Are you moving houses and stressed about where you are going to keep your piano? Look no further! I’ll go over the different types of facilities to store your piano at and what the recommendations are for piano storage. From humidity to orientation there are a few different factors that we need to discuss here.
Location
Let’s talk location. Piano Storage is not much different than storing other furniture. Indoor is the best place for it, obviously. I would avoid storage in the garage or an outside shed that doesn’t have a proper HVAC system. Most storage facilities are good, provided that it’s climate-controlled. Those storage facilities that are like garages outside I would avoid. The best place to have it stored would be your home. Grand pianos can go on their sides on a board and can save a lot of space. Uprights can be tucked into corners. Overall as far as location goes you are looking for indoor storage and climate-controlled.
Climate
Speaking of climate control, let’s discuss why this is so important. The humidity is the biggest factor when storing a piano. We recommend pianos be stored and kept in environments that have 30%-40% relative humidity. Anything higher than this and the wood in the piano can actually start to swell and retain that moisture and can cause a lot of damage to the piano. Cold temperatures can be a problem for the piano too as the humidity would drop too low at that point. The humidity being too low can also be a big problem because the wood can get too dry and start to crack and splinter.
Orientation
Let’s talk orientation. I touched on this briefly earlier. The way most piano companies store grand pianos is on its side on a piano board. This orientation has no known negative effects on the piano. Many many companies store their pianos this way, from Steinway and Sons to Yamaha. As far as an upright piano goes, there really isn’t any special orientation. If you are storing it in your house or your own storage facility then tucking it in the corner is going to save you the most room, obviously.
Are you in need of professional piano storage? Click the link to the right and set up a time for us to come and pick up your piano!