Houston, TX: Top Things to Know About Storage

Why the Term “Rush Hour” Should Just be Changed to “Rush”

Finding the right storage facility in Houston can be a bit of a challenge.  Although Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, its 473 storage facilities have enough units to accommodate its population.  Traffic is a big problem to consider when trying to find a storage facility.  If you’re storing things that you won’t go back to more than a few times a year, traffic is not much of a problem.  However, if you’re storing things that you need to go back to frequently, keep reading.  LA isn’t the only city with bad traffic.  Studies show that traffic is only getting worse in Houston.  You can’t avoid traffic too much, but you can make sure to find a storage facility that isn’t inside “the loop” (the Interstate 610 freeway that forms a 38-mile loop around downtown Houston).  The average Houston driver claims that rush hour traffic times are:  6:30AM-9:00AM, 11:00AM-1:00PM, 4:00PM-7:30PM.  But of course, this does not account for traffic caused by football games in NRG Stadium and Rice Stadium, and added traffic of students of Rice University during the school year.  If you ask us, that doesn’t leave much time in a day to access your storage unit.  If you really want to store your things in or around the loop because of proximity to your home, consider opting for a facility that offers 24-hour access to your unit.

Events and Even More Traffic

Football games are not the only thing that will affect your access to your storage unit.  Houston has a plethora of local events that cause road closures pretty often.  The MLK Jr. Grande Parade is a parade that marches through the heart of Houston and draws 300,000 supporters, the Chevron Houston Marathon is an annual run which begins and ends in downtown, and has 20,000 entrants and 200,000 spectators, and the Buffalo Bayou Regatta is the largest canoe and kayak race in Texas, with over 200 vessels hitting the waters in downtown Houston.  These events are just the tip of the iceberg, and they’re bound to cause some road closures and more than a few traffic jams along the way.

Humidity Doesn’t Just Affect Your Hair

Houston has a humid subtropical climate, which means hot and humid summers and mild to cool winters.  In the summer, temperatures can go up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, which is enough to make precious things in your storage unit start to grow mold.  Because of this, one of the most vital things to know about storage in Houston is the importance of having a climate controlled storage unit.  Some facilities actually also have humidity control because of humidity ranging from over 90% in the morning to around 60% in the evening.  Be careful though, because not all facilities offer these units, and we highly advise against storing valuable items in units that don’t have this option.  Some things you should consider storing in a climate controlled unit are:  wood, metals, wine, and art pieces.  If you’re not sure of what should or should not go into a unit, talk to a storage facility manager.  It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Houston also faces the challenge of dealing with tropical cyclones, which are hurricanes or tropical storms.  During hurricane season, the city experiences heavy rain which can possible lead to significant damage to the city.  What does this mean for storage?  Well, flooding is a big problem in Houston because of its flat land, so you want to be sure that the storage facility you choose takes precautions against leaks and flooding to avoid water damage to your belongings.

Storage and Crimes

Houston has some of the worst crime rates in the country.  The city has an annual property crime rate of 105,990, and is safer than only 4% of the cities in the U.S.  As scary as that is, you shouldn’t be afraid to store things at a storage facility.  In fact, your belongings might be safer in storage than they might be at home!  Storage facilities take a great deal of security measures to ensure the safety of your things.  Some things to look for in a facility are whether or not it’s well lit, if there are 24-hour surveillance cameras, and if there is on site foot patrol.  If you want to opt for fancier security, you can also find facilities in which units have their own individual alarm systems.