How to Prepare Your Storage Unit for Summer

The kids are out of school, the pools are open, and the temperature is rising. Are your items in storage safe to wait out the summer heat and humidity? 

At All My Sons Moving & Storage, we help businesses and families make a smooth relocation all summer long. Customers who need extra space during their move or year-round can count on us to provide exceptional storage solutions. 

While storing items during the summer poses some special challenges, your items can stay in pristine condition with some extra prep and precautions.

Here are six steps you can take to prepare your storage unit for summer.

The surest way to beat back the heat is to choose a storage unit that is temperature-controlled before you move in. 

Consider the items you are moving into storage carefully. Your gym equipment and lawn tools could be safe in a drive-up unit for an extended period of time, but if you are storing items that could easily be damaged by extreme temperatures like electronics, media collections, books, or old photo albums, then you probably want to opt for temperature-control. 

When you put your items in a temperature-controlled unit, they are kept in a consistent temperature range no matter what the weather outside looks like. Even on days that are exceptionally hot, your items will be safe from the heat.

As you pack your items away for summer, ensure that you prepare your items for storage. Even if you only plan to be in storage a short length of time, you should pack items with long-term storage in mind in case your stay gets extended. 

• Do Not Store Restricted Items: Every storage facility has a list of items you should not store for good reasons. Perishable food will spoil and attract pests. Toxic chemicals produce harmful fumes. Explosives could potentially ignite and endanger the whole storage facility. If an item you want to store is on the banned list, then find an alternative storage solution for it. 

• Make Sure Items Are Free of Pests: Your storage facility undoubtably takes precautions to make sure pests do not get into your storage unit, but you can easily bring an existing infestation with you if you’re not careful. Inspect your belongings for signs of rodents, silverfish, moths, or termites and set aside any infested items.

• Clean Your Items: Before you pack your items, make sure they are clean. Scrub all food particles from kitchen appliances, vacuum couches, wash clothing, and dust off books and collectables. 

• Make Sure Items Are Dry: Defrost your fridge and freezer before you move them and dry them off completely before you put them into storage. Dry off any outdoor equipment, finish drying your clothing, and avoid loading or accessing your unit in the rain if you can. Moisture in your unit promotes the growth of mold and mildew, which can damage your items.

Taking a little extra time to make sure your items are clean, dry, and free of pests will help them stay safe during their stay in storage. You want to pull your items out again and find them in the same condition that you packed them away in, so don’t pack items dirty, wet, or smelling musty.

If your unit is not temperature-controlled, then you should probably find alternative storage solutions for items that are likely to melt in extreme heat.

These could be items like:

• Candles: Scent-lover beware, your wax-made candles will make a very beautiful smelling mess in your storage unit.

• Soap: Your bars of soap are best stored with you or in a temperature-controlled unit. 

• Synthetic Fabric: Your polyester, nylon, and blended fabric clothing may melt if the temperature gets high enough.

• Cosmetics: Makeup, lotions, and lip balm will not fare well in extreme temperatures. Best to store them with you.

• Crayons: Unless you’d like your wax crayons to create a rainbow mess, take care to store these items somewhere temperature-controlled.

• Glue: Crafters watch out, glue can melt both in the bottle and on your precious art project. 

Melting items can leak out of their containers and damage other items nearby. You don’t want to open up your storage unit to discover your collection of scented candles has melted all over your pristine white sheets. Best to take the candles out of storage or store them in a temperature-controlled unit to avoid a mess.

Humid summers call for extra protection for items sensitive to excess moisture in the air. You can pack your belongings with desiccants like silica gel packets to help keep the air around your items appropriately dry. Some items you might consider packing with desiccants include:

• Electronics: Your computer, television, and monitors should probably be packed with desiccant packets to protect the delicate internal components.

• Books: Paper is susceptible to the effects of humidity. 

• Files: Packing your files with desiccants can help keep them in pristine shape.

• Photographs: Excess moisture on your photographs can cause them to discolor or fade. Desiccants can help them stay in the same condition.

• Leather goods: Humidity can wreak havoc on leather goods, causing them to crack, warp, or discolor. 

If you keep desiccant packets inside your airtight containers and placed strategically around your unit, you can effectively cut down on the excess moisture that forms in your unit due to high humidity.

Cardboard boxes might work out well for a move, but if your items are going into storage over the summer then it would be better to use some airtight plastic containers. Heat and humidity can break cardboard down over the course of the summer, especially if your unit is not temperature-controlled. Plastic containers are much more weather-resistant and will maintain their shape during the worst parts of summer.

Be careful not to use plastic or vinyl covers on your furniture though. In humid summers, these covers can trap moisture inside with your furniture which promotes the growth of mold and mildew. To protect your furniture from dirt, dust, and pests, cover your pieces with breathable fabric like furniture pads or cotton sheets.

Taking precautions when you pack your unit can help preserve your items, but anything can happen to your belongings while they are out of sight. Any number of unforeseeable circumstances can affect your unit while your items are in storage for the summer. The best way to catch problems in your unit is to check on your items while they are in storage. If possible, you should check on your unit every month.

When you check on your unit look for signs of leaks, pests, or items shifting into precarious positions. Insects come out in full force during the summer so look around your unit for signs of infestation. Watch out for musty smells as they can be a sign of mold or mildew growth.

Now that your storage unit is prepped for summer, you can enjoy all your favorite summer activities like camping, swimming, fishing, and pelting your loved ones with water balloons. Taking some extra time to ensure your belongings are safe for the long haul will pay off when you go to retrieve your items from storage and find them in the same condition you left them in. 

Your next move could be your best yet if you call the experts at All My Sons Moving & Storage to take care of all your moving needs. We offer local moving services for customers going down the block and long-distance moving services for customers going across the country. To get started on your move, call your local All My Sons Moving & Storage location or get your quote online.