label Move
If you're moving abroad for one to three years and plan to come back, storing your furniture and household goods in Noida is often simpler than shipping everything out and back, or leaving a locked flat behind. Sell or give away what you won't want in three years. Pack the rest for a long stay, name someone in India who can act for you, and keep a photo inventory with you abroad.
- What are your options for the things you leave behind?
- What's worth keeping for one to three years?
- How do you pack for a long stay in storage?
- How should appliances and electronics be prepared?
- How do you manage storage from abroad?
- What does the timeline before you fly look like?
- What happens when you come back?
- Checklist before you leave Noida
- FAQs
- Sources and notes
An offer letter for Dubai, a two-year posting in Singapore, a spouse's PhD in Canada. Families in Noida move abroad for all sorts of reasons, and many of them plan to come back. The question that follows is always the same. What do you do with a whole flat of furniture you'll want again in two years?
This guide is for families leaving Noida, Greater Noida or nearby parts of Delhi for one to three years.
What are your options for the things you leave behind?
| Option | Works when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Ship everything abroad | The move is long or permanent and housing there is unfurnished | Shipping both ways, customs rules, and furniture that may not suit the new home |
| Leave it in your own flat | You own the flat and won't rent it out | No rental income, plus dust, damp and pests in a closed flat, and someone has to check on it |
| Store with family | They have real spare space | Space runs out, and things get used or moved around |
| Self storage | You want to rent out or give up the flat and keep your things | Monthly rent over the period, so declutter first to keep the room small |
Many families mix these options. They ship a few cartons of clothes and personal things, sell the old appliances, and store the furniture they'd want back.
What's worth keeping for one to three years?
Ask one question about each item: would I buy this again when I'm back? If the answer is no, sell it, donate it or give it to family now.
- Usually worth storing: good solid-wood furniture, beds, family heirlooms, books, artwork, kitchenware you like, and items that would be costly to replace.
- Often not worth storing: old appliances near the end of their life, cheap particle-board furniture, mattresses you were planning to replace anyway, and outgrown kids' things.
- Don't store: food, plants, gas cylinders, fuel, paint and other flammables, cash, jewellery and important original documents. Check what can and cannot be stored.
How do you pack for a long stay in storage?
Packing for a two-year stay is different from packing for a two-week gap. Things sit through monsoons and summers, so cleanliness and airflow matter more.
- Clean and dry everything before it goes into a carton. Wash and fully dry fabrics.
- Use strong, new cartons rather than old ones that may already be weak or damp.
- Wrap wooden furniture in breathable covers or old sheets. Avoid sealing it tightly in plastic, which can trap moisture.
- Lay mattresses flat in a fitted cover, off the floor and with nothing on top. Flat is usually safer for long storage. Standing one on its side is only fine for short periods. See how to store a mattress.
- Take beds and tables apart and tape the fittings to the frame in a labelled bag.
- Keep heavy cartons low and leave a path so you, or whoever acts for you, can reach things.
Our guides on packing materials and packing fragile items go into more detail.
How should appliances and electronics be prepared?
- Fridge: defrost, clean, dry fully and leave the door slightly open in storage to stop odour.
- Washing machine: drain the water fully and let it dry. Follow the manual for securing the drum before moving.
- TV and electronics: use the original boxes if you still have them, otherwise pad them well and store them upright.
- Batteries: remove them from remotes, toys and devices.
For more, see protecting electronics during a move.
How do you manage storage from abroad?
- Name a local contact. Pick a family member or friend in NCR who can visit, take something out or receive a delivery for you. Tell the storage provider who it is, in writing.
- Keep a photo inventory. Photograph each carton's contents and number the cartons. Save the list somewhere you can reach from abroad.
- Sort out payments before you leave. Agree with the provider how monthly payments will work while you're away, so a missed payment doesn't become a problem.
- Keep your contact details current. Give an email and an international number that you'll actually check.
- Ask about insurance. Optional cover for stored goods is available. Check what it covers over a longer period.
What does the timeline before you fly look like?
Six to eight weeks before
- Decide what ships, what's stored, and what's sold or given away.
- Start selling furniture and appliances you won't keep. It takes longer than people expect.
- Get a storage size estimate with the storage calculator.
Three to four weeks before
- Book the storage room and the movers for a date a few days before your flight.
- Buy packing materials and start with books and things you don't use day to day.
The last week
- Defrost the fridge and drain the washing machine.
- Pack the suitcases that are flying with you separately and keep them out of the movers' way.
- Finish the photo inventory.
Moving day
- Check each carton number against your list as it goes into the room.
- Keep the room key, or the access details, with your local contact or with you, whichever you agreed.
Our post on preparing for an international move covers the wider move.
What happens when you come back?
Give the provider and the movers notice once you have a return date and an address. If the new home isn't ready when you land, your things can stay in storage a little longer while you settle in. Monthly billing makes that easy. If you've been abroad a while, our post on moving back to India and storing goods may help.
Checklist before you leave Noida
- Decided what ships, what's stored and what's sold
- Storage size worked out with the calculator
- Storage room and movers booked a few days before the flight
- Everything cleaned and dried before packing
- Fridge defrosted, washing machine drained, batteries removed
- Cartons numbered with a photo inventory saved online
- Local contact named in writing with the provider
- Monthly payment set up for while you're abroad
- Insurance decided
- Valuables and original documents kept with you or somewhere separate and secure
A note on shipping and customs: rules on what you can take into another country, and what you can bring back duty-free, are set by each country's customs authority and change over time. Check the official rules for your destination, and Indian customs rules for your return, before you decide what to ship.
Our Noida facility is at Plot No B34, Block B, Sector 59, near Noida Electronic City Metro Station. It has 24/7 CCTV, biometric access control, fire protection and individually locked rooms. We also have facilities in Delhi and Gurugram.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your new home and what the furniture is worth to you. For a stay of one to three years with a planned return, many families store good furniture in India and ship only personal items, which avoids shipping the same things twice.
Plans are month to month, so you can keep a room for as long as you need and extend if your stay abroad runs longer.
Yes, if you name that person with the provider in writing before you leave. Agree on how they will identify themselves and what they are allowed to take out.
Food, plants, gas cylinders, fuel, paint and other flammables. Keep cash, jewellery and original documents with you or somewhere separate and secure.
Clean and dry everything first, wrap wood in breathable covers rather than sealed plastic, keep things off the floor where possible, and defrost and dry appliances before packing.
Yes, pickup and packing can be arranged through our moving partners. Ask for this when you book your room.
Sources and notes
Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Noida facility address and security: Self Storage India Noida page.
- Monthly billing and optional insurance: household goods storage and private rooms pages.
- Customs and import rules vary by country and change over time. Check your destination's official customs website, and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (cbic.gov.in) for India.
