Garage storage and Florida weather
 

I have a question about storing things in Florida weather... Sorry -- New Yorker here, and as many times as I've been to Florida, I haven''t spent a summer there.

Thinking about storage since it doesn't seem like we would have space inside the home for an owner's closet. So -- How safe is it to utilize space in garages with locked wardrobes to store your clothes and personal belongings if we were to rent the house for a few months a year?

Do I need to worry about mold? Insects? Critters? Is this a safe option?

Thanks!

Depends, winter is warm and dry, the summer months are hot and very humid. I would say ok for winter, but the summer maybe not.

Bugs shouldn't be an issue if the homeowner has a bug company to manage them. Mold and fungus might be an issue when the humidity and dew point are high. Other than that critters/robberies aren't much of an issue here, but like everywhere else anything is possible.

I bought a locking metal cabinet at Lowe’s and it has worked well for several years now..

We rent out our home when we are not there.
As we are Brits we have not been able to visit for over a year.
The person who looks after our place recently checked the cupboards (simple Home Depot product). All seemed ok. We have several of these along the walls of the garage. We put roach pellets in the cupboards as the first time we found a few traces of roach poo. Since then nothing.
We do seal more fragile items in bags or plastic boxes.
The booze bottles do not seem to attract ants. But we do clean them before storage. The spirits do not seem to suffer from the changeable conditions. We keep our wine in a locked wine cooler in the house.
One thing we did notice was that some fabrics crease if they are not hung.
Hope that helps.

If storing clothes that are important to you choose a/c storage. Anything that’s important furniture or other always choose a/c storage in Florida. Summer heat is really tough for storage w/o air conditioning.

I don't recommend storing ANY personal items in someone else's garage or closet. Leave those precise items with family only! Otherwise you may never get them back!

This is the OP’s own house they are considering renting out for a few months and want to store their items /clothing out of reach of a tenant

On my January trip to the Villages I purchased a new vehicle which will stay in Florida when we are back in RI. Before leaving, I did the usual things not so much related to the heat (trickle charger, fill gas tank, over-inflate tires, etc.). In regards to the high summer heat and humidity, I recently read an article that a circulating fan with a timer is a good idea for use in the garage during hot summer afternoons to prevent mold while keeping the auto windows open 6 inches or so. A ceiling fan or a dehumidifier would also work.

Be careful what you store your things in as palmetto bugs love cardboard

Storage
 

We are full-time residents and we use a small, interior, climate-controlled storage facility near The Villages for seasonal and other items. Our attic was entirely too hot in the summer as was the garage. You might be happier if these items were off-site and not taking up room in your garage. Then you don't have to worry about heat, pests, unauthorized access, etc. It might be worth the peace of mind.

Thanks, everyone. Very helpful advice!

I managed a self storage climate controlled facility in North Georgia and will tell you not to store in any place that is NOT climate controlled. I heard so many horror stories from people who stored in non climate controlled. Of course make sure they have a regular pest control service but a good place will be clean and you should be able to tell it’s secure and clean.

Us vacationers like the garage to keep our cars/trucks out of the Florida sun. A garage screen is as treasured as a pool, when weather permits.