Exploring Long Distance Moving Procedures

If you intend on moving from one home to another, then you may need to store things for a short period of time while your new house is painted, cleaned, or remodeled. Storage facilities are a great place to secure things safely for both short and long periods of time. If you need to store clothes, then mildew may be a huge concern for you. To store your things without mildew becoming a concern, read on.

Store Organic Fabrics Carefully

Mold and mildew need several different things to thrive on your clothing. The fungi needs oxygen, an organic material to feed upon, and a water source. Heat is not required for mildew to grow, but it will encourage growth just like a dark space will. You also may be enticing mildew to form on your clothes if you have a variety or organic or natural clothing items secured in the same place. Organic or natural fabrics include cotton, silk, hemp, mohair, wool, cashmere, and angora and they provide a direct food source for the mildew.

To keep your clothes safe, separate your natural clothing from the synthetic ones made from acrylic, polyester, nylon, rayon, acetate, or spandex. Place these clothes in a plastic airtight storage bin. Not only will this keep oxygen out of the container, but plastic is another type of synthetic material that will not attract mildew or mold. The clothing made from synthetic materials should be secured in plastic bins too, but ones with loose lids are best to allow the clothing to breathe while in storage.

Reduce Moisture

Since water is essential to the formation of mold and mildew, it is also wise to make sure that you can keep your fabrics from become moist. Reducing the overall humidity within the storage unit or space is wise. You can do this easily in the expansive space by making your own large sized desiccant packets. These packets are usually quite small and contain a dozen or more round silica gel balls. These balls absorb water and expand to several times their original size. While most desiccant packets are meant to keep packaging dry, they can also reduce the humidity in a larger space by merely placing more of the silica beads in an open area.

Go to your local home store or craft store to purchase a large container of silica gel beads. Place about one to two cups of the beads in either mesh bags or paper bags. Tape one bag to each wall within the storage space and place one or two in the middle of the unit where your clothes are stored. Replace the silica beads when they appear to be 10 or 20 times their original size. For more information, contact your storage company (such as Bekins Van Lines Inc).