Your garage or shed might be the most convenient place to stash any number of your belongings, but is it the best place?
In some cases, your stuff will be perfectly safe and sound in your garage or shed. In other cases, however, climate-controlled storage might be the better choice. In fact, you could risk ruining certain items if you fail to put them in a climate-controlled environment.
First off, let’s cover what climate-controlled storage is. Essentially, this type of storage controls temperature and humidity levels. For humidity, that means a level around 55 percent. For temperature, the range is roughly 55 to 85 degrees.
Now, let’s look at what you should put in climate-controlled storage and what you can stick in your garage or shed.
Among the items that you should consider storing in a climate-controlled unit are:
- Musical instruments
- Mattresses and bedding
- Household appliances
- Financial and business records
- Wood and leather furniture
- Belongings that hold sentimental or historic value, such as family heirlooms
Using climate-controlled storage for such items helps protect them from the elements, including extreme heat, extreme cold and high humidity. This is especially true for possessions that you’re storing for a long period.
Keep in mind that the cost of renting a climate-controlled self-storage unit can be roughly 20 percent to 50 percent higher than the cost of a conventional storage unit.
If you’re storing items for a short period of time — a month or so — or you know they can withstand exposure to weather extremes, you should be fine with using a garage or shed, or a conventional self-storage unit.
Here are some items that generally should hold up well without climate-controlled storage:
- Outdoor furniture
- Lawnmowers and other outdoor equipment
- Low-cost home furniture
- Everyday dishes and glassware
- Pots and pans
Before picking either climate-controlled storage or your garage or shed, think carefully about whether the stuff you’re packing away can be easily replaced. What if your grandmother’s antique dresser became warped? What if those irreplaceable black-and-white family photos cracked and fell apart? What if your mattress got moldy?
Bottom line: If you’re anxious about leaving certain items in your garage or shed, then they probably belong in climate-controlled storage.
About John Egan
John Egan is editor in chief at SpareFoot, which helps people find and book self-storage. Follow SpareFoot on Twitter: twitter.com/sparefoot.
Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.
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