Off campus storage units

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My daughter will be abroad second semester and will need to store most of her dorm stuff for 8 months. We will bring home her clothing and bedding, but will store tv, books, printer, desk chairs, as well as everything else she owns!</p>

<p>Where we live, self storage units are climate controlled and in buildings. It seems by her LAC all storage units are more like a garage; it had a garage type door, you bring your own lock, and several units are attached in long rows.</p>

<p>It is my understanding that storing here is like putting items in your garage; they will be exposed to the heat and cold, there is a “chance” so water might get in, and I should expect spiders and other bugs!</p>

<p>What is the best way to pack up? One of the owners of the self storage suggested we put wood under anything important; I am assuming in case water/snow gets in. I know the items should be covered, so I figured maybe with plastic. A friend of my daughter’s left clothes one year and said everything smelled when she returned. I was thinking of packing in boxes items like books and smaller items and then dropping the boxes in large plastic contractor bags. She has several plastic storage containers, so I am hoping we can get a good bit in those or maybe buy more just for use in the storage unit.</p>

<p>What about that plastic overwrap (sorry I can’t think of the name) that comes on the large rolls at Home Depot? She has a large computer chair that won’t fit into the bag, although we could cut the bags to cover the chair. I just want to make sure her items are protected especially since no one will be checking it in 8 months; although maybe she could have a friend look in the unit in May before they leave for the summer.</p>

<p>Any hints, tip for storage in one of the units? I feel stupid that I don’t know how to prepare her stuff for storage, but we have never had to do this before. I would love to leave some of her winter clothing and boots as she won’t need them in Spain, but she is afraid to leave her clothes unless I can convince her they will be safe. I think I would rather have the clothes come home as I am sure they will need washing or dry cleaning; I don’t want to store anything dirty.</p>

2

<p>We stored furniture, TV, stereo, lamps, small fridge, cleaning and desk supplies and non perishable (cans/jars, macaroni, condiments) food items in a similar type unit to what you describe for my son for a couple of summer breaks over a number of years. Son was in a two person suite, and we shared the cost of storage with roomate. He has a capped pickup truck, so it was his issue, not mine ;). I also left my d’s college stuff there as well.</p>

<p>The facility was fairly new, probably <6 years old. We had no problems with water, bugs, or rodents.</p>

<p>All the boxes were fairly heavy weight corrugated, securely taped top and bottom. Covered the furniture with old sheets, mainly to minimize dust.</p>

<p>Other than a spider or two in the facility, no issues.</p>

<p>I would hesitate to store clothing or important books/papers for fear of mold/mildew in the event of water infiltration. There are those vacuum bags sold in various places that may well afford enough protection if used properly. Using wooden skids is always a good idea storing corrugated on concrete, as corrugated will wick any moisture; concrete is inherently damp, even if just from condensation. </p>

<p>You can double cover everything with a quality plastic tarp, and secure with rope or bungee cords.</p>

<p>Most of what we stored was of throw away quality. It was just easier to store it locally than drag it home every year. Very little did actually come back when he graduated… it was either given away, donated, or trashed.</p>

<p>It’s important to check the facility’s limitations on damages. They will offer you an insurance coverage upgrade for additional cost if your value will exceed the standard. You have to decide if the additional $ warrant it.</p>

<p>Contractor’s bags- It would depend on the climate honestly. In an area with high humidity, or near a body of water, you will get condensation inside the bag in all probability. If you do do it, use duct tape rather than a twist tie or the pull straps to secure the bag. Don’t overstuff the bag, leave enough room to spin the bag closed and secure the “neck”.</p>

<p>Clothes, books, and bedding may be a crap-shoot if the unit is not climate controlled.
with a couple of passes of duct tape.</p>

3

<p>My gut was not to store clothing or fabric item and you have convinced me not to. The school is in the northeast, but summers still can be warm; I was more concerned with water damage than humidity, but I see that plastic and humidity are not friends!</p>

<p>Everything we store will be replaceable; we will bring home clothes, bedding, pictures and anything important. The only cloth item I can think we might leave is her computer chair which my husband is hoping not to take apart and put together for the 4th time! </p>

<p>I will look into wooden pallets for the floor and either drop clothes or old sheets to cover the items. I am talking a 5 X 10 units and hopefully she could share this with someone as she doesn’t have that much to store. There is just so much room in the car that if we could leave the chair, tv, shelving, books, and whatnot, the car would not be packed to the roof!</p>

<p>Would it help to lay plastic on the floor before the pallets to keep moisture at bay, or will it not help? I remember when we had a home with a crawlspace we had plastic over the dirt to keep moisture away from the house, assuming that really helped.</p>

4

<p>snowball - our D also went abroad second semester. We chose to bring everything home in December. We drove out in our car, and with her car and ours managed to get everything home. I think she was able to find someone to ‘borrow’ her computer chair so that she could leave it there (in her sorority house), but I’m sure your D has friends who would love to borrow a nice chair for spring semester and return it to her when they return to school next fall.</p>

<p>We also used parents weekend to weed out some stuff that we could bring home… summer clothes, so she wouldn’t have so much stuff. She also brought stuff home at Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, we were able to get all her stuff back in one car this August, so just she and I drove out. After living abroad on the amount of stuff you can pack in two large suitcases, she decided to pare back for her senior year, that she didn’t need so much stuff. And believe me, this is a kid that lives for shopping.</p>

5

<p>Can you use Pods near her school? <a href=“http://www.pods.com/[/url]”>http://www.pods.com/&lt;/a&gt; No clue how much it costs, but they come to you, take the storage unit away, and bring it back. Looks more water resistant than an outdoor unit.</p>

6

<p>We have used storage units for years for our college kids - and these are the tricks that we used… (professional storage - basement areas - barns too LOL) and nothing has been ruined at all.</p>

<p>wooden pallets - usually free somewhere around town - put on floor of storage unit - keeps out of the dampness of the floor - but also allows an air space.</p>

<p>Large rubbermaid bins - with lids - Heavy gauge plastic garbage bags - size that fits into bins and overlaps edge. All items stored - including clothes/linens/books/etc… were put in plastic bag - then it was tied firmly - push out any air possible - bin closed up and all edges sealed with duct tape. We have even stored computer equipment - printer/supplies - like this and they are as good as new when we go get them out.</p>

<p>Scattered moth balls around the storage area - in drawers as well. For larger things like a matress or futon or chair cushion - double wrap with trash bags - roll in plastic - seal with duct tape - place a few moth balls nearby.</p>

<p>Skii’s/snowboards - put a thin layer of pet. jelly or a bit of WD40 on the edges - and wrap in heavy plastic - seal with duct tape (protects the edges from any rusting). Wd40 also good on any hinges/etc… anything that can rust.</p>

<p>Space bags work well also - but we still put inside trash bag/bin.</p>

<p>We have only rented a 5x5 storage unit - and have found that they are a great size if no big furniture.</p>

<p>We have never had a problem with any heat/moisture with any of our storage adventures.</p>

7

<p>Pods are too big, too expensive and not available in the area. I do think pods are a cool invention and would consider them for myself if I would ever get around to getting rid of the clutter at home!!</p>

<p>We could bring everything home, but storing is just so much easier. It also will allow my daughter to drive back to school in the fall with a friend if she decides not to have a parent go with her! Her car is not big and we had to ship her bedding and a few other things in the fall. I would rather store those big and bulky items and not deal with loading and unloading the car trying to get everything to fit. I forgot that she also had to buy new fans this year as her dorm does not have AC. There is not room for those in the car under the best of conditions, so if she didn’t store them she would have to get rid of them and rebuy in the fall.</p>

8

<p>I honestly would not recommend tarping the floor. It will just condense between the floor and the tarp, and there’s the potential for a mold/mildewy smell if nothing else.</p>

<p>If the unit looks at al like a leaker, or has evidentt water staining, ask for another before you commit.</p>

<p>The chair should not be an issue in “normal” conditions.</p>

<p>Jeepmom’s advice is sound.</p>

9

<p>JeepMom, just what I wanted to hear! Question concerning duct tape(a favorite product); do you find it leaves a residue on the storage bins? I always worry about tape in the heat leaving glue on the plastic. I guess we could use one of our other favorite products-Goo Gone if there is some residue left.</p>

<p>Not that it matter as the price is the price, but what have others paid for a self storage unit? For some reason my daughter thought they were $10 a month which I knew sounded too good to be true; it was!!</p>

10

<p>Duct tape - creats a moisture proof bond on the seams/cracks - residue - a bottle of non-acetone finger nail polish remover (even WD40 removes adhesive too LOL) - walaaaaa - good as new :)</p>

<p>Staples of any college bound student LOL :smiley:
If it doesn’t move and should- WD40
If it moves and shouldn’t - Duct tape</p>

<p>I live in the nor’east - use these methods all the time at home as well for storage in a basement and an attic. Kids went to school in the mid-atlantics - same methods - same results. :)</p>

<p>Last question - why a 5x10 unit?? Why not a 5x5 one - with bins - they stack nicely and the 5x5 really holds alot of stuff. - just curious. We have paid $30-35/mo for a 5x5 most recently - but that is not in a place like Boston - but in a small city in NC.</p>

<p>OOO and just a clue here - if a rubbermaid bin gets in a flood - it will float - and many a time - if it is sealed - it will be found to be just as you left it - with no moisture inside - if the edges are sealed and heavy trash bags are utilized - been there and done that LOL :D</p>

<p>Hint: DO NOT use cardboard boxes to store any item that be damaged by moisture/heat - cuz they pretty much turn to mush when damp - or fry when heated up - not good for long term storage when one wants their stuff to remain intact. Well - maybe except for the dust mop or something like that LOL</p>

11

<p>Another hint - do not put into a storage unit anything liquid (with temp changes they can break or just goop up) - or under pressure (hair spray can for example - they can explode with the temp changes - no makeup - no sily string - no white out - no perfume - nothing even close to those things - cuz they can really cause a huge mess :(</p>

<p>For college kid stuff - climate control units are a waste of $$ - but that is just IMHO - if stuff is packed well/properly - there is no need for it.</p>

12

<p>I wish a 5 x 5 unit was available, but all the storage companies (read, anyone with some extra acreage) only offer 5X10 or 10X10 for their smaller units. This is in a rural area so maybe people use them to store their snow plows and snow tires in the summer, and their regular tires and patio furniture in the summer? I really have no idea what people store, I am just guessing; I only know what students store.</p>

<p>Another silly question- my daughter hate the smell of mothballs; will her things smell like mothballs if she just puts them around the ground? I have never had a need to used mothballs, but grandma did!!!</p>

13

<p>NO - you will not put them IN the bins - just around things - you don’t have to use them - but we found they just kept the musty smell out of the storage unit itself - and out of wood in drawers of a desk/dresser that we stored. (They aired out pretty quickly when we took them out of storage.) They are also a good/great critter deterent as well :D</p>

14

<p>Good advice so far, not alot to add, but how about this…</p>

<p>Get a box of laundry soap. When you come back and get your stuff, smell it, if you don’t like the smell, wash it. </p>

<p>Don’t put plastic down on concrete, what moisture occurs needs to naturally evaporate, plastic will trap it and mold will result. The vapor barrier under your house is on dirt, not cement, different effects. </p>

<p>Storage is the way to go by far. We hauled computers home as I have a wireless system and they just put them in their rooms (and out of my office) and facebooked away…</p>

15

<p>My son put his stuff in one of those garage things, and yes, a lot of it was disgusting when it came out. The question is, was it disgusting going in? Yes! </p>

<p>Anyway, he’s down to a couple plastic garbage bags of stuff and a TV. Good.</p>

16

<p>Weenie

</p>

<p>OK - picturing this LOL - could only be you Weenie ROFL</p>

<p>Traveling light is always a good way to go too LOL</p>

17

<p>I’m probably too hard on him and his messiness. He is a great kid. That is the only thing I complain about with him (publicly at least - haha).</p>

18

<p>D stored her stuff when abroad from December until July in a place with a hot climate. She did not get a climate controlled unit (all taken). She stored lots of stuff, but was advised not to store any electronics. She packed things in some large plastic bins, a few boxes, etc. In spite of the weather, everything came out fine. We did put in a couple of containers of “Damp Rid”
and some freshener packets got thrown in some of the containers.</p>

<p>S stored his stuff over the summer in New Orleans (hot AND very humid). In climate controlled storage. Was also advised not to keep any electronics in there, including things like tvs, alarm/radio/cd players. As far as I know, all turned out okay. But I am quite sure that some of the stuff (ie bedding) didn’t go into the unit freshly laundered and smelling good!</p>

19

<p>Now that it is getting closer to storage time I had another question. We had planned to leave her TV and printer in storage as those two items take up a bit of room in her car. It just dawned on me that her TV might not survive the cold temperature. I am talking below freezing temp. for several months! Can electronics handle the cold? I am thinking that the picture tube and/or screen might crack in the cold. All her friends that she would trust with her TV for the spring semester and to store her TV for the summer, al have a TV or have a roommate with one.</p>

<p>If we don’t leave the TV and printer, we really don’t have much to store.</p>