What Not to Store as You Move

Posted on June 30th, 2010 by Paulina Aguilera

As the day for your relocation nears, you may be considering you storage options. There are a lot of moving companies that offer storage units, but you might be wondering what exactly you can and can’t store in your unit.

All storage units have their restrictions and a full disclosure of the items you plan to store is necessary with the facility manager. Here are some of the things you should NEVER keep in a storage unit;

• Absolutely no flammable material! No propane tanks, no gasoline, no kerosene lamps, no motor oil, no fireworks, no paint, no cleaners or fertilizer and that doesn’t even cover all the restrictions on flammable materials!

• No hazardous or toxic materials, like acid or similar corrosive chemicals, no asbestos and no biological waste. Though why you would want to store your own poop is beyond me.

• No live plants or animals. This one is a no-brainer! Take Mr. Wiggles with you or give him up to a no-kill shelter if you can’t move with him. Plants need love too! Give up your plants to your green-thumbed neighbor if you must.

• No perishable foods. Anything that can spoil or rot will stink up the place as it decomposes, and I’m sure you don’t want to have a whiff of your unit when the time comes to open it if you left anything perishable in there. If it’s in a can, that’s ok.

• Appliances cannot be plugged in. People do find ways around paying a rent or mortgage by living in a storage unit. Storage facilities are not living quarters, so if you do store your appliances, make sure they remain unplugged. This includes space heaters, refrigerators, generators and so on.

That about covers it for the items you should never keep in a storage unit. Make sure you check with the moving service you go with to see if they have storage units available. They may have some more restricted items to go through with you. If there are ever any questions about the goods you want to store, contact the facility manager to go over the process with you.

Related Articles:

1. How to Pack Your Storage Units
2. The Ultimate Thrift Store Shopping Guide! Take Heed to These 7 Tips
3. No Go: Things Not Allowed in Storage Units

Tags: list, move, packing

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 10:15 am and is filed under Moving Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.