If you need to put your exercise equipment in storage for the short or long term, you'll want to prepare the equipment carefully so nothing is damaged. Humidity, dust, and extreme temperatures could threaten your equipment depending on the time of year your things will be in storage and how long they'll be there. Here are a few tips for keeping exercise equipment and weights in storage.

Get Climate Control If Possible

A climate-controlled self-storage unit maintains a temperature and humidity range that keeps your equipment safe. If you only need a storage unit for a short while during the spring or fall, climate control might not be essential.

If your things will be in storage when outdoor humidity is high, your equipment might be in danger of developing rust. Since a lot of exercise equipment is made of metal, protecting against rust will save you the work of trying to remove it later.

Disassemble Equipment And Box It For Storage

Find the manuals that came with your equipment so you have instructions for taking the bike, elliptical walker, or weight machine apart and putting it back together. The manual might even offer advice for moving and storing the equipment.

If you disassemble large equipment, it will take up less space so you can rent a smaller self-storage unit. Plus, you'll be able to fit the equipment in a moving box when it's flat. The moving box will protect the equipment from dust while it's in storage and provide some protection when transporting the boxes, especially if you add padding to the ends.

Clean And Lubricate The Equipment

All the equipment should be cleaned before going in storage as this removes body oil and sweat from the handles and seats. You can use gentle soap and water rather than household cleaning products that might damage the protective coating on dumbbells and other equipment.

Metal weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, and other metal equipment may benefit from lubrication with a multi-purpose oil before going into storage to help prevent rust.

Keep Equipment Off The Floor

You might want a weight rack for storing weights and dumbbells, but if not, you should find a way to store the equipment off the ground. You might do this by using tote bins rather than boxes since boxes can't hold much weight. The plastic bottoms of the bins act as a barrier against the concrete floor of the storage unit, but you might also consider stacking bins on shelves.

If you'll have boxes of disassembled equipment, you may want to bring in pallets for the floor so the boxes stay dry. Plastic tote bins make it easy to store and organize things like jump ropes, deflated exercise balls, and other small items. Plus, when you use bins that seal closed, you can add desiccant to the bins to help safeguard against high humidity and rust.

A self-storage unit is a good place to keep exercise equipment when you're temporarily living in a smaller apartment or if you need more space in your current home. Even a small unit can hold a lot of things if you pack it correctly, and when you clean, dry, and prep the equipment carefully, you can have peace of mind the equipment will come out in good shape and ready to use.

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