Is your home starting to look cluttered? Is every closet and storage space filled to the brim with stuff? Do you have items you treasure but don’t need with you all the time? Are you heading out on an assignment or moving? If you nod “yes” to any of these questions, you are likely considering renting a storage unit. While storage units come in a wide array of formats, climate controlled storage is the best way to protect your beloved items. Today, we share the benefits of controlled storage, when it is a must-have, and what items you should place inside.
4 Benefits of Climate Controlled Storage
Protection from the Elements
When people run out of space in their homes, they can become quite creative in their storage methods. This could be placing items in attics, basements, sheds, or even outside.
Unfortunately, these methods can leave your precious items exposed to the elements. Climate controlled storage protects your items from rain, wind, sun, and other elemental challenges. You never have to risk water damage, debris build-up, or sun discoloration ruining your belongings.
Removal of Temperature & Humidity Fluctuations
Again, storage areas in homes are often the places we rarely frequent, so we often do not recognize how varied the temperature and humidity of the location can be. Attics can get scorching hot in the summer, basements can be damp, sheds can be humid, and outside storage can go from 50 degrees to 90 degrees in a day, then back again.
Large fluctuations in temperature and humidity can quickly damage stored items, warping, cracking, or spoiling them. Climate controlled storage units maintain a consistent temperature and humidity level inside the space, allowing stable conditions for your precious items to be kept safe.
Prevention of Pest Problems
Pests love to utilize stored items for shelter or food, especially in dark, cluttered, or damp areas where humans rarely frequent. It is a little haven for them to hide and reproduce. Obviously, when this happens, your items get ruined in the process.
Climate controlled storage units are sealed off from pests, with the continual airflow minimizing the preferred environment a pest seeks. You don’t have to worry about mice chewing through furniture, spiders building nests, or cockroaches munching on food items.
Minimization of Dust and Grime
Traditional storage units rarely get airflow or visitation, making them a haven for dust and grime as it settles onto your special items. We’ve all seen those movies where kids wander into grandpa’s attic to find a thick layer of dust covering everything.
Climate controlled storage units prevent dust and grime from settling onto your items due to the continuous airflow. This prevents your items from getting excessively coated with dust, stained from grime, or smelling like they’ve been kept in storage.
Items that Require Climate Controlled Storage
While all your items that end up in storage will benefit from the above, there are a few items that require climate controlled storage that would become otherwise damaged in alternative storage. These items include, but are not limited to:
- Furniture & décor with wood, metal, wicker, or leather components
- Antiques & collectibles
- Household appliances
- Electronics & media
- Artwork & photographs
- Clothing with lace or leather
- Important documents
- Wine & foodstuffs
- Musical instruments
- Sports equipment
- Medical supplies or medications
- Make up & toiletries
Questions to Ask About Moving your Items:
Still not sure if an item should be put in climate controlled storage? Here are a few questions you should ask yourself about the items. If you answer yes to one or more of these, choosing a storage unit that actively protects your item will be the right choice.
- Is this item sensitive to heat or cold?
- Will it expand and contract as it interacts with heating and cooling?
- Will it warp, crack, peel, or deteriorate if exposed to temperature changes?
- Can this item mold or mildew?
- Is it sensitive to moisture in any way?
- Will the item fade or discolor if exposed to sunshine?
- Does the item come with temperature guidelines?
- Is the item rare or valuable?
- Does the item hold sentimental value, or is it irreplaceable?
- Will I be storing this item for longer than three months?
When Can I Skip Climate Controlled Storage?
While climate controlled units are the best way to protect and store items, there are times when you do not need them. You can likely get away without a temperature controlled storage space if you answered “No” to every question listed above and you are storing your items for less than three months.
We recommend only less than three months for non-controlled climate storage since the external environment should remain fairly steady for a single season, but any longer than that, and you will begin to see environmental variations that will affect your items.
Secure Tri-Cities Climate Controlled Storage
If you are located in the Tri-Cities area, you are fully aware that our environment is not always the kindest to manufactured items. With sweltering summers and brutal winters, climate controlled storage is essential for our sensitive items and goods.
Larsen Transfer serves Pasco, Richland, Kennewick, and other communities in the greater Tri-Cities area. If you are searching for an affordable way to protect your valuables, we offer mini-storage units in various sizes to suit your specific requirements and budget. We offer month-to-month contracts, complete access, fully insulated units, 24-hour security cameras, and nightly security patrol.
Are you a business owner needing commercial storage, records storage, onsite refrigerated storage, or climate controlled storage? Call Larsen Transfer or fill out our contact form for a quote today!
