How to Protect the Contents of Your Storage Unit From Hot Weather

Although we all know what a toll excessive heat has on our bodies, you might not realise that humidity can damage your belongings. In fact, humid storage units in North York could put your belongings at risk, unless the storage units have some fresh air circulating or other humidity control to help prevent damage from dampness caused by excess humidity. 

Here we explain how to protect your storage unit from hot humid weather.

Ask If Your Storage Unit in North York has Fresh Air Circulation or other Humidity Control

Not all storage units in North York are created equal. You want a storage unit with humidity-triggered fresh air circulation to protect your belongings on warm or hot summer days. Fresh air is vital to help prevent moisture from causing issues like mould, mildew, and corrosion. 

Consider moving if you don’t have a unit with fresh air circulation, triggered automatically during high humidity days. Although Toronto summers don’t seem long, we often experience humid conditions between May and well into September, increasing the risk of moisture damage. So it’s worth shopping around for units with positive fresh air flow to mitigate humid conditions during the five summer months. 

Consider What You Have Stored

Some materials are more vulnerable to humidity than others. Consider what you have stored to determine what steps you need to take to protect them against humidity. Some of the most vulnerable items impacted by humidity include:

• Antiques

• Leather items

• Electronics

• Musical instruments

• Artwork, especially original works

• Photos

• Paper, including documents, collectors’ items like baseball cards and comics, books, stamps, etc.

• Makeup 

It is advisable to store your items in storage units in North York with supplied positive circulation fresh air to contend with humid conditions.

If you think positive fresh air supplied or other humidity mitigated units are too expensive, shop around. You’d be surprised how many storage units, including Abacus, offer this as a standard feature. 

Consider the Item’s Value

If your storage company does not have humidity control features, consider the value of items stored in the unit. These possessions are often of emotional and sentimental significance, and of course will usually have monetary value. You’ll want to take steps to protect your most cherished mementos and valuable possessions. 

Make arrangements to move irreplaceable and valuable items to a storage unit with fresh air circulation and other forms of humidity control to reduce the risk of damage.

Danger Presented By Heat

Some high-pressure containers might be at risk of exploding when temperatures start to rise. Most storage units in North York have restrictions on storing such items.

Still, you might not realise that things in your storage unit may present some risk. Some examples might include:

• Beauty products like hair spray, sunscreen, or aerosol deodorant

• Some computer keyboard air spray cleaners

• Some portable bike tire pump air cans

• Camping supplies like pepper spray or air spray for bears

• Bottles of drinks like beer and soda

• Anything in an aerosol can, including spray paint

• Batteries, exposed or inside appliances requiring them

If you have items like these in your storage unit, it’s best to remove them. For example, you might store your camping gear in your storage unit and need to remember your bear spray is in one of the boxes, or have your summer supplies stored away with sunscreen or a bike tire air canister. 

Manage Humidity 

There are a few products you can use to help control humidity in storage units in North York, including:

• Silica Gel Packs: You can buy silica gel packs at hardware, home improvement, and department stores, and place them in boxes containing items like clothes, to keep humidity to a minimum in stored and sealed boxes.

• Dehumidifying Packs: Dehumidifying packs can also be placed in your storage unit to keep moisture at bay in humid conditions.

• Charcoal: Charcoal briquettes offer a handy solution to absorb moisture. Drop a few briquettes in some loose fabric bags and place them in the corners of your unit. 

• Air-Tight Containers: Air-tight containers also help manage moisture, especially when combined with silica gel packs. 

You should take these actions late in April or early in May, before the first Toronto heat wave arrives. Just keep in mind that these solutions may only last about two months, and it might be wise to check at least once during the summer to see if they need attention or replacement. 

Use Vapour Barriers

Vapour barriers keep moisture from entering your storage unit. Polyethylene plastic sheets lining the wall, as well as on the floor, help keep humidity out. You can also wrap your belongings with a plastic sheet or blanket to create a barrier on specific items like furniture. 

Maximise Airflow

You can place items on wood palettes instead of the floor to allow airflow in your storage unit. Also, look for opportunities to hang items such as clothing on racks to improve air circulation. Avoiding packing your storage unit wall to wall and ceiling to the floor also keeps the air circulating. 

The more crowded your unit, the less room there is for air movement, and the more risk there is for humidity to cause mould and mildew in hot weather. 

Vacuum Seal Items

An excellent storage tip for humidity control is to vacuum seal clothing and linens. By sealing fabrics in air tight bags, humidity access will be prevented, and contents in the bags will remain dry. This process can work for items like pillows, plush toys, and more. 

Shop for specialty plastic bags designed to be vacuum sealed using a household vacuum cleaner, so you don’t have to invest in costly equipment. 

Check Your Storage Unit

If you want to be cautious with your valuables, check your storage unit for signs of trouble, such as:

• Vacuum-sealed bags that have expanded or have signs of condensation 

• Signs of condensation on containers

• Funky, musty smells that indicate mildew

• Discolouration on any of your belongings

If you smell a noxious or unfamiliar odour in your storage unit, try to figure out where it’s coming from. If you know there is nothing damaged by humidity in your unit, report the odour to the manager so they can determine the source. 

Premium Storage Units in North York

The best way to control humidity-related damage in your storage units in North York is to choose fresh air supplied or temperature-controlled units, when you first decide to use a storage unit in North York. 

Abacus offers the ideal storage solutions for your needs with many different sizes and humidity-triggered fresh air circulation on warm summer days. Click here to learn more.