5 Tips For Keeping Delicate Items In An Environment With High Humidity
Issue: Mar 2020
What are the most commonly stored items in a self storage unit? Most people store electronics, garments, decorations, a spare couch or even kitchen gadgets and appliances. StorHub has seen customers from all walks of life storing a wide assortment of things. The humidity in Hong Kong can be quite intense during summertime. Regardless of whether your stored items can withstand the heat or are easily damaged when exposed to extreme temperatures, your best bet is always to store them in an environment like a self storage facility that can help to extend your items’ longevity.
Read on to learn about the tips for combating humidity by turning to self storage to protect your items from extreme weather conditions.
Compare Your Choices
It is important be selective when deciding on a self storage space that best suits your needs when choosing from all the self storage options that are available in Hong Kong. Do some research by making your way down to the storage facilities to check out the storage units. This way you are more likely to choose the right space that can help your items that are sensitive to the humid weather stay in the best possible condition. You can use the hacks mentioned below to store your items even if you are unable to find a storage facility that offers climate, temperature or humidity control options. For instance, you can make use of antique containers for storage or some clothing storage tips for optimal storing.
Get Air-Tight Storage Containers
Only a handful of us have antique storage boxes at home to store items that are delicate. For the rest of us that don’t own one, we can always opt for big plastic containers that tend to be affordable rather than going for other pricer storage options. These plastic containers are generally airtight and big enough to contain many items that are sensitive to the temperatures and humidity levels that are always changing. Although these containers may not be able to shield the items inside from extreme temperature, they should be sufficient in keeping the items undamaged, keeping out pests and maintaining relatively low humidity levels within the containers.
Become Efficient At Packing
It is essential for you to learn how to pack effectively if humidity is a concern to you. If you do not own antique storage boxes and are using airtight storage containers, you may want to consider prioritising packing your sensitive items.
Prior to packing, ensure that all your items are clean, dried out, free from dust and do not hold any moisture. The wrapping paper used for packing your items should be acid-free since bubble wraps can trap moisture. To take it up a notch, you can even place cat litter, charcoal or desiccant packs inside of your containers to absorb moisture and reduce the growth of bacteria and mold. Even though your garments, pillows and quilts will crease when kept in vacuum sealed bags, these bags can stop moisture from forming and keep your items in good condition.
Last but not least, make use of shelves to store fragile items. If you are stacking multiple boxes, keep the ones that are less sensitive to moisture at the bottom.
Make Use Of Shelves
Using shelves for humidity sensitive storage at StorHub is essential. Keeping items off the ground not only frees up space but also provides protection from excess humidity, water damage, pests and other factors that may damage your belongings.
Get Drying Agents, Dehumidifiers And Dry Containers
When purchasing shoes or receiving certain packages, you may recall the small moisture absorbing packs that read ‘DO NOT EAT’ across the packaging. Some choose to save these packs, while most of us throw them away. Well, when it comes to preparing delicate items for storage, we all wish we had a few of those silica packets on hand.
Silica desiccants are the little miracles of the packing world. Cheap, accessible and small, these packets can be easily slipped into storage bins and units to absorb moisture and protect your storage.
More expensive options that provide additional protection include dehumidifiers, which effectively trap and store the moisture from the air in an internal tank, and dry boxes, which act as a climate controlled safe for electronics, documents and more.
Even with these tips, be sure to routinely check your items to ensure that no mould has settled in and that your belongings remain intact.