6 Precautions to Take if Your Storage Unit Doesn’t Have Climate Control

Wondering if you should get a storage unit with climate control? Depending on where you live, climate control will be a necessity for many items. However, for the short term, if you can’t find a unit with it, there are precautions you can take to protect your belongings against certain types of damage.

Store Dry

Before storing your items, make sure they are dry. Ensure there’s no excess moisture after you’ve cleaned things you’re going to store. Even items you can dry with an absorbent cloth should be left to dry for a little longer before you put them in boxes or bins.

Use Airtight Plastic Bins

When you have a climate-controlled unit, it’s good to store many things in cardboard boxes that breathe a bit. When there’s no climate control, airtight plastic bins can protect your items better. They’ll keep out the humidity in summer, so those things you made sure were nice and dry will stay that way. This will help prevent mold and mildew growth on your important belongings, from clothing to books to electronics.

Disassemble Large Items

If any of your furniture is made to be disassembled, do so. You can always reassemble it when you take it out of storage. Should heat or cold cause parts to expand or contract, they should take less damage this way. You may want to wrap them in packing paper, but we also recommend you check your storage every week or so, especially during humid summers, to make sure the paper, and wood, hasn’t gotten damp.

Put Clothes in Wardrobe Boxes

Yes, you can put many of your clothes in plastic bins, but wardrobe boxes are great, too. They’re specifically made to protect clothing against humidity and dust. They are a bit expensive at about $30 each, but they can help keep clothing from getting wrinkled as well. Since they’re made of cardboard, if you have them in self storage during a humid summer, check on them every couple of weeks.

Use Cedar Balls

While self storage facilities try to protect against pests, it’s still possible to get bugs, such as moths, in your unit. This is especially true if your unit doesn’t have climate control. The smell of cedar keeps moths away, however, so include a few in your wardrobe boxes.

Don’t Store Prohibited Items

Not only is storing prohibited items against the rules, but it can also put your things, and those of your self storage neighbors, in jeopardy. Open food containers, live plants, and more can attract pests. This can be so bad that even a climate controlled unit won’t be enough to protect your things, so follow the rules.

Watch for Climate Controlled Units

Although there are a few precautions you can take to protect your belongings in a non-climate-controlled unit, in areas with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters, there’s really no substitute for a unit with climate control. Your unit will rent for about 30 percent more than a standard unit, but for the protection it grants your things, you’ll find it’s worth it. Even with the increased price, you’ll save a lot over the same amount of residential space in your home.

There are some areas, and some times of year, where climate control isn’t strictly necessary. Our tips will serve you best there. For everywhere else, and especially if you’re storing long-term, we encourage you to rent a climate-controlled unit.