Take out a cardboard box that has been half a year in a sweaty garage. The smell strikes you first of all. And then the damage makes its appearance - curled and warped paper, cemented photo albums, melted vinyl records in weird and grotesque forms. Hot weather and moisture are time stealing. They do not smash your stuff and say no. They undermine them day by day, silently. This is where climate controlled mini storage fits in. Check this!
Imagine a room that is floating in air. Air is controlled, temperature is not fluctuating, humidity is regulated. No brutal summer surges. No bitter winter dips. Your property is deposited in a stable, regulated place of refuge - insured as delicate cargo on a stormy ocean.
Some of the things actually rely on such consistency. An example of this is the wooden furniture which breathes with the surrounding environment. It fills in wet air, and deflates when situations become dry. Keep a chest of drawers in a poorly regulated unit and the drawers begin to jam in a few months. The climate control maintains the stability of the air and maintains the shape and functionality of the wood despite the course of time.
Electronics is not an exception. Gaming systems that are old, monitors, and camera equipment all have delicate internal parts. Moisture insidiously enters circuits and silently corrosion is initiated. The damage is not evident until the time you switch the power button and nothing happens. The risk is significantly minimized by proper conditions of storage.
This has been known since the times of the collectors. Trading cards, comic books, vinyl records, and old magazines perform very poorly in the changing environments. The paper is a quick absorber of moisture. Dampness causes curved pages, the mildew and the characteristic musty smell. A climate stable unit maintains pages flat and colors bright.
The same should be given to clothing. Constant heat undermines the fabric fibres. Leather stiffens and cracks. Wedding dresses and antique clothing lose their value when they are neglected. Climate controlled units reduce that wear and tear drastically and therefore clothes are able to last much longer.
There is even the mere issue of convenience. Any person who has ever opened a metal roll-up door in August can feel that; they enter a giant oven. Climate controlled facilities are generally provided with indoor corridors and paying them a visit is quite bearable.
Most people believe that these departments are being used to house rare antiques and valuable collections. That thinking is too narrow. The family photos, financial materials, musical instruments and even an acoustic guitar can deform so fast in a humid environment and thus they all should be better than being left in uncontrolled air.
Few little advancements in storage will save what regular insurance fails to restore: the irreplaceable.