Manage Moisture Levels In Storage Units

When you have belongings that you care enough about to pay to store in a storage unit, you want to be sure that everything will remain in good condition while it's stored. Moisture can be a real problem when things are stored for the long-term — no matter what you have stored in the unit, if moisture begins to take over, everything may be damaged or destroyed.

Here you'll find a few tips to help you manage the moisture level in your storage unit to protect the things you have stored.

Nothing on the Ground

There should be nothing stored on the ground inside your storage unit. Even if the flooring is concrete, it can allow moisture to wick up into the boxes or bins that are on the bottom.

Keep an eye on your local classified ads. There, you'll likely see listings for free or cheap pallets. The pallets can be placed on the floor in the storage unit and used as a solid base to keep everything high enough off of the ground to eliminate the chances of ground moisture becoming a problem.

Tip: You can create make-shift shelving units with pallets and cinder blocks. Simply place one pallet on the ground and stack cinder blocks on each corner to serve as supports for another pallet to be placed on top. You can stack these a few high and take advantage of the vertical storage space in the unit.

Absorb the Moisture

You probably won't be able to run a dehumidifier in the storage unit for the next several months or years — but you can make an effort to minimize the air-borne moisture in the unit.

This can be done with two products – charcoal and silica gel – both are used in the same manner.

Simply put some charcoal or silica gel in a bucket and place it in the center of the unit. If you know that the area is prone to high-moisture levels, a few buckets throughout the unit will help.

Every few weeks, go to the unit and retrieve the buckets that you've left and replace them with new. Take the old stuff home and pour it onto a cooking sheet. Bake at the lowest temperature setting for about 2 hours and it'll be good to go in a few weeks when the other buckets need to be replaced.

These tips will help you control the moisture exposure that your belongings experience while in storage.

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