33
My uncle swore by rubbermaid bins in the shed but I went with black totes instead
He told me the clear ones would let in too much light and my tools would rust, but after two winters everything inside the black totes got mildew and I had to toss half my gear. Has anyone found a tote that actually seals tight against moisture?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
green.noah3d ago
That thing about temperature swing pulling moisture out of the air is dead on. I had the exact same problem with black totes in my garage. I put a bunch of old camping gear in them, sealed tight as I could, and after one summer I pulled out sleeping bags that felt damp even though the totes looked dry on the outside. I tried putting those moisture absorber packets in there but they were soaked through in a month. Ended up just drilling a few tiny holes in the bottom corners like you mentioned and it helped a lot. Still not perfect but way less mildew.
7
danielr993d ago
Did you put anything underneath the totes or were they sitting directly on the shed floor? The moisture could have been coming up from the ground through the concrete or wood, not through the lid seals. I've seen people drill tiny drain holes in the bottom corners on purpose so condensation can escape, even though it sounds crazy. Nobody ever talks about how the temperature swing inside a sealed black tote actually pulls moisture out of the air when it gets cold at night. That's the real enemy, not light coming through the plastic.
2
fisher.thomas3d ago
Those little drain holes you mentioned... do they ever let bugs or mice crawl up into the tote?
6