When you put items into mini storage or self storage, there are a number of different environmental concerns you must take into account. One of these concerns is dust. There are also concerns with humidity -a high humidity can make items damp and moldy. There may be infestations of insects or rodents. There is the concern of too much heat or cold as well.

But regardless of the area of the country where you store your belongings, you will have to worry about dust. There are several different techniques you can employ to make sure dust does not ruin your favorite items while they are in storage.

Electronic and computer equipment needs to be kept free from dust, for example. Dust build up in these items causes overload on the capacitators and other electronic elements, and can cause the electronics to have to work so hard that when you plug the item in again, it overheats and stops functioning completely.

To avoid this problem, wrap electronic items in bubble wrap and/or newspapers and place them in a box that is sealed shut.

Do not wrap in plastic wrap alone, since the plastic wrap can overheat and stick to electronic components and glass. Also, if you do not seal the boxes, dust will find a way in, so make sure to tape boxes closed.

You should pack as many small items in boxes as possible. This not only prevents you from having to dust multiple small items, but also makes a storage unit easy to pack. It's also easier to rearrange items if they are packed in boxes.

You also want to protect furniture from dust. While wood furniture can be dusted and polished, it takes a great deal of time to brush and sweep dust from crooks and crannies in wooden furniture.

On upholstered furniture, removing dust can be a time consuming chore, especially when the dust accumulates over time. You can't use any water or sprays to help with dusty upholstered furniture, so you are reduced to sweeping, vacuuming and pounding furniture to remove dust from storage.

It is certainly not practical to box furniture, but placing old blankets or drop cloths over the furniture is an effective way to protect it from dust.

Again, avoid the storage plastic wrap on furniture, since it can overheat and leave an unpleasant mess.

Don't forget to place mattresses either in specialty mattress boxes or cover them with blankets before storing them standing on end. Dusty mattresses can be a cleaning challenge as well as a health issue.

Packing items into the unit tightly also protects against dust. The dust will settle only on the top of the stack, leaving the interior items dust free through no additional effort on your part.

Another possible choice for protecting smaller items against dust is the plastic storage container. These containers are sturdy; in some cases more so than boxes. They also have the advantage of being easily opened when you need to retrieve something from them.