A TV, whether LCD or plasma, is a central part of many homes, and if you’re putting your screen in storage, you’ll want to make sure you avoid damaging it. This goes double if you’ve spent out on a cutting-edge high-res television.
Don’t forget to take a picture
A quick snapshot of the back of your TV showing what cables go where will save you time when you bring your entertainment system out of storage and set it up again. You can even print the picture and store it with your telly.
Don’t store a dirty screen
Screens have a knack for attracting dust and smears. Before you put your screen in storage, give it a clean so that it’s ready to go when you bring it out again. Coarse dust can cause minute scratches when your TV is, inevitably, jostled in the move. And smears may be harder to remove if you leave them for a few months. Always follow the user manual’s advice about the best way to clean your TV screen. See our post about cleaning screens for more information on keeping your TV in tip-top condition.
Don’t store your LCD screen with its stand
You’ll find it easier to pack your TV without its stand, and remove any cables, too. If you pack them in with the screen, they could scratch it, or place pressure on it. Pack them in a clearly labelled container so you know to pick them up when you bring your telly out of storage.
Don’t store your TV without protection
Televisions, particularly plasma screens, are surprisingly fragile. Be sure to keep it upright as you pack – don’t lay it on its screen. Either use the original packaging or wrap your telly in a duvet cover and slide it into a cardboard box. Ask around on local community sites such as Nextdoor to see if anyone has a box you can use from a new TV purchase. Or you may find that your storage facility sells a box specially designed for storing a flatscreen TV. As you pad your television, make sure you don’t stick any tape directly on the screen.
Don’t lift a large television alone
If your TV is very large, get help with moving it. Screens are awkward to lift and carry and dropping a fragile TV will cause extensive damage. Make sure you use a moving dolly or a trolley.
Don’t store your TV screen down
Storing an LCD telly with the screen down will put pressure on delicate working parts and shorten your TV’s life. Even storing it lying flat with the screen facing up is a bad idea as it is all too easy to stack something on top of it. It’s best to store your TV upright. You can slide it between two large items, such as a sofa and a table turned on its side.
Don’t store your TV in a poor quality environment
Extremes of hot and cold will damage your screen, and so will high humidity, which can cause build-up of moisture inside a TV’s casing. Unfortunately, domestic attics, garages and sheds all suffer from poor environmental conditions. If you value your TV, consider putting it into a self-storage unit. You will also benefit from enhanced security.
You may be thinking that using an external storage unit is expensive. But work out how much self-storage is per month and compare it to the cost of replacing your TV if it gets damaged by a poor quality storage environment. Also consider how much you’d pay to just not worry about whether your domestic goods are safe in storage. You can get further peace of mind by insuring your stored goods: get a quote today from Store and Insure.
