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How Humidity Wears Down your Possessions

Humidity is famous for turning hair into a frizzy mess.

What is not as well-known is just how much harm it can also do to your electronics, books, art, antiques, musical instruments, photographs, and more.

Here are a few of the dangers to look out for.

Mold and Mildew

You might think that an area needs to be damp to allow mold and mildew to grow. The truth is it only needs to be humid.

Let’s say you store your baby books in your attic. The porous paper can suck in humid air and make the paper damp enough to mildew.

Warping

When there’s water in the air, it’s not only paper that absorbs moisture. It’s also the wood components of your furniture, antiques, musical instruments, and even picture frames. Once that happens, the wood starts to swell, which can result in bending and warping.

Oxidation and Corrosion

Those are more or less just fancy words for rust. It’s what can happen to metal when stored in high humidity—and it may affect more items than you think.

The staples on your prized comic books, appliances, electronics, cameras, jewelry, and collectible coins are all vulnerable to oxidation and corrosion.

Fighting Humidity

Your hair can win the battle with a good anti-frizz styling product. But there’s no magic product to protect your possessions from the effects of humidity. That means that most attics, basements, and garages are not the place to store items of either financial or sentimental value.

About StorageMart

At StorageMart, we offer affordable self storage units that can be rented on a month-by-month basis. Just like home, they’re always clean and well lit. Not sure what size you’d need? Check out our storage unit guide. We also offer climate controlled units for delicate items such as artwork, antiques, record albums, and other collectibles that can be damaged from exposure to heat and temperature swings. Contact us to rent a unit online today.