bring my leather furniture?

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I purchased a nice-quality leather set on island. It is holding up very well, BUT, I have found it imperative to wipe it regularly with a little very diluted pine sol (do a spot test to check for possible discoloration) and spray it with Lysol regularly to prevent mold or mildew. Also, it helps to keep the nearby overhead fan going much of the time to keep the immediate climate relatively dry.

You didn't ask for advice on this but since you mentioned bringing them, allow me to observe that some pressed board/particle board items can suffer an ignominious death in the moisture here. This is not to suggest that you shouldn't bring them; just an observation that may cause you to balance the shipping cost of some items against the cost of getting other stuff once you get here.

Best,

Islandlola

Yes, pressed board laminate does not do really well down here. Good for a year or so unless the roof develops a leak around the piece, then instant destruction. Experience here! I would never have thought that those rolling plastic tubs with drawers would be my go to for "decorating" 🙂

I have a leather sofa and armchair that are doing very well after five years. You do have to pay a little more attention to them than in SoCal but it is worth it to me.

pamela

thank you, Islandlola for your input. It has been very helpful. There is still plenty for us to check out on our next visit to St. Thomas early next month. May I ask what type of appliances are better suited for the moisture? Does stainless steel hold up better than the white coated appliances?
Thank you
SoCal

Our leather lazyboy is holding up well, though we have to WD40 the steel undercarriage and mechanism. Leather is a bit stick on most days, however, so I tend to only use that chair when there's a nice breeze, or in the evening when the air is cooler

Would I bring an all leather living room? No.

Yes to the leather. No to the particle board. Yes to propane (although it depends where you live- some condos are not set up for it, but most houses are.)

that is good news that there is the possibility to hook up to propane. How big would the tanks be? We have presently in California a 250 gallon propane tank outside the house with the line feeding to the dryer and the tankless water heater. It is a huge savings for sure and considering the electricity cost on the island every little bit helps.

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I have several of both types; they wear pretty similarly in my experience. I like the bright, clean look of white coated items such as toasters, etc. though, and it's really cool when I find appliances in "tropical" colors such as bright yellow.

I cook a lot so I go with high gauge stainless steel or cast iron cookware (I keep the cast iron lightly wiped with cooking oil to prevent rust); I have found them very durable in many climates and they can be make to look almost new if you keep the bottoms and sides scrubbed. A problem I find is that even relatively new items can tend to look worn due to moisture, salt and heat in the VI's.

Best,

Islandlola

I would not buy stainless here in the islands again. Even with it being constantly cleaned & polished it rusted within a year. My friend got the white stuff and used car wax on it - still looked new after 3 years. I might be tempted to try the black glass appliances next time & see how they hold up.

I've had a white glossy fridge I brought with me from CA and it's over 10 years old and no rust. But my smaller stainless steel appliances all have rust including my large stainless steel trash can. I know they say you can use the car wax for the stainless steel, but I hate cleaning as it is, I really don't want to add to it. I really don't see why stainless is "supposed" to be fancier, I definitely know I don't want to pay more for it. All seems silly to me, to pay more for appliances that will rust quicker.

We have White appliances and were wondering if or not to bring them or buy new on the island and get the stainless steel ones. The way our shipping quotes are going we may have to really weigh it out what we ship and how.. Either bring it all or nothing and buy new once we get there. On our next visit I am looking at replacement cost vs shipping cost. So car wax extends the live of stainless steel and the white appliances? I am sure I will learn a few things while living on the island.

I've never ever had to use wax on my white appliances and they are fine. Now I inherieted a cheap white fridge with the house that is prolly 20 years old and it is rusting a bit. But the newer white appliances i brought with the glossy fiberglass seem to be holding up fine after 10 years or more.

SoCal don't ship furniture, most places are furnished. Wait and see if you like it here. Put your stuff in storage, MUCH cheaper to do that stateside and wait and see. Very expensive to ship stuff you end up not needing. 🙂

Where as a car can go either way, some are glad they shipped here some say it's better to buy here. I've always only bought reliable cars so I was glad I brought mine.

Depending on your location and orientation to sea etc, all appliances rust. The issue with SS is that you can't repaint it. We've become pretty good at repainting refrigerators etc...and ours seem to start to rust in a year or two. The closer to the sea or breezes, the more and faster rust. SS rusts as well, and then what do you do? Nothing much.
We thought black appliances would help, but after getting a black stove found that every speck of dust shows up on the stovetop..so it has to be cleaned every day regardless. On white the rust shows more..and the mold that forms on the refrig gaskets..nasty, and stains. That's where black is better. Tenants are not always the best at cleaning....

I have stainless steel fridge, stove and dishwasher....new 3 years ago. Someone suggested a great idea and it works. Every 3 months I spray the SS with WD-40, smooth it with a soft cloth...don't wipe hard...and there is nary a sign of rust! Keeps fingerprints off, also!

We shipped ,3 yrs ago, our high quality leather sofa a 2 IKEA pieces to high on Crown Mtn. The leather is holding up amazingly well, the IKEA pieces do tend to suck up the moisture, drawers don't close all the way and some top warping. I do agree that you should put your pieces in storage until you find a place, a lot of rentals are furnished, and to make sure this is the place you want to live.

Yes I would like to know more my girlfriend is trying to pack the entire house up and ship it down to STT. I think go with car and essential and see how things work out and what we need once we are there. I've moved cross continent before and lived to tell about it. But what do I know.

Any input will help with this ongoing discussion.

Thanks

Store your stuff in the states. Come with your clothes and a few boxes of personal items. After 6 months or a year, reevaluate and THEN bring your furniture and other large things.

Also after you have lived here a while and if you like it people usually find they do not want or need all the stuff they used to have to have stateside.

Don't pack up your whole house to ship! Store it, come down, see if this is right for you, and six months to a year, you have a good excuse to go back to the States. I, myself, am heading back next month to either ship or sell what I left behind nearly a year ago.