Protecting Your Stored Belongings: Is Your Self-Storage Unit Ready For Winter?
Posted on: 20 October 2021
The cold, wet weather that winter brings can result in damage to some stored items if you do not take the time to prepare your self-storage unit for the winter months ahead. If you have several items that are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures, you may want to consider relocating your items to a climate-controlled unit. However, if your items are not exceptionally vulnerable to cold-related damage or you find that the cost of a climate-controlled unit is out of your budget, there are steps that you can take to help protect all of the items inside your unit from the changing weather.
Insulate Or Remove Liquids
As you probably are aware, liquids expand as they freeze. This can be a serious problem for some of the items inside your storage unit that may contain liquids. For instance, if you have decorative items such as lava lamps or snow globes in your storage unit, the glass that contains the liquid in these items can break if the liquid inside freezes and expands. Consequently, it is important that you take steps to prevent liquid items inside your self-storage unit from freezing. This can be done by either removing the liquids when possible or adding a layer or two of insulation to items that contain liquids. Wool blankets, old clothes, and furniture pads all work well for adding insulation to your unit and preventing the liquids from freezing.
Get Items Off The Ground And Away From Exterior Walls
As the cold temperatures settle in for the winter, you can expect the floors and exterior walls of your self storage unit to become increasingly cold. These surfaces can easily transfer the cold outdoor temperatures to your stored belongings. The use of blankets or furniture pads around the walls of the storage unit can help to protect against the transfer of outdoor temperatures. You should also avoid putting sensitive items right up against the exterior walls and use wood pallets to lift items up off the floor.
Cover Wood And Electronics
Wood and electronics can be very vulnerable to moisture related damage. As snow and ice form and melt repeatedly throughout the winter season, the amount of humidity that is present inside your storage unit can fluctuate quite a bit. To prevent damage to these items it is important to take steps to keep moisture from settling on the surface of your wood items or making its way into the sensitive components of your electronics. The best way to do this is by covering these items with plastic that is free from any rips or tears.
Contact a storage facility for more information.
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