This week on Organize and Cherish, we uncover what may be happening inside your storage room across all four seasons, and break down the specific seasonal threats that could be quietly damaging the things you've chosen to keep.
In This Episode We Talk About:
- Why your storage room isn't a neutral space; it has a climate, and that climate changes with every season
- What summer heat, fall condensation, winter cold, and spring moisture are each doing to an unregulated storage space
- How understanding your storage environment is the missing piece in keeping with true intention and what to do about it in Part 2
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
If you have ever opened your storage room in the middle of summer, for instance, and been hit with a wall of heat, or maybe you've gone to grab something from the basement in January and noticed that really musty smell, that one that makes you wonder, “What kind of stuff's going on in here? It is not the way I remember it smelling in this area.”
Well, if that's the case and you've experienced this before, then this episode is for you. We are deep in the year of the storage rooms here at Organize and Cherish and at the Organized Flamingo, and we have been talking a lot about the why behind storage spaces, like why they fill up, also about intentionality and, uh, feeling that obligation and maybe you're keeping things out of obligation.
But today and next week, because this is a part one and two, we're going to talk a little bit more about, uh, the environment that your stuff is in, so the temperature, for instance. And that's what we're gonna focus on today. I'm gonna give you some tips on how to identify that maybe the temperature is what's causing the problem and the damage in your areas, and if so, what to do about it.
Now, if you have a perfectly climate-controlled storage room, this also could apply to you because if you haven't been in your storage room for a long time, I'm gonna give you some tips on what to do and what to look out for to make sure that you are staying up to date with how to take care of the stuff that you're storing.
All right. Here we go.
Welcome to the Organize and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation, helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together, we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care.
Because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life. Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized So most of us were never taught to really think about storage environments. We probably were taught, if at all, the, you know, to think about storage systems or how to organize alphabetically or put stuff away where it belongs.
At least we, we got that, you know, in early gr- uh, childhood, probably kindergarten, school, or something like that. Hopefully at home as well, but not always. Uh, we may have grown up, even as adults now, watching people organize garages and attics and basements, uh, and on TV. Maybe a magazine that you loved, like me, that would always go and pick that up and see the before and after pictures.
And the focus was always either the bins, the shelving, the labels, the aesthetically pleasing part of organizing and decluttering, and maybe the before and after, right? Always like the before and then the wow factor of the after and the big reveal. But nobody really talked about the fact that in an attic in the summer, it can reach temperatures of 130 to, like, 150 degrees Fahrenheit on a really hot day.
Nobody really mentions that in a basement without proper ventilation, it can hold, uh, hover over, like, 70% humidity, and that anything over 60% humidity is where mold starts to find a home. Which by the way, quick little side note, every, um, Halloween timeframe around Oct- end of October, we do an episode all about, like, creepy crawler, kinda spooky, icky, little topics in your storage areas.
So check those out if you have experienced that and you don't know what to do about, like, stuff that's growing in there, you know, icky. Um, again, or critters maybe that are lounging in there and what to do about it. So check those episodes out. They're always around October. In the normal day-to-day organizing, we just kinda put things in boxes and then hope for the best when it comes, especially when it comes to your storage areas.
And this isn't to make you feel bad, because as you know, here at The Organized Flamingo, we are here to keep things with intention. So it's not about making you feel bad, it's not about trying to get you to throw stuff away. It's just that I want you to think about what you keep and it, is it worth it. So I'm saying it because most storage rooms are set up with the best of intentions and without the, the crucial part about let's think about the temperature and make sure that that's a- as optimal as possible.
Because sometimes you can't really be spending the mon- the money, the time, the effort on trying to make everything, you know, perfectly, um, temperature, climate controlled in those areas. I mean, for instance, there's homes that don't even have that in their regular homes, right? Because it might not be well-insulated.
So storage rooms probably m- and might not be a priority for you. But at least I want you to have some of the right tools that can get you as close as possible. To protecting the items that you're intentionally keeping so that you have a positive, encouraging experience as you organize and declutter. So if you've ever pulled something out of storage and, and had that thought of, “How did this get ruined?
I stored it so carefully,” then this episode is kind of what we're talking about, and this might be the missing chapter in that story. So here's the way I like to think about it. In storage rooms, it's not a neutral space. We've talked about that in, in many episodes, okay? And even to go further with kind of an analogy of the temperature, it does have its own climate, and that climate changes with the seasons because it's p- not really part of your home per se when it comes to the temperature control.
And if you have an off-site storage room, then it's definitely not part of your property or home or area. It is two completely different climates. The work of storing with intention does include understanding what that climate is doing to your belongings throughout the year. We're gonna talk a little bit about, like, the value, for instance, the four seasons.
And the four seasons, even if you don't have extreme seasons like snow, we're just gonna talk about, like, the, the summer, the fall, the winter, and spring and kind of what that typically does to those areas and the stuff in them. And then after that, we will then discuss what some of those different items may need.
So I'm gonna give you examples of items that you probably are storing and what they might need. We'll quickly run through that. I'll give you some solutions on what to look out for f- with those stuff and then go from there, okay? And of course, if you ev- ever have specific questions, just send them over to hello@theorganizedflamingo.com.
Let's talk about the summer seasons. So summer is usually the most aggressive season for those storage items and belongings, especially in attics and upper story storage spaces, garages, and, and any area that gets direct sun exposure. Heat rises, right? You've probably heard of that. When the temperatures outside climbs, these spaces can become really extreme, and I'm talking 100 to 130 degrees in an attic.
Even your garage, which might feel temperature… It might feel like it's temperature-controlled because it's an attached garage maybe, but it's not. Because when you walk through it, and if it's not, if it doesn't have the insulation that the rest of the house has, then it probably is not. Even in the morning when, you know, a- and when you think it's cooler, or at night, that, uh, the temperature might not be, like the heat may not be releasing in time for the next wave, no pun intended.
Okay? So those areas do get very, very hot and very extreme. So what does that kind of heat do? It usually will melt adhesives, like on photos, albums. It warps vinyl records. It degrades rubber and elastic, which is why old rubber bands and elastic waistbands get sticky. You know, like the ones from, um, clothing.
If you're storing stuff in there, that might be happening. It causes wood to expand and potentially crack. It accelerates the aging of paper and cardboard, making them really brittle and yellow. And it's particularly hard on anything with a battery, including like antique clocks, cameras, and electronics because heat accelerates chemical breakdown in batteries, and a leaking battery can cause irreversible damage to whatever it's being stored with Candles are a big one.
I have had clients who stored beautiful, expensive, sentimental candles in their garage, like the holiday ones, the birthday candles, uh, with maybe milestone dates. Um, a lot of the holiday fall decor gets stored in there, like candle-wise, and then they become this puddle of wax with a wick in the middle of a ruined box.
So I mean, that kind of stuff is what I'm talking about. Summer's also when humidity peaks in many parts of the country, and heat holds more moisture, and that moisture has to go somewhere. In a closed storage space, it tends to settle into your soft items. So think fabric, linen, stuffed animals, clothing, creating that perfect condition for mildew.
I've worked in some, um, storage spaces in, in, in very humid spaces. Uh, and what we do end up doing if, if it's not really climate controlled, um, or insulated, we will, um, add some moisture, um, solutions, like the absorbents and whatnot. So I'll talk about solutions in just a minute. But even that, I mean, it gets so humid in some of these parts of the country that even that is really hard on the items.
So it's a very extreme time in the summer for your stuff. Hi, Cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter, and everything in between. That's why I created the Organize & Cherish weekly email that goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum, inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events.
All you have to do is head on over to organizeandcherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now back to our show. All right, let's talk about the fall, because fall is actually probably the friendliest season for most storage rooms.
I love this one. Um, I love this time of the year as well, but I love this topic because, um, during the fall, it's also really probably one of the most popular times for people to enjoy organizing and decluttering and getting into their storage areas. Um, spring as well, but spring has a different feel, which we'll talk about in just a second.
But anyway, back to fall. Fall is one of my fav- personal favorites, and it's a very friendly time to organize, and it's very friendly to your stuff because temperatures are a little bit more moderate. Humidity starts to drop, and there's a natural window where the environment is pretty stable. This is also the season when most of us are actively engaged with our storage spaces.
You know, you're pulling out the holiday decorations, swapping out summer gear for winter gear, doing a bit of reorganizing. And so what I want you to notice about fall is that it's not just a, a functional season for your storage. It's also an opportunity season. The environment is cooperating. It's nice out, and that means if you've been meaning to do some work in your storage room, adding shelving, moving items to better locations, accessing what you've been keeping, uh, with intention and, and trying to get…
go find something finally that you've been trying to look for, fall is usually your window. The temperatures are on your side, so take advantage of it. The main caution in fall is condensation. So as temperatures do drop and then warm up again, those fluctuating fall days, surfaces inside storage rooms can develop condensation, especially metal shelving and containers.
That condensation can create rust on metal items and moisture damage on anything sitting directly on metal. So that's usually what tends to happen during that timeframe. But if anything, if you are going to do, like, these, like, a really big project, the fall is just such a good time for your own, uh, mental health, body.
Like, it's just the most temperal- temperature-controlled time of the year. All right, so let's move on to winter. Winter introduces a totally different set of challenges. Cold itself can cause damage that many people don't anticipate. Plastics become brittle in freezing temperatures and can crack or shatter.
Even if you live in a place that it doesn't snow, let's say California, you al- you do get freezing temperatures or just really cold temperatures. Okay? So don't think you're out of the winter blues here when it comes to your stuff. Paint cans stored in a garage can freeze and separate, and once oil-based paint freezes, for instance, it is done.
Uh, musical instruments, especially wooden ones like guitars and violins, are really sensitive to cold and dryness. The wood contracts, and the finish can crack, and strings can snap, et cetera. So electronics don't love sustained cold either. Circuit boards can be damaged by condensation when you bring a cold device into a warm room.
If you live somewhere with real winters, like a freezing or near-freezing storage space, those are going to be really damaging to many categories of items that people don't realize. The cold doesn't preserve most things the way we intuitively think it might. It actually stresses them. It- the, you know, this isn't like therapy freezing session.
Um, no. Stuff, um, is not like that. Winter is also the season when we tend to forget about our storage rooms entirely, so you don't go in them as often, and the decorations are put away. You know, like, the holiday season is over, and we don't really need anything from storage until spring, s- which means the damage will accumulate without us noticing.
So this is a time when things go to hide and hibernate, meaning it's complete sight's unseen, um, so you're not exactly sure what kind of damage is happening. I'd encourage you to do a quick walkthrough of your storage spaces in January or February. Not necessarily to organize, especially if the weather is- doesn't loan itself to that, but take a walk, you know, in there.
Take a look around, notice some things, and take note. Check for moisture, check for any signs of pests, who also love a quiet storage room in the winter, um, and make note of anything that's just seems off Okay, spring. Spring usually brings in moisture. That's the biggest one thing that I've noticed, um, in all of the regions I've organized.
And I have, by the way, have organized in all the regions in the United States, um, every corner and including the middle. And I live in Colorado now, so very familiar with this area, but also kind of the southwest, southeast, northwest, and the, um, southwest… Excuse me, the north, south, all around is what I'm, I'm trying to say.
Except for Hawaii and Alaska, I have organized in every region. Um, so what I've noticed in the spring is that in most regions is that there's a lot of moisture. So things do warm up, either the snow melts, the rain comes in, and humidity starts climbing again after winter's really dry cold. So then basements in particular are vulnerable in the spring.
Ground-level moisture can seep in, humidity rises, um, and if there's any existing vulnerability in your foundation or drainage, spring is when you will probably discover it. So spring is also when pests become active again, like little critters, mice, spiders, silverfish. They've been looking for warm spots all winter, and your storage room may have become one of them.
Um, so spring is the season to really look at what's on the floor. Check your cardboard boxes, which are pest highways. Um, they're warm, they're dark, they're easy to chew through, and consider whether any of these items need to be moved off of the floor. Uh, one of my biggest tips every year, always, throughout, time and time again, is to leave some room at the bottom of your storage spaces So level up.
Don't place the boxes directly on the floor if you can avoid it, um, because of flooding, because of moisture, because of critters. So I'll always leave like a little bit of a, a little bit of a couple inches of up from above the floor. If you're in the restaurant business, you know that this is actually, um, one of the things that you have to do to not get ticketed or a violation.
So like there's certain, probably many of you work in, um, in industries where you have to do that anyway, anyway, and it's very similar in your own home. So the flip side of spring is that it's when we tend to feel that organizing energy again. It's a natural reset season. Everything's starting to blossom.
What you planted in the fall starts to warm up and starts to wake up, and that impulse to sort through things is valid and useful. You've been cozied up in, uh, that winter feel, and so you're feeling fresh again, and you'd like to go declutter, organize, start fresh, right? Especially with the context you now have about what the past winter may have done to your stored belongings.
You probably will have that energy in the spring. So great, great time to declutter. But because of the moisture, because of it's not always the best to like keep your door open, for instance, in the spring because of the snow melting, and it just kind of tends to be a little bit muddy. That's why I always say fall is just…
it always just feels better. Um, but spring is a very close second. Okay, so now you know what's happening seasonally inside your storage room. You've got the big picture, the climate problem, the seasonal threats, and why this is the piece that most people could be missing. And now we're heading over to part two, which will air next week, and we're going to get specific.
We're going to talk about individual categories of items like your photographs, your documents, your clothing, your textiles, your electronics, and your wooden furniture and instruments and your holiday decorations, what each one actually needs or might need. And then we're going to walk through a simple step-by-step plan for making your storage room work, um, like a checklist almost.
And so we are continuing that on part two. Okay? So stay tuned, and we will be back. Thank you for listening to the Organize and Cherish podcast with The Organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show.
For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast. Until next time, happy organizing