Okay, real talk. I’m sitting here at my desk, it’s a million degrees outside, and I just got off the phone with a customer who lost a box of her kid’s baby clothes to mold. She was almost in tears. It sucks. And it happens every single summer.
I’m not an AI. I’m a person. My name is Mike. I run B&D Self Storage with my dad. We started this business after we lost a bunch of our own family’s stuff to a flooded basement. So I get it. This stuff matters.
Let me tell you what I’ve learned from hauling people’s lives around in a truck for fifteen years.
The Real Enemy Isn’t the Heat—It’s the Humidity
Summer is the absolute worst for your things. It’s not just the heat. It’s the wetness in the air. You know when you get in your car and the windows are foggy on the inside? That’s what’s happening in your garage or a cheap storage unit. That moisture is settling on everything you own.
I’ve seen it all:
- A box of books that swelled up so much we couldn’t get them out.
- A beautiful wooden chair that split right down the middle like it had been struck by lightning.
- A leather jacket that grew a fine coat of green fuzz.
It’s brutal. And 99% of the time, it’s preventable.
Two Non-Negotiable Rules for Summer Storage
So, here’s what you need to do. This isn’t from a manual, it’s from my own two hands.
First, you gotta clean your stuff. I know, it sounds stupid. “Why clean it if I’m just putting it away?” Because that tiny bit of dirt, that one cookie crumb, that invisible spot of soda? It’s a dinner bell for bugs and a starting point for rot. Wash what you can. Wipe everything down. And for the love of all that is holy, make sure your clothes and towels are BONE DRY. Not kinda dry. Not “it’ll be fine” dry. Dry as a bone.
Second, stop using cardboard boxes. I mean it. Just stop. Go to Home Depot and get the plastic totes with the yellow lids. The ones that click shut. Yeah, they cost money. But they’re a forcefield against moisture and mice. Cardboard is a sponge and a snack. Plastic is a vault.
When a Plastic Tote Just Isn’t Enough
Now, here’s the part where I be totally straight with you.
If you have anything that you truly care about—your mom’s wedding dress, your vinyl records, that painting your kid made you—cleaning it and putting it in a plastic tote isn’t enough. Not if that tote is sitting in a 95-degree metal box that we call a “standard storage unit.”
The only way to truly protect your precious stuff is to get it into a space where the air itself is controlled.
This is what we do with our climate-controlled units at B&D Self Storage. It’s not a fancy term. It just means the unit is inside a building, with walls and insulation, and we run air conditioning and a dehumidifier. It feels like your living room. It never gets hot. It never gets damp. The air is dry and cool.
I’m not just selling this. I use it. My daughter’s first pair of shoes is in one of our climate-controlled units. My dad’s war medals are in there. Because I’ve seen the alternative, and it’s a heartbreak.
Mike’s Quick and Dirty Storage Hacks
A couple of quick, real-world tips:
- If you have a wooden table, don’t wrap it in plastic. You’ll trap the sweat and cook the wood. Use an old sheet.
- Got some tools? Wipe ’em down with a little WD-40. It keeps the rust off.
- When you pack your space, leave a little walkway down the middle. Let the air move. Stagnant air is what causes that nasty smell.
The Bottom Line
That’s it. That’s the gospel according to Mike. Do the prep. Be smart about what needs real protection. Then go enjoy your summer without worrying that your memories are melting into a puddle.
If you want to ask a real person about this stuff, just call us at B&D Self Storage. Ask for Mike. I’ll tell you the same thing I’m telling you now. No bots, no BS.
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