Moisture is always a concern when storing your personal property, whether it’s in your own storage shed or at a storage facility. When there is too much humidity in the air your tools, clothing, electronics and your books can be damaged. The humidity can also encourage mold and mildew to grow. It’s a good idea to carefully clean and dry any items that are damp or wet before putting them in storage. Moisture can be a problem if your area has high humidity in the winter or rainy season. This will raise the humidity in your storage area.

Some home garden shed plans will include plans for controlling the humidity in the shed during those summer months.

Commercial Products

You can find many commercially-produced products for reducing humidity that are sold at storage facilities or at home improvement centers. Often these products have ingredients such as sodium chloride, alumina, potassium chloride, silica gel or calcium chloride. They may even have a combination of these ingredients. They are all meant to absorb the humidity that is present in the air. But keep in mind that these products might be toxic, so don’t keep them where pets or children might be able to reach them.

Charcoal Briquettes

Often charcoal manufacturers will tell you that you should always keep your charcoal briquettes in a dry spot. That’s because they absorb water right out of the air. So you can cut down the moisture in your storage unit by putting a bucket of inexpensive, plain briquettes right in your storage unit. Change the briquettes every 30 to 60 days and the air will stay dry and fresh.

Kitty Litter

Another great material to use is kitty litter. You may even be using kitty litter to soak up garage oil spills. It works just as well for absorbing moisture in your storage unit. Just open a bag or bucket of kitty litter and put it out near the center of the unit. The moisture that is in the air will be absorbed by the clay in the litter. This will keep your property mold and mildew free.

Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier is a great idea if you have electricity available. It helps to cut down the humidity in the air of your storage unit. But keep in mind that, unlike the above methods, you can only use a dehumidifier if the temperature is higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So if your unit is unheated in the winter, you may not be able to use one in the winter. Also keep in mind that you will need to attach the water tank to a floor drain or empty it regularly. This might be inconvenient.

Electric Fan

A box fan or one that oscillates can be very helpful to keep humidity down in a storage unit. You can use this method along with the passive methods mentioned above. If you can get good circulation of air in the unit you should be able to prevent mildew and mold from growing on your walls and storage boxes.