Last week, we went to Comic Con London 2014 to find out a little bit more about collectors and cosplayers and how they go about storing their stuff. In fact, not only did we attend, but we spent the day live blogging our interviews, Vines and general musings on the infectious enthusiasm of the ‘Comic Conners’ we met – and sharing their thoughts on how best to keep all those figurines, comics and…wings. So here it is: Comic Con London’s storage tips.

1. Keep things tidy to avoid carpet damage

As we heard from Khloe Valentine (aka Juliet Starling from our video), a contributor at Need To Consume, if your room’s a bit of a tip, you’re only going to make more of a mess in the long run. If you’re a big fan of DIY costumes, you’ll need enough surface space to cut, sew and glue without risking setting fire to anything. Make sure you’re using thin hangers, and stow lesser-used objects under the bed or in cupboards and drawers.

2. Use old suit bags to protect your costumes

We caught up with wonderfully attired Comic Con fan Marc Johnson, who told us that his attic is full of all sorts of cosplay accessories. How does he protect them from gathering dust? He repurposes suit bags. We love a bit of recycling, so this one definitely gets our seal of approval.

Source: Filination

3. Avoid exposure to light

You might be collecting your comics or figurines because you love to read or play with them, or because you’re an avid collector and you’re hoping to make some money from them. In any case, be sure to keep them out of strong sunlight as it can damage certain materials – paper, in particular.

Source: Phototrope Studio

4. Avoid excessive handling

Again, this will depend on how serious you are about your collecting. If you devour your comics and you regularly attend cosplay events, then obviously you won’t be too concerned about keeping your items pristine. If, however, you’re very particular about how your collectables are treated, too much handling will cause them to get tattered and broken. Which would be very sad.

Source: The Comic Book Shop

5. Make use of extra space around the house

If you’re lucky enough to have a little extra space going, why not convert it into something more storage friendly? Dan from RaGEZONE stacks up his extensive musical instrument and equipment collection in a spare room:

‘I’ve been collecting and playing music equipment for over 10 years now and, outside of my gaming hobbies, music is my passion. Ranging from guitars and amps to studio-based equipment, my collection makes me proud and I’m always scouring the internet for the next must-have bargain to add to my collection. Some people spend their money on drugs, alcohol or stamps, but, for me, a guitar is all I need.’

Source: Pamela Sandal Design

6. Store older items away

Diane at Girl Gamers UK (pictured below with just a small portion of her collection) told us:

‘From DVDs to comics, Turtles to Rabbids, Lanyards to Skylanders, I have more than a few collections. They always start off on display somewhere in the house, until I run out of space and then they get boxed up and hidden away in the loft or a cupboard. Even my video game collection, which covers most of the main formats from over the years, is constantly tweaked to make room for more games. Old formats get packed away to make room for the latest games on the latest consoles. Give me a few more years, and you may see me on The Hoarder Next Door…’

If you don’t have much space in your loft or cupboards, you could opt to put more out-of-date items from your collection into storage.

Check out the Boxman home page to find out about our on-demand London storage service.