How to Prevent Mold in Your Storage Unit
What Is the Point of Using a Storage Unit?
- Knowing your belongings are kept safe and sound
- They are ready for you to use when you need them
- They are otherwise kept in their original condition.
What Makes Maintaining a Storage Unit Difficult?
As they are only used for storage, storage facilities are rarely properly aired out. Nowadays, technology has made it so that they can even exist unmanned. They are seldom visited at all, which can make them difficult to maintain. On top of that, it is easy to overlook them when considering the maintenance of your home. This is especially true if the storage facility is quite removed from your house. When this happens, unwanted visitors like mold or mildew may come a-knocking.
How to Prevent Moisture in Your Storage Unit?
The number one defense mechanism against mold or mildew that can help prevent mold in your storage facility is moisture control of the air. You can get this done in a variety of ways. Some people choose to call in professionals that will use a pump to get a sample of the air inside your storage unit and then analyze it in a lab. Others choose to install a relative humidity gauge within the very storage facility.
Indoor humidity levels should range between 30 and 50 percent, with the ideal percentage being around 45 percent
Once you’ve determined the humidity levels, you will be able to come up with an action plan. If the humidity levels are higher than advised, you should:
- Find the source of the excess moisture such as a leak within the storage unit and fix it;
- Have a detailed visual check of the whole facility as well as all of your belongings within it, which will help in preventing mold in your storage facility
Selecting the Right Storage Facility
In order to make this easier on yourself from the very beginning, pay special attention to the companies that offer climate-controlled units when looking for safe warehouse companies. This will help make preventing mold in your storage facility much easier. In addition to this, some storage units will allow space for making some additional improvements. There is a variety of things you can do, like installing a vent or even air conditioning.
Taking Good Care of Your Stored Goods
One of the easiest ways to prevent mold in your storage facility is to make sure your belongings are well taken care of. Packing and storing your belongings carefully can make sure even your most sensitive items are kept intact
Before storing your items, make sure they are all completely dry
In order to do this, carefully inspect all of your items for storage and make sure none of them are even slightly damp. The annoying thing about mold and mildew is that they need only the slightest bit of moisture to appear and when they do, they wreak havoc on everything in sight.
Keep all of your things above ground
Another way to make sure your belongings are mold-free is to make sure you store them off the ground. Keeping your things on shelves or wooden pallets in their absence is a way to prevent moisture in your storage unit. Placing your items directly onto concrete will allow for condensation to form. Instead, wrap your boxes into blankets or other cloth and cover them with plastic.
Easy DIY Tricks for Preventing Mold
There’s a myriad of ways how to prevent mold in your storage unit. Taking these DIY steps is almost as easy as renting a storage unit online. Using something that will collect moisture even if it appears can be of great help. Buying desiccant or making your own bags of silica gel is one of the easier things to do. A greener alternative is using charcoal, which not only absorbs moisture but also unpleasant smells. If you wrap them in fabric, they can be used in the same way as a desiccant. The only downside is that charcoal can sometimes stain some of your items if you are not careful.
Buy bags of silica gel or charcoal to help keep your belongings dry.
Furthermore, you can use various materials to install a vapor barrier along the walls of your storage unit so that the humidity stays out. Another easy point of entry for the moisture are the doors to your storage facility, and possibly windows if there are any. Make sure any existing doors and windows are appropriately sealed so no water can get in.
Ensuring good air flow is one of the best ways how to prevent moisture. However, by definition, storage facilities are not really the place for this, though you can still adhere to this by making sure your storage unit is properly ventilated. One of the important things to do in order to stay mold-free is to keep your storage unit, as well as your things in it squeaky clean. If you clean regularly, you are also more likely to notice any mold developments at their very beginning and be able to nip it in the bud.
Summary of How to Prevent Mold in Your Storage Unit
- Carefully choose the right storage unit for you, hopefully one that is climate-controlled.
- Make sure your storage unit is properly ventilated.
- Regularly check moisture levels in your storage facility.
- Keep your belongings as well as your storage unit clean and dry.
- Use desiccant or charcoal as well as plastic wrap and blankets to stave off any moisture.
- Stay vigilant!
Having trouble with moisture and mold, while tiresome, is also very common. It is also incredibly manageable, which can’t always be said for home maintenance problems. Knowing how to prevent mold in your storage unit in this variety of ways will make storing your belongings and keeping them in their original condition that much easier. All it takes is a little bit of thoughtfulness and vigilance.