Humidity is what actually ruins things

Why it matters here specifically

Rossville sits in a humid subtropical climate. Summers here are long, warm and wet, and an uninsulated metal building tracks that closely — it gets hotter than the outside air during the day and then cools at night, which is when moisture condenses onto whatever is coldest inside the unit.

That daily cycle, repeated across a summer, is what loosens furniture joints, blooms mildew across upholstery and corrodes the inside of electronics. A climate-controlled unit holds both temperature and humidity steady, so the cycle never happens.

What belongs in one

• Solid wood furniture

  Wood takes on and gives up moisture with the air around it. Through a humid summer and a dry winter it swells and shrinks, and joints, veneer and glue give way.

• Upholstery and mattresses

  Fabric and foam hold damp. Above roughly 60% relative humidity mildew gets going, and the smell does not come out.

• Photographs and paper

  Prints stick to each other and to glass, documents cockle and ink migrates. Not reversible.

• Electronics and appliances

  Condensation forms on cold metal when warm damp air reaches it. It corrodes contacts and circuit boards from the inside.

• Instruments and vinyl

  Wooden instruments crack and go out of adjustment. Records warp well below the temperature an uncontrolled unit reaches in August.

• Business and medical records

  Files you may have to produce years later. Damp is the reason archive storage exists.

Questions