A Michigan mother who opted to pay more for a climate-controlled storage unit opened it and found white mold on furniture, baby blankets, and keepsakes from her children's early years.
Coming after a similar report at another Metro Detroit facility, her complaint is adding to wider concerns about how Public Storage handles renters' property, WDIV-TV reported.
Here's what to know
Brittany Bacinski, a parent who rented space at a Royal Oak Public Storage, placed the contents of an entire home there for the summer.
She returned to find mold covering her belongings.
Her account emerged after WDIV-TV reported on mold complaints at a Downriver Public Storage site, prompting viewers to contact reporter Kyla Russell about the Royal Oak location.
Bacinski felt that a small extra cost for climate control seemed worth it because she expected it to better protect household items, including furniture and family keepsakes.
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The unit held "everything that I had from years for the kids. Baby blankets, everything that you would have in a home. I cleared an entire home and put it in the storage unit," she said, per WDIV-TV.
"When I was peeling back and finally uncovering things, I noticed there was this white mold over everything," Bacinski recalled.
She did not realize at first what she was seeing, but after taking a closer look, she concluded the mold had spread across the furniture.
Other renters in the same area told her they were dealing with mold on their belongings, too.
More background
Among the items she had stored were the contents of a full household and sentimental belongings from her children's earliest years.
While sorting through the unit, Bacinski said she was "sneezing like crazy."
With WDIV-TV having already reported on similar complaints at a Downriver facility, the Royal Oak case marked a second Metro Detroit Public Storage location hit with mold concerns, suggesting the problem may not have been isolated.
The damage included Bacinski's household items as well as irreplaceable keepsakes.
What's being done?
After discovering the damage, Bacinski tried multiple times to contact the company.
"I reached out via email; I talked to the general manager; no one is willing to help me. I've submitted multiple claims," she told the station.
Public Storage did not respond when WDIV-TV asked for comment, the station said.
The station visited the Royal Oak location in person and reported that an employee visible inside did not come out to speak with them.
Bacinski told the station she wants the company to reimburse her for the value of the belongings damaged by mold.
"Do the right thing, you know? We are people. We've worked really hard for these belongings. Some of them are of sentimental value. Baby blankets, first toys from my children. Things you just can't get back," Bacinski said.
"That just adds to it. Show some compassion. Have some heart. Do the right thing. Nobody is asking for a million-dollar check. At the bottom line, just what our items are worth."
Where can I learn more?
For more on mold, contamination, and upkeep issues in homes and rentals, these stories add context. They cover household mold damage, dirty rental equipment, and questionable apartment recycling.
• Across the southern United States, mold spread through homes and left families in fear of the health risks.
• In one rental, a filthy air conditioner left a tenant worried about possible mold.
• At one apartment complex, supposed recycling efforts left residents questioning how managers handled waste.
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