Why You Need Climate Controlled Storage in Hot, Humid Cities

Almost everywhere in the United States is susceptible to a few hot and humid days throughout the year. Temperatures change and the weather has shown patterns of fluctuating drastically over the past few years. Unless you live in the desert, you’re going to experience humidity from time to time and while most states’ humidity can be managed, Florida is a whole different world. Florida is one of the most humid states in the country with humidity levels commonly reaching 90% and above during summer months. That’s why The Lock Up Self Storage is committed to providing climate controlled storage units to cities like Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Hollywood and St. Petersburg.

Because of the high humidity, it’s extremely important to protect your belongings, especially if you’re looking to rent out a self storage unit. That’s where climate control comes in. Most items that you’ll want to put into storage need climate control. That’s because nearly everything you own will absorb moisture from the air around it and the more moisture in the air, the more damage that is done. Climate control works to protect your items in hot, humid cities and when temperatures drop below zero. They eliminate the risk of damage and help elongate the life of your favorite things. In this article, we’ll explore why you need climate controlled storage in hot, humid cities.

Danger of High Humidity

Regardless of where you live, even low amounts of humidity can damage your things. Moisture in the air seeps into your items slowly over time. When the humidity levels are high, things happen much faster. If humidity levels get to around 80-85%, mold will start to grow within 7 days. After it starts growing, the mold has a suitable environment to continue growing even when humidity levels drop back down. The higher the humidity, the faster the mold will spread.

In addition to growing mold, high humidity will cause your items to warp, discolor, expand, contract, or deteriorate. Depending on what you’re storing, this can lead to expensive repairs or replacements and a loss of irreplaceable items. Humidity affects almost all of the belongings you’d likely store. Unless you’re storing items that are 100% plastic or steel, you should opt for a climate controlled self storage unit.

Wood Furniture

Most wood is extremely porous. Some wood is denser than others, making it less porous, but it will still absorb moisture in high humidity. If you have any furniture made of wood that you’re looking to store, you need a climate control storage unit. Wood continually absorbs and desorbs water from the air as the humidity levels fluctuate throughout the year. This causes furniture to expand and then contract, resulting in warping at the very least. In most cases, this expansion and contraction cycle will cause damage to the joints. In serious cases, furniture can even fall apart. The joints loosen so much that the screws lose traction and end up being worthless in holding furniture together.

Depending on the type of wood furniture you have, this can be expensive to replace. If you have antique furniture, it’s often irreplaceable.

Books

If you’ve ever spilled water on a book you know that the delicate pages don’t mix well with liquids. When humidity levels rise, book pages will warp and mold and the binding will eventually fall apart. If you’re storing important books, like first editions, this is unthinkable.

Keeping books safe from humidity is especially important during the hurricane months in Florida. Hurricane season brings extreme humidity and a lot of water. Protecting your things from humidity, especially those made of paper like books, is a necessity. Climate controlled self storage units are the best way to ensure everything stays safe.

Wine

If you’re a wine enthusiast, or you just like keeping a couple of nice bottles available, you need climate controlled storage. Wine is a very delicate thing and will only survive in a precise environment. The perfect humidity level is around 60-70% and the ideal temperature is a stable 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have the opportunity to create these conditions at home, opt for a professional wine storage unit like the ones offered at The Lock Up Wine Cellars.

Electronics

Most electronics require a hefty upfront investment. For the most part, the larger the appliance, the more money it costs. Because of this, it’s a huge waste of money to store your electronics in a storage unit that doesn’t have climate control. High levels of humidity will damage internal parts through excessive condensation. Wires are easily corroded and the parts will likely short-circuit when they’re plugged back in. To avoid a huge loss, make the investment in climate controlled self storage units.

Collections

If you’ve been building a collection for years, you know how important it is to keep things safe. Unless your collection is strictly old coins, you’ll need climate control. If you collect bills, they will fade and warp over time in high humidity and lose their value. Stamps will wither and mold in rust-colored spots. Vinyl records will warp and become unplayable. If you’re serious about protecting your collection, you need to keep it out of high humidity climates.

Photographs

Picture albums, old photographs, or hand-made scrapbooks need climate control. The acid in the pictures is not stable enough to face high levels of humidity. When exposed to high humidity, it will create stickiness on pictures that will eventually soften and stick to other surfaces. This is why some pictures that have been in frames for a long period of time transfer to the glass when they’re taken out. If you have pictures that aren’t digitally backed up, this could mean losing them forever. Climate control will protect your pictures from getting ruined, regardless of how old they are.

Other things that you need to store in climate control settings include artwork and musical instruments. Both are delicate and need the proper environments to ensure they stay in pristine condition. When artwork is exposed to high levels of humidity, it’s quickly ruined. When musical instruments are exposed to high levels of humidity, the way they sound will change because of internal warping and damage.

Reasons to Opt for Climate Controlled Self Storage

Climate controlled self storage units are the best defense against high humidity levels in Florida. They also help protect your things when the air gets too dry.

Elongated Storage Periods

While short-term exposure to high humidity might not cause substantial damage, long-term exposure will. If you’re planning to keep your things in storage for a long period of time, it’s worth it to opt for a climate controlled self storage unit. Even if the monthly costs are a bit more than non-climate controlled units, you’ll save money in the long run.

Living in High Humidity Cities

If you live in high humidity cities, especially those in Florida, you need climate control. As we mentioned, Florida often reaches levels of 90% humidity and above. To protect your things from damage, check out the humidity controlled storage at The Lock Up Self Storage at our locations in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and St. Petersburg. Rent humidity controlled storage online today and save money with our city-specific promotions!

Storing Irreplaceable Items

When storing irreplaceable items, the risk is simply not worth it. Put them in climate controlled self storage units to avoid any loss and keep important items safe and in pristine condition for years to come.

Finding a Climate Controlled Storage Near You

If you’re looking for a climate control storage unit in Florida, The Lock Up Self Storage has you covered. We also have locations in other cities around the United States and are here to help make sure that your things are protected from both high humidity and low humidity. At The Lock Up Self Storage, we have a variety of different sized self storage units so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Regardless of if you need a small storage space or a large one, all of our self storage units are climate controlled to help protect your things. Contact us today and we will work with you and your budget to find the storage unit that fits your needs. Our affordable prices mean that you never have to sacrifice quality, so you can rest easy when moving in your things. As an added bonus, all of our storage units in Florida have coded access gates, perimeter alarms, and 24/7 video monitoring. No matter what your storage solution needs are, you’ll find them at The Lock Up Self Storage. Give us a call today at (866) 327-LOCK to find a Florida self storage unit near you or simply enter your zip code on our homepage!