A dust sheet is a large piece of cloth put over furniture to protect it from dust. The name now also covers polythene sheets sold for the same job, and the difference matters in storage: a cotton sheet lets air through, while a polythene one keeps off dust and drips but also holds in any moisture underneath.
At Wigwam
Dust sheets are one of the simplest ways to keep furniture in good shape in your unit. Our Box Shop sells a 3m x 5m polythene dust cover, sized for beds, sofas, wardrobes and stacks of boxes. It’s ideal for the move and for keeping dust and dirt off clean, dry things.
For anything staying a while, the approach we suggest is:
- use polythene over hard, clean, dry items and stacks of boxes, draped loosely so air can still move underneath;
- use cotton dust sheets, blankets or old cotton bedsheets over wood, upholstery, mattresses and anything else that could hold moisture;
- take off or loosen any plastic wrap once furniture is in place, because plastic sealed around it for months can trap moisture.
Whatever you use, cover things only once they’re clean and completely dry, and keep them off the floor with a small gap at the walls. A sheet over a damp sofa keeps the damp in.
Why cloth for long stays
Conservation advice for textiles warns against plastic garment bags because there’s no air circulation, which can encourage moisture to build up, and suggests prewashed cotton muslin as a dust cover instead. The same thinking works for furniture in a storage unit.
Related terms
Related questions
- How do I stop clothes going musty in a storage unit?
- Will wooden or leather furniture crack or warp in a storage unit?
- Can I stand a sofa on its end in storage?
Further reading
- Canadian Conservation Institute: Basic care: textiles