Top Items to Return to Storage After Winter

Jon Fesmire | March 24, 2021 @ 9:47 AM

Winter is behind us, and with it, the need for a big winter wardrobe and winter sports equipment. One of the great things about self storage is that you can use it to store your off-season items, making extra room in your home. It’s also safer for your things than your garage, attic, or basement. Those areas are especially susceptible to outdoor weather conditions, which means your gear and clothes may dry out or even get damp with the humidity and grow mold.

Here are the things you’ll want to put in self storage until around next December.

Winter Sports Gear

These are the main winter sports items you’ll want to keep safe in storage.

  • Skis

When you think about winter sports gear, skis probably pop into your head first. If you enjoy hitting the slopes every year, you’ll want to keep your skis in great shape, but you don’t need them in your home.

  • Snowboards

Like skis, snowboards take up a lot of space and are best kept in storage until winter rolls around.

  • Sleds

Sure, you don’t bring sleds to the slopes, but you may love riding down local hills, and you’ll want to keep your sled safe during the warmer months.

  • Ski Suits and Ski Boots

These could go in the winter wardrobe section, but they’re specifically for skiing, so we’re including them with the sports equipment. As with anything else you put in storage, these need to be thoroughly cleaned and dried, but they’ll then be out of your way and ready to use later.

Winter Wardrobe

In most areas of the U.S., winters drop to freezing and summers get especially hot. Even if you live in an area with milder weather, there’s usually enough of a variation in the weather that you’ll have some clothes you wear only in winter, and some you bring out in the summer.

Always follow the cardinal rule of storing anything, especially clothes: make sure to wash and dry them thoroughly before packing them away.

A storage unit makes a great off-season wardrobe closet. Your winter wardrobe likely includes the following items that you can now store.

  • Boots

Winter boots protect your feet from the freezing weather and have traction on the soles to help prevent you from slipping on snow or ice. Your feet don’t need to be so warm the rest of the year, so clean these and store them.

  • Coats

Those wonderfully thick winter coats will only make you sweat the rest of the year.

  • Gloves

As the weather warms and the air gets a bit more humid, you won’t need thick gloves to protect your hands from the cold, dry air.

  • Long-Sleeve Shirts

Pretty soon it will be summer and you’ll probably want to wear shirts with short sleeves, at least, when you’re not at work. Your especially warm shirts can go in a box in storage.

  • Long Underwear

This feels great on your legs in the dead of winter, but not so much in the warm months.

  • Scarves

A decorative, light scarf can protect your neck from the sun in the summertime, but a winter scarf is meant for frigid temperatures.

  • Sweaters

No one needs a thick sweater during the summer, but in the winter, they’re fantastic. For the rest of the year, keep them in storage.

  • Winter Hats

The notion that most of the heat that radiates from our bodies comes out the top of our heads is false, but in the winter, you should still wear a nice cap to keep your dome warm. When the weather heats up, other hats will protect you from the sun and not overheat your scalp, so store your beanies.

Climate Control

Winter items are made to handle the cold. This is especially true of winter sports gear. Your skis, snowboards, and ski outfits don’t do as well in warm, humid weather.

Because of this, we encourage you to rent a unit with climate control. It will keep your belongings in a safe temperature range, usually between 50 and 80 degrees, though some facilities use an even tighter, safer range. Climate-controlled units are also kept between 30% and 50% humidity, just right for almost all your stuff. These units rent for about 30% more than standard units, but you won’t return to storage to find temperature-related damage to your things.

Have a wonderful spring, summer, and fall, knowing that your winter items will be in good condition when you need them again.

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