I need to be honest with you. When I first started working in storage, I thought the whole “clean it first” thing was overkill. I mean, it’s storage, right? You’re putting stuff away because you don’t need it right now. Who has time for that?

Then I saw the aftermath. The family who opened their unit after a year to find their Christmas decorations chewed to shreds by mice nesting in the box with the leftover Halloween candy. The guy who pulled out his leather jacket with a perfect, mushroom-shaped mold spot on the back from a single drop of rain that caught on the way in.

It was a wake-up call. So I’m not going to give you a perfectly formatted blog post. I’m just going to tell you what I’ve learned, the hard way.

Why This Actually Matters (Beyond the Obvious)

You know you should clean stuff. But let’s talk about what really happens in a closed, dark, quiet space.

That tiny bit of spaghetti sauce you spilled on the kitchen towel and figured “eh, it’ll dry”? In storage, it doesn’t just dry. It becomes a concentrated scent beacon for every ant and cockroach within a hundred feet. They will find it. They will throw a party in it. And they’ll invite their friends to nest in your sofa cushions for dessert.

That patio furniture you hosed off but didn’t really dry? The moisture gets trapped. In the still air of a storage unit, mold spores that are literally everywhere in the air land on that damp spot and think they’ve won the lottery. They multiply. They spread to the box of books next to it.

It’s not about being a clean freak. It’s about not creating a science experiment you’ll have to deal with later.

The “How-To” That Doesn’t Suck

Forget the complicated guides. Here’s the practical, down-and-dirty version.

Kitchen Stuff: The Critter Magnet

This is your number one priority. Crumbs and grease are like a free buffet sign.

• Appliances: Empty the toaster crumb tray. I’m begging you. Give the inside of the microwave a wipe. For things with doors—microwaves, ovens, even coolers—leave them slightly open. A chopstick in the door jamb works. This stops that awful, locked-in stale smell.
• Dishes/Pots: Just wash them. Like, actually wash them with soap. Don’t just rinse. And make sure they’re totally dry. Air dry them on a rack for an hour. Trapped water is your enemy.

Furniture: It’s All About Moisture

• Wood: Wipe it down with a dry cloth to get the dust off. If you’re feeling fancy, a tiny bit of furniture polish on a rag can help protect it. If a table comes apart, take the legs off. It saves a ton of space.
• Upholstered Stuff (Sofas, Chairs): Vacuum it. Really get in the cracks. If you spilled something, now’s the time to clean it. Biggest mistake I see? People wrapping furniture in plastic sheeting. Don’t. It traps moisture and you’ll get mildew. Use a cotton bedsheet or a proper breathable cover from the hardware store.

Clothes and Fabrics: The Musty Smell Prevention

This is simple. Wash everything. Every shirt, every towel, every curtain. Body oils and dirt set over time and attract pests. Make sure it’s 100% dry. Then, store it in a plastic bin with a lid. Cardboard boxes are like a gourmet meal for bugs and they don’t hold up to moisture. Plastic bins are worth the investment.

The Final, Crucial Step

You can do everything right, but if you put your clean stuff into a grimy, damp unit, you’ve wasted your time. This is the part where I tell you why we’re different.

At Bristol VA Self Storage, we’re not a fancy corporation. We’re locals. We take pride in our facility. When we say our units are clean and dry, we mean it because we check them. We’re not just renting you space; we’re providing a safe home for the things you care about. You’ve done the hard work of cleaning your belongings—the least we can do is give you a clean, secure place to put them.

So yeah, take the extra hour. Clean the stuff. It’s a pain now, but I promise you, when you open that unit later and your things are exactly as you left them, you’ll be so glad you did.

Trust me. I’ve seen the alternative.