There are many reasons for renting a storage unit. Maybe you’ve just sold your house, but your new place isn’t ready yet. You may have just moved to a new city but need some time to look for a place to live. Perhaps you just have too much stuff and need more space at your home or office. Whatever the reason, there are times when you need to decide if your valuables need a climate-controlled storage area.
Climate Controlled Storage
While a standard storage unit gives you a place to keep your stuff, climate-controlled units offer extra protection. When items are stored in a non-controlled storage unit, the extremes in temperatures can severely damage sensitive items kept there. Climate-controlled storage units maintain a constant temperature year-round so that your belongings won’t be exposed to extremely low or high temperatures.
Air Cooled Storage
In areas where the temperatures are high year-round, air-cooled storage is sometimes used. In this process, cool air is blown through storage units using water vapor. It’s an effective way to keep storage units at a safe temperature, though it’s not good if you’re storing items that are sensitive to humidity.
Heat Controlled
Just as extreme heat can be problematic for storing your belongings, extreme cold can damage your things as well. Heat-controlled units can solve this problem.
Humidity-Controlled Storage
Many storage companies offer humidity control. If you live in an area that has high humidity, humidity-controlled storage is very important. When the seasons change, the humidity can also change dramatically. Too much humidity can cause items to feel damp and to smell like they’ve been stored in a dark and dank basement. On the other hand, not enough humidity can make wood dry out, split, or splinter. This is especially dangerous for musical instruments. Controlling the humidity will help your items to be in the same condition when you retrieve them as when you placed them in storage. Another enemy of your stuff is mold or mildew. Humidity control keeps these in check.
Air Quality
Climate-controlled storage units usually have great air quality. Because the air in a climate-controlled unit is constantly circulated, the air remains clean. This means that you won’t need to periodically open your unit to allow fresh air in. Air quality is especially important when you’re storing books, documents, or sensitive electronic equipment.
Dust, Dirt, and Debris
Most climate-controlled storage facilities are inside larger buildings with sealed and insulated roofs, walls, and floors. As a result, these units are less susceptible to minor flooding or tracked in dirt. Also, because they’re indoors, there’s not much of a chance for rodents or insects to get into your things.
Items that Should be Stored in Climate Controlled Units
- Electronics and Media-Extended exposure to high humidity is damaging to most electronics, and exposure to heat or cold is also not recommended. Some electronics that benefit from climate control include TVs, computers, gaming systems, stereos, and cameras. This goes for film, VHS tapes, photos, home movies, and photo negatives. DVDs, records, and other media are susceptible to humidity damage and some items can even melt in extreme heat.
- Furniture-Wood, leather and upholstered furniture can all be damaged if not kept in a controlled unit. Too little or too much humidity can crack wooden furniture, and temperature extremes can make furniture shrink, warp, or crack. Excess humidity can also make your furniture susceptible to mold or mildew.
- Artwork-Moisture and drastic temperature changes can ruin artwork, so it’s crucial to keep these items in a controlled environment.
- Books and Newspapers-Just like artwork, books and newspapers are easily damaged by temperature swings and humidity. Paper-based items can fade and warp if not kept in a controlled area.
- Musical Instruments-Any kind of musical instrument should be stored in temperature and humidity-controlled units. Humidity can wreak havoc on your instruments, especially those that are wooden or have wooden components. This would include drums, woodwinds like clarinets, stringed instruments like guitars or violins, and pianos.
- Wine and Spirits-If you have a collection of fine wines or spirits, they need to be stored in very specific conditions. In fact, some moving companies offer units specifically designed for wine storage. These units provide the ideal mix of temperature and humidity to keep the wine stable.
- Collectibles-Collectibles like antiques, coin collections, stamp collections, and just about any other items that people collect should be stored in climate-controlled areas to preserve their value.
So what can you store in a regular storage unit?
Metal tools, lawn equipment, kids’ toys, bicycles, lawn furniture, and any other items that are not affected by temperature or humidity swings can be stored in a non-controlled environment without damaging the items.
Final Words
As you can see, there is a long list of items that should be stored in climate-controlled areas. Renting storage space in these types of facilities is more expensive that non-controlled units, but well worth the extra expense if the climate control can preserve your valuables.
For over 20 years, Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage has been providing quality moving and storage services in the Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, and Houston areas. Our highly trained moving crews offer the utmost in customer service and will treat your belongings as if they were their own, with care and expertise. We treat each and every move with the high-quality attention to detail and service that our customers have come to expect. We have a reputation for excellence and have received numerous awards within the moving industry.
If you’re contemplating a move, if you need to rent storage space, or if you’d just like more information about our company, visit our website or contact us for a free estimate at 844-715-6625. We look forward to hearing from you!
