5 Items to Never Put In a Storage

When you are moving house it's not uncommon to have to put the odd item or two (or hundred) into storage whilst you get set up in your new place. In fact it's a super handy way to give yourself a bit of extra space while you get all of the essentials in place, and then you can start adding the extra bits and pieces to finish off your home. Of course that's not the only time you might want to use a storage unit, you might also need storage if you're planning to do some renovation work, moving abroad for a short time, or just want to clear out some space. But regardless of the reason, there's a few thing you need to know about using storage, and one of the key things is what you CAN'T store. Below we look at the top five things you cannot put into storage:

1. Food

It's amazing how easy it can be to accidentally include food in your items to store, but unfortunately it's a prohibited item in almost all storage facilities, and for good reason. Food attracts pests, goes mouldy and is generally unpleasant to have around once it goes off, so it's always advisable to make sure you haven't accidentally packed any in your items. And while it's obviously important to make sure there's no perishable food, such as fruits, bread, meats and the like, even food that lasts a long time, such as tinned items, need to be excluded, especially if you want a removal team to help transport it down the line.

2. Pets and other living beings (or dead)

You might think this one is obvious and that it's bonkers that self-storage companies have to actively warn people not to store pets, or other live (or dead) things in their facilities, but sadly it does happen. No pets or livestock of any kind living or dead should ever be put into storage. In the case of pets it's cruel to isolate them and even if you were to visit on a frequent basis, it's simply not a good idea to leave them in storage. With regards to other livestock, the same applies if it's a living being, and if it's dead that that is quite simply just a gross thing to do. That aside, you'll struggle to find any removal services that will transport pets or similar on your behalf.

3. Stolen property

Again, this one might seem obvious, but is actually a lot more common than you think. However if you are moving home and happen to have any stolen goods to relocate, then don't even contemplate putting them into storage, because if the facility manager suspects anything unusual, they are well within their right to call the police to investigate your storage space.

4. Valuable items

While you may not want your valuables on hand when relocating for fear of them getting damaged, putting them into storage isn't necessarily the best option as there is a risk to your belongings. While a storage centre will always do all it can to safeguard your items, there is no guarantee, and break-ins do happen unfortunately. That's why it's always advisable when moving home to bring all valuables with you.

5. Anything damp or stinky

If you've got anything damp or highly scented, then don't store it with everything else when moving house. You might not notice at the time, but we guarantee that as soon as you get the removal company in to move your stored items to your new home, everything will smell and be ruined, so check before you store.