The Snowbird's Guide to Packing and Storing in Florida

Half the households along this stretch of coast empty out for part of the year. Closing up a seasonal place isn't a move exactly — but it involves most of the same work, and doing it badly is how you come back in November to a musty closet and a set of cushions you can't save.

The enemy is humidity, not heat

A closed Florida house in August sits warm and very damp. Anything porous left out in it — fabric, paper, leather, cardboard — will take on moisture and, given long enough, mildew. The things that survive best are the things that were sealed before you left.

• Linens, towels, and clothing go in sealed containers, not open closets or drawers.
• Cardboard boxes are the wrong choice here specifically — they absorb moisture and hold it against whatever is inside.
• Leave everything bone dry going in. A sealed container keeps damp out and equally keeps it in.
• Throw a desiccant pack into anything holding fabric or paper.

Before you head north

1. Empty the fridge completely and prop the door open, or leave it running on a low setting.
2. Run the dishwasher and washer empty, then leave those doors ajar too.
3. Set the thermostat, don't kill it. Most people leave the A/C around 78–80°F precisely to hold the humidity down. Shutting it off entirely is what wrecks houses.
4. Shut off the main water supply and drain the lines if you can.
5. Pack away anything soft: cushions, bedding, towels, curtains you can take down.
6. Photograph every room before you lock up.

Pack by season, not by room

This is the trick that makes the return easy. Group things by when you'll want them, not by where they came from:

• Open first — bedding, towels, kitchen basics, the coffee maker. One or two containers, labeled clearly, stacked on top.
• Open soon — the rest of the kitchen, everyday clothes.
• Open eventually — decorations, hobby gear, guest linens. These go at the bottom.

Come November, you unpack the first group in twenty minutes and the house is livable that night.

Label for your future self

Write the year on every label. Seasonal storage accumulates — by the third season nobody remembers which container was packed when, and a date on the lid answers it instantly.

Making a real move of it

If you're going the other direction — selling the northern house and settling here full time, or downsizing from the seasonal place into something year-round — that's a proper move, and the calculus changes. Our downsizing guide covers sorting decades of belongings without it taking over your life, and the sizing guide will tell you how much you need.

We deliver up and down the coast

Totes come to your door across Spring Hill, Brooksville, Weeki Wachee, Hudson, and everywhere within 40 miles — and we collect them when you're done, so there's nothing to store in the off season. Reserve online or give us a call and we'll help you work out what a seasonal pack-up actually needs.