Humidity causes materials to break down, fabrics to mold and metal to rust. If left exposed to moisture for too long, all of your possessions could become worthless, making the cost of storage a waste. Considering the small additional expense when compared to the possible losses, bypassing this extra precaution for the following items might become regretted mistake.
Art
If exposed to moisture for an extended period of time, Canvas can rot, damaging the entire painting. Oil paints also become gummy and lose their consistency.
Wine
While high humidity is unlikely to damage corks, especially considering the other end of the cork is moist from the wine itself, it can damage the bottles and labels. It is important to protect expensive wine labels so that you aren’t playing a guessing game when it’s time to open the bottle or sell it.
Electronics
Some electronic items are so sensitive to humidity that they have sensors to keep them from powering up if they are wet from condensation. Even if they dry out without damage, too much condensation will cause delicate parts to corrode over time.
Clothing
Failing to keep vintage clothing in climate controlled self storage is an enormous risk for mold and mildew. This is especially true for very precious clothing such as wedding dresses.
Books
Pages become warped and yellow from moisture. If the moisture is severe enough, the ink can bleed or pages become stuck together making the book impossible to read.
Photos
Photos suffer from cracks and yellowing, just as books do when left to the elements. Nothing is more depressing than discovering a batch of irreplaceable wedding or baby photos damaged to the point that their stories can no longer be seen.
Collectible Toys
Stuffed animals will mildew, metal toys will rust and board games will fall apart or lose their ink. Losing an unwanted toy is a small loss, so in this case the decision whether to use climate controlled self storage should depend on how collectible or sentimental the toys are.
Classic Cars
Classic cars contain materials that are more likely to rust or suffer damage from moisture, unlike modern cars made with fiberglass or other shells that are more immune to the elements. Considering the collectible value that is lost if a vintage car is severely damaged by moisture, it should always be stored in a well controlled environment.
Ceramics
Most people don’t know that humidity can cause mold in ceramics, permanently marring their finish.
Furniture
Wood furniture warps, fabric furniture molds and metal furniture rusts. They all lose integrity with excess moisture.
Humidity is not the only enemy of precious possessions. Temperature extremes can damage items too. If an item is subject to damage from either heat or cold, it will benefit from climate controlled self storage as well.
