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Bernice Chan

The prolonged pandemic – now in its third year – has prompted some people and families in Hong Kong to consider leaving the city temporarily.
Some are looking to move out of their flats and place possessions they don’t need to take with them into storage until they decide to return, from clothes and sports equipment to furniture and even wine.
Others are keeping their apartments but want to store their belongings in safe and air-controlled facilities, especially during the summer months when humidity in Hong Kong can wreak havoc on clothes and leather goods.
The storage industry in Hong Kong has flourished in the past decade as more people look to avoid overcrowding their shoebox-sized apartments.

Premium services offer complete solutions: Pakt, for example, will collect and dry clean clothes, then hang them in cloth bags in temperature-controlled rooms – and provide a photo of each item for clients’ records. It also has special rooms to store furs and luxury handbags that are all set at different temperatures and humidity levels.
Claire Breen Melwani, Pakt’s managing partner and head of business development, says the company also handles wedding dresses, which it hangs or packs in special boxes in acid-free tissue paper.
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“We work with a lot of the local bridal companies and sadly a lot of referrals had to do with weddings being postponed,” Melwani says. “You spend a lot of money on your wedding dress and you want to know it’s taken care of pre- and post-wedding.”
Melwani is currently in London and unable to return to Hong Kong, so she has had items she placed in the company’s storage sent to her instead. It’s very convenient to do so, she says, thanks to the photographic inventory of all her items at Pakt.
If a client decides to they want to make their temporary relocation permanent, movers can come to Pakt’s location in Chai Wan and pack the items for shipping.
“One client who left last summer and didn’t know she would be leaving Hong Kong for good, [she must have had] 200 pairs of shoes and over 200 items of clothing [in storage] … we oversaw the shipping company pack all the items and send them to her in the UK,” Melwani says.


Other companies, including Apple Storage and In N Out Storage, offer lockers of various sizes to meet people’s needs that are also in temperature-controlled spaces.
All three firms strongly suggest clients clean their clothes before either putting them in boxes or hanging them up, so that they don’t contaminate other items. At Pakt, each item will also be sterilised with UV rays for an extra layer of cleanliness.
For shoes, they say, it’s best to stuff them with tissue or newspaper to help keep their shape, then put them in shoe bags and, if possible, the original shoebox.
Handbags that need to keep their shape should also be stuffed with tissue and then placed in a dust bag or box.

Storage specialist Patrick Yuen Chi-hong of Apple Storage says using vacuum-sealed bags can save as much space as possible in boxes, while folding shirts and T-shirts Marie Kondo-style will ensure that they’re both compact and easy to identify.
“When you stack them one on top of the other you will mess up the folding you’ve done, but if they are stacked like upright books then it’s easier to find what you want,” he says. He adds that puffy jackets should be rolled up and squeezed into nylon socks to save space, while clients shouldn’t use mothballs as the smell will affect other customers’ items.
Clients also need to think carefully about where they will place their boxes in the locker, he says.
“When people come in with their boxes, they just shove them in randomly without thinking there may be items they may need in a few months, like winter or summer clothes and they need to be easily accessible,” he says. “They should place these items closer to the locker door so that they can grab them easily.”

He also recommends people place heavier boxes on the floor and then stack up to lighter ones, or even better, invest in a simple shelving unit for their locker for easier access, as well as safety.
Yuen’s other tips include using S-shape hooks, from which to hang items, and plastic storage boxes with wheels, which make moving stacks of boxes around easier.
Another suggestion is to keep an inventory or to photograph every item in each box to make it easier to find specific items; and, if possible, colour code each box according to contents, such as kitchenware, children’s toys or shoes, or according to different members of the household.
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Yuen says Apple Storage has an app that clients can use to take photos of the contents of a box, which will then generate a QR code that can be printed out and stuck on the outside. Clients can then simply scan the QR code to see what’s inside the box without opening it.
In N Out Storage’s Anna Sin says new clients can submit photos of the items they wish to store, after which the company will suggest what size and type of locker they need. To store clothes, there are lockers that have top and bottom racks from which items can be hung, as well as shelving space for boxes.
In N Out Storage also has a special room for wine that is cooler than the rest of the facility, which comes with an extra layer of security that requires using a fingerprint and face scanner.
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Meanwhile at Apple Storage, people can even rent special display cases for their collectibles. “It’s a locker where clients can show off their collections to their friends,” Yuen says.
Collections so far have ranged from plush toys to sneakers to even merchandise of Hong Kong boy band Mirror.
“One customer came in with a large paper bag filled with comic books from the 1990s that were in good condition,” Yuen recalls. “He said his flat is small, but these comic books were taking up space and at the same time these were things one cannot buy any more. So each person has different needs.”


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Fashion, handbag and shoes storage in Hong Kong – what to expect, and how to pack and organise

Companies in Hong Kong provide long-term storage for all kinds of belongings, from clothes and shoes to wine, handbags and even displays of collectibles.

Storage lockers at In N Out storage.

Pakt will collect and dry clean clothes, then hang them in cloth bags.

Pakt keeps a photographic record of clients’ items.

Some people use storage lockers to display their collectibles, like this one at Apple Storage.

A locker for storing clothes at Apple Storage.

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Fashion & Beauty


Companies such as Pakt, Apple Storage and In N Out Storage provide solutions ranging from simple storage lockers for clothes to low-temperature wine rooms
For best results fold clothes Marie Kondo-style, stuff shoes with newspaper, keep a photographic inventory of items stored and colour-code storage boxes



Whether you’re temporarily leaving Hong Kong or just want more living space, storage services include premium options. Expect temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms, and display cases for collectibles.


Fashion

Hong Kong

Living away from home