plastic container.
• You can treat the protective padded shorts and snowboard armour like any other piece of clothing. Wash them by hand while following the manufacturers’ instructions, dry them, fold them and neatly place them in a plastic create containing all of your other gear.

If you are interested to find out other packing tips to help you store your items for long periods of time, why not check our ultimate house moving guide. We have listed more than 15 technics you might find useful.

The Right Way of Storing Ice Skates

Last but not least, let’s talk about ice skates. Depending on the material they are made of, there are a couple of different approaches when it comes to storing them.

• Leather skates must be cleaned only with a specialised detergent. Avoid rubbing them with hard brushes or sponges. Rather, use a soft cloth or towel. Make sure to apply a good amount of leather conditioner to prevent the material from cracking.
• Textile ones are the easiest to prepare for storing. Use a sponge and some soapy water to clean them. Make sure they are all drier off before putting them away.
• You need to sharpen the blades and wax them.

The perfect way to store ice skates is by placing them in a cloth bag, so they can breathe and avoid rust and mould problems.

If you have any questions, you can leave them in the comment section below and our experts will give you some guidance.

Stephanie Cooper

Stephanie is a content marketing specialist for Top Removals for the past several years. She has extensive experience working with moving companies and knows her audience. Stephanie creates engaging and useful content helping the customers of Top Removals with their struggles and providing them with the most accurate insight.