So you’re trying to store stuff in Arkansas. Bless your heart. You already know what we’re up against – it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity that gets you. That thick, wet air that makes your hair frizz by 8 AM and leaves everything feeling vaguely damp. I’ve ruined more than one good thing learning how to deal with it.
Remember that time I stored my college textbooks in my parents’ garage over in Hot Springs? Big mistake. Came back after summer to find them swollen up like they’d been drinking water, pages all wavy, with that distinctive musty smell that never really leaves. Or my husband’s leather jacket he left in a closet? Stiff as a board with white mold speckles all over it. We’ve all got stories like that here.
So here’s what I actually do now, after learning the hard way:
Accept the Humidity Reality
First, accept reality. That muggy air is going to find any little crack or porous surface and make itself at home. Your goal isn’t to fight the entire Arkansas atmosphere – you’ll lose. Your goal is to create little dry bubbles around each of your items.
Clean Everything Like You Mean It
Clean everything like you mean it. And I don’t just mean wipe it down. I mean really clean it.
Last spring, I was storing my winter sweaters. Washed them all, dried them, thought I was good. Threw them in a plastic bin. Three months later, opened it up and caught a whiff of something funky. Turns out one wool sweater in the middle wasn’t completely dry. Just slightly damp from being in a thick pile in the dryer. That was enough. Now I lay everything out for a full day before packing it away. Tedious? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.
Same goes for dishes – dry them with a towel, then let them air dry for another hour. For furniture, wipe it down with a dry cloth, then go over it again. You’re not being paranoid – you’re being smart.
Your Container Choices Make All The Difference
Your storage containers matter more than you think.
Cardboard boxes? Forget it. They’re basically sponges with flaps. I watched a moving box literally disintegrate in my shed after one particularly rainy June. The bottom just gave out.
What works:
- Those solid plastic bins with the click-on lids. The kind you can sit on. I get the clear ones so I can see what’s inside without playing storage Jenga every time I need something.
- For clothes and fabrics? Vacuum seal bags changed my life. I did this with my daughter’s baby clothes – sucked all the air out, and two years later when we had our son, they came out smelling fresh. No mothballs, no weird smells.
- If you absolutely must use cardboard boxes (we all have them), don’t let them touch the floor. Put them on pallets, on shelves, on anything that creates air space underneath. Concrete sweats, and that moisture travels right up into your boxes.
Cheap Moisture Warriors That Actually Work
My grandma taught me this one: those little silica gel packets that come in shoe boxes? Save them. All of them. I keep a mason jar on my laundry room counter where I toss every single one. When I pack up seasonal decor or photos, I throw a handful in each bin. They’re free and they actually work.
Also, those DampRid buckets from Walmart. The white crystal ones. I put one in each corner of my storage area. When you see how much liquid they pull from the air – and in Arkansas, it’s a lot – you’ll understand why you need them.
The redneck engineering method? Fill old socks with unscented clay cat litter. Tie them off and toss them around. Sounds crazy, but it absorbs moisture like nothing else.
Big furniture needs special attention
Don’t wrap your couch in plastic sheeting. I did that with a loveseat once, and when I unwrapped it six months later, the fabric underneath was damp and smelled musty. The plastic trapped whatever moisture was already there. Use cotton sheets or those breathable fabric covers instead.
Take things apart if you can. Table legs, bed frames, shelves. It lets air circulate and prevents moisture from getting trapped in tight spaces.
Leave some room around your stuff. Don’t cram everything wall-to-wall. Air needs to move, even if it’s just a few inches.
When All the Tricks Aren’t Enough: The Climate Control Solution
Here’s my real talk moment:
All these tricks help. A lot. But for the things that really matter to you – your grandmother’s handwritten recipes, your wedding dress, your good guitar, important documents – you’re playing with fire if you don’t have climate control.
I learned this after ruining a beautiful wooden dresser my mom gave me. Had it in my garage with all the tricks – plastic under it, litter socks inside, space around it. Still warped. Still got that white mildew in the drawers.
That’s when I broke down and rented a climate-controlled unit at New Burton Storage. And honestly? Game changer.
It’s not just “air conditioned” – it’s properly climate-controlled, which means they manage the humidity level year-round. Walking into that unit feels like walking into my living room. Dry. Consistent. No worrying about what the weather’s doing outside.
We actually offer that service specifically because we’re from here. We know what the humidity can do. Our units are built to handle Arkansas weather because we live with it too. When my neighbor’s basement flooded last spring, guess where she brought her family photos? Straight to one of our climate-controlled units. She slept better knowing they were in a dry, secure space.
One more practical thing: Check on your stuff. Not every day, but every couple of months. Especially after a really wet period. Just pop in, smell the air, check your DampRid buckets. It takes five minutes and gives you peace of mind.
You Can Actually Win This Fight
Look, storing things here doesn’t have to end in disaster. Be thorough with your prep, use the right supplies, and for the important stuff – get it in a proper climate-controlled space. Your future self will thank you when you open that bin and everything’s exactly how you left it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my Christmas decorations in the unit. We’re expecting rain all week, and while I’m not worried, old habits die hard.
0 Comments