So you’ve decided you need to rent a storage unit. There’s too much cluttering up your life. You have things you don’t want to get rid of, but you don’t have space for them in your current home. Or maybe you’re moving out of the country for a brief period. Or you’re moving to a smaller, temporary home while your new home is being finished. Whatever your reason for renting a storage unit, there are a 10 things you should never store in a storage unit. Some of these things are not allowed by the storage companies themselves, while others just make more sense to avoid keeping in a storage unit all together. Before you start packing up, read through our list of what not to put in a storage unit.
What to Not Put In a Storage Unit: 10 Things to Keep at Home
Living Things
Though it should go without saying, do not store living things—plants, animals, or humans—in your storage unit. If it requires light, food, or water to survive, it cannot be stored in your unit. The dark conditions and extreme temperatures are an inhospitable environment. Even if it were a good idea, it’s also illegal for someone to live in a storage unit.
Plants need sunlight to survive, so putting them into a dark room, even only semi-permanently, dooms them from the start. If you have plants or a pet that absolutely cannot go with you to your temporary residence, either give them away or find a friend who can take care of them until you return.
Perishables
Don’t keep any sort of food in your storage unit, including food you don’t think will go bad. Because of the extreme temperatures, canned items can warp, causing the food to expire. Dry goods like cereal, rice, and pet food can attract rodents and create a problem for you and your storage unit neighbors.
Anything Scented
Items with a strong smell can also attract unwanted pests. Candles, hygienic items, chemical cleaning sprays: keep them at home or give them away. There’s also a chance the high temperatures of the unit could cause your hygienic items to go bad prematurely. If you have scented items that cannot avoid going into the storage unit, be sure to pack them in sealable, air-tight containers.
Money
A storage unit is not an ideal place to store money. Even if it seems like a secure location, the risk is not worth it. You’re better off keeping your money in the bank.
Anything of High Value
Value is measured differently for different people. A diamond necklace is valuable, but so is a scratched and marked desk that’s been in your family for generations. Whatever holds value for you, don’t store it in a storage unit. Regardless of exceptional security, it’s never worth the risk. And if it holds high monetary value and something should happen to it, the insurance of the facility you’re renting the unit from is limited and will probably not cover it.
Important Documents
Like money and anything of high value, it’s not worth the risk storing important documents in a storage unit. Keep them with you, wherever you’re living. You usually have a few documents you need to access throughout the year anyway. Having them on hand will prevent you from having to run to your storage unit every time you need them.
Electronics
Don’t store electronics in a storage unit, especially if it’s not climate controlled. Excess humidity and extreme temperatures—both high and low—can damage electronic items. If you have no choice but to store electronics in your unit, look for one with climate control. You’ll end up paying a little more in your monthly fees, but you won’t wind up with a damaged television at the end of your lease.
Firearms
Most storage companies don’t allow storage of firearms. If it’s a service you need, check the fine print of the storage company you intend to lease from before committing.
Hazardous & Flammable Items
Don’t store anything that can easily catch fire or explode. Things like gasoline, propane, grease, oil, car batteries, weed killers, and paint all fall into this category as well as waste (including fertilizer), anything radioactive, and asbestos.
How to quickly gauge flammability: If you wouldn’t light a match near it, don’t put it in your storage unit. You don’t want to be responsible for fire damage caused not only to your unit but your neighboring units as well.
Illegal Items
Don’t store anything illegal in your in storage unit. Though it’s probably best life policy to not have stolen or illegal items items to begin with. If the facility supervisor or security sense any suspicious activity, they won’t hesitate to call the police.
Now that you know what not to put in a storage unit, it’s time to move everything else in. And Moving U & Junk U can help make that process easier. Whether you want us to move everything or only one or two of the heavier pieces, we’ll tailor our service to fit your needs. Our friendly, professionally trained movers will take care of all the heavy lifting and make your life easier on moving day.
Services We Provide:
To get your free estimate for packing, moving, or junk removal, give us a call or text at 484-301-2442 or email us at info@movingujunku.com.
