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HELP! I threw a mini-temper tantrum today because I’m running out of space and trying very hard not to let the ebay inventory invade my house. I have a good inventory system going, but I’m outgrowing my little space. I have about 900 items that I store in banker boxes. I sell both clothing and hard goods.
I’m thinking about purchasing a wooden or vinyl shed a lowes to put in our back yard. My concern is how inventory will hold up since it will not be temperature controlled. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and currently it’s freezing here, but in the summer it gets up over 100 easily and consistently. I not worried about the cool weather as I am the hot weather. How will my clothing/shoes hold up? Do I put hard goods outside and keep clothing inside or vice versa?
Any opinions or thoughts on this matter would be awesome and appreciated.
Cheers,
Heidi -
Hooray, a question where I can use my day job (preservation) skills. I’d be most concerned about heat + humidity in a dark, closed space. That’s a perfect environment for mold and mildew. It can spread shockingly fast – if you’ve ever left damp clothes in the washing machine for too long, you know how fast. Bugs and rodents also like that kind of situation.
Dramatic fluctuations from cold to hot are also bad over time, but short-term it’s probably not as much of a risk.
If you do go that direction, you could store just the durable hard goods (basically, anything that pests won’t eat and you can wipe clean – like metal and ceramic) in the shed, and keep everything else in your house.
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Off Topic: What part of the pacific north west are you from? I was born and raised in the Vancouver/Portland, OR area 🙂
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I store my inventory in an uncontrolled wood building with a vented metal roof. We get 100 degree days in summer and 0 degree days in winter. My items do just fine. I have two enclosed wardrobes that I store coats and wool items in and I keep cedar planks in the wardrobes.
It’s been this way for 3 years and I have had zero issues.
The mold/mildew becomes a problem when the storage area is not vented. You’ll get moisture buildup, mold, and mildew. When the temps change the moisture needs to be able to escape.
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Retro: Do you store shoes outside? I just bought someone’s inventory and they have a surplus of shoes and I’m so overwhelmed by them. I might just sell the whole lot to someone and get them out of my life – haha
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Heidi – I feel you! I have looked into mini sheds, but I know I would blow out of them quickly. Plus, I am a light freak – I can’t be in the dark looking for stuff, so I would need overheard lighting. When I see storage units that are dark and people are hunting for their items it stresses me out! 🙂
However, my new plan is getting more creative in my house for storage. My home (1200 sq feet) that is full of frankly, our own household crap. I have been relying on shelf racks and tubs for storage, but I see potential in other areas of my house.
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You can buy a split pack air conditioner to install, it’s quite simple and you only need a couple small holes drilled. We used them all the time in Africa and they work very well. They’re expensive here in the States, but I found a few under $500. Worth the expense for no damaged good, IMHO.
I have a 16×8 ft shed with a single ac that I run in the summer. I don’t run heat in winter. We have humidity here in Texas, and I’ve noticed that it seems to build up in the shed. I had a “fuzz” on a leather jacket and tarnish on silver goods stored, since the ac is on, no problems.
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