DIY Saturday #89 – Protecting your Belongings from Fire or Water Damage (Video)

Guest Blogger #372, Entry #963, February 18, 2012

Happy DIY Saturday! Today we are talking about safeguarding your home’s belongings from fire or water damage. After a house fire or after a flood or hot water tank leak, most homeowners lose valuable contents in the process.

How safe are your belongings from fire damage?

Image via: Trendir

Today, watch a video on fire safe boxes. See how important it is to read the box when purchasing and see how a ‘fire retardant’ box is different from a ‘fire safe”. Watch this You Tube video to see which holds up in a house fire, and which one doesn’t.

You Tube Video – Protecting your valuables from a house fire

Guest Blogger – How to Protect your Belongings from Water Damage

Let’s face it, storage units are awesome. They’re a great way to get rid of clutter and still keep your stuff. However, if units aren’t climate controlled, moisture is a problem. Moisture brings with it mold, mildew, corrosion, and general destruction of your stuff – no one wants that. Here are some options to keep your stuff dry:

How protected are your belongings from water inside your home?

Image via: Joanna Goddard

Option A – Upgrade

Upgrade to a climate controlled unit, especially if storing furniture. These units are usually more expensive but generally keep your stuff dry. For a little extra monthly expense, you can save a lot more in the long run by not having to replace damaged goods.

Option B – Plastic Containers

The best option for using these in your unit is probably to go with watertight totes. Not only can you keep your clothes and electronics organized, they’ll stay dry to boot. Sizes range from tackle boxes to larger totes.

Option C – Plastic Bags

There are two choices here: Space Bags and Ziploc. Space Bags come with the advantage of compressing things like clothes, comforters, winter coats, etc. However, they’re generally more expensive than Ziploc bags. Ziplocs are simpler to use, too. Just remember to double-bag. There are also bags specifically for mattresses and box-springs.

Ensure that water doesn’t damage your family’s treasures

Image via: Remodelista

Option D – Pallets and Boards

You can’t actually put anything in them, but they will keep your furniture and boxes safe from minor flooding. Not really the best option, here, but they’re great if you’re worried about rising water.

Option E – Plastic Sheeting or Tarps

Wrapping furniture tightly in plastic is not a good idea. Plastic traps moisture, mold, mildew, etc. up against the wood. Your furniture will rot. Furniture of any type is difficult to keep away from water. Wrapping your furniture loosely in a tarp is a good way to keep new moisture from getting at it. It’s not water-tight, so it won’t solve the problem completely.

Option F – Airing Out

Visiting and airing out your storage unit every once in a while is a great idea that helps in a couple of ways. You can remove anything that’s obviously been water-damaged and reassess what you’re keeping in the unit at the same time.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to keep your stored stuff dry. These options can be used everywhere from storage units to your home. Don’t let moisture and mold infect your stuff, keep it dry and mold free.

Sasha Smith is a blogger with EZ Storage self storage facilities. EZ Storage offers units in many sizes with locations in the Boston area, including Framingham, Newton and Natick.

For more DIY Saturday ideas on Stagetecture, click here.