When you think about self-storage, you may just imagine an empty unit of a variable size where you can throw down all that stuff you don’t want to be burdened with on a daily basis. But there’s another storage option on the market today, and it’s gaining momentum. Chris Poholek of Space Max Storage, a self-storage company in Atlanta, shares his insights as to what this other choice is all about and why traditional storage may still be your best bet.
The latest option, Poholek says, is called PODS, an acronym for Portable On-Demand Storage. These are portable units which a truck can deliver to your house or office. Once your unit arrives, you can fill it up however you choose. Then, the truck comes back, picks up the unit, and delivers it to a warehouse.
Though this may seem like a tempting alternative to classic storage, Poholek reports that PODS are actually an entirely different business than the self-storage facility he offers to his customers. If you’re moving from one location to another, then a portable unit as described above may help ease the process. But if you’re weighing this option, then it’s essential to realize that you can’t access your belongings while they’re in the warehouse.
Additionally, with PODS, the storage facility may not be climate-controlled, at least not to the detailed degree that Poholek insists upon for his facilities. You want your possessions to be housed in a humidity-controlled environment, especially in a humid region like Atlanta. That’s why Space Max Storage has thermostats and humidistats on all HVAC units. The humidity should be kept below 50% with a temperature of 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer. If you don’t want moldy books with pages sticking together, then you have to ensure that the facility you’re using is concerned with maintaining a temperature and humidity-regulated environment.
Additionally, once you load up your PODS unit, your paintings, kitchenware, and whatever else you need to remove from your space will be moving and shaking when it’s en route to the warehouse. Your items can get scratched and broken, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
There definitely is a need for the portable unit option, Poholek says, but it’s not the right place to house fragile items or anything that you want access to on a regular basis. For that kind of service, you should check back in with the tried and true self-storage method.