If you are looking to move homes or are looking to free up some extra living space in order to declutter your property, then looking into a professional storage service is the perfect option. For those that are moving homes, finding a reliable storage facility before you start the removals process will help to minimise the stress that is often experienced when moving out of your home. Whether you’re looking to store items to declutter, to move homes, to store important valuables or for commercial purposes, you first must find out what can or can’t be stored in a storage unit.
In this article, we will share with you a helpful guide that we have written to outline what can and can’t be stored in storage units in order to help you prepare for when the time comes when you need to turn to a storage facility.
What You Can Store In A Storage Unit
Household And Outdoor Furniture
It Should come as no surprise that furniture is one of the most common things that you can store within a storage unit. You may find that during a move that your new place has no room for some furniture or that you don’t need the items and will sell them at a later date after the moving process.
In many cases, home furniture can tend to take up quite some room when considering furniture such as sofas, beds, tables and chairs, or any kitchen items such as cutlery. Then you have outdoor furniture such as patio items that can be stored away for winter.
Large Appliances
Much like other household furniture, large household appliances like dishwashers, fridges and dryers are also very common for storage units as they can take up a lot of space in any home. If you are looking to store any household appliance, ensure that you clean and dry them first and that you do not plug them in once left to be stored.
Documents
It is advised that you should aim to keep the most important documents and files in your home or the new home that you might be moving to. Typical documents that may be deemed as slightly important but non-essential are warranties, receipts, medical records or employment records.
Seasonal Items
Storing away seasonal items that we only need around a certain time of the year is a practical way to free up storage space within your home or garden. These items may include Christmas and Halloween decorations, or gardening furniture and camping gear. You can also store your winter/summer clothes and shoes that you can rotate for storage as the seasons start to change.
Commercial Items
If you own a business, storage units can be a great help for offsite storage or during an office or building move. As a business owner, you will also be able to mark the use of a storage unit as an expense.
What You Can’t Store In A Storage Unit
Food Items
Under no circumstances are you allowed to store any type of food within a storage unit. This is because food that is left for a long period of time can cause an infestation problem with insects or rodents which can not only damage your own items but also other people’s items. Rotten food will also cause bad odours which can then lead to a development in mould and bacteria growth.
Hazardous Materials
A list of hazardous materials will be quite long as there are so many materials and items out there that could be classed as hazardous. Generally, any material that can catch fire or could explode will not be allowed to be stored within a storage unit. This is forbidden by law and could end up with a massive fine if you were to store any hazardous materials as they are a potential threat to human life and to properties. Common hazardous items include chemicals, acids, fuels, oils, paints or fireworks etc.
Animals, Plants Or People
You are not allowed to keep any animal in a storage unit. Not only is it cruel and highly immoral, but you will also be breaking the law. Plants when stored without any sunlight, without any water or fresh air will eventually die. Aside from them dying, plants can also attract pests.
Scented Or Wet Items
Unsurprisingly, placing wet or damp items within a storage unit can cause mould and mildew to form which can damage your items forever. Much like foods, scented items such as candles could potentially attract insects and rodents, even when they are not edible.
Our Removals And Storage Services
Are you looking to move homes and require a professional removals service from a well established and highly reputable firm? Our team here at AVM are experts in all aspects of removals, so why not check out our removals in Cheltenham page?
We have the largest range of safe and secure storage units in Cheltenham that are available for personal and commercial use. As we are customer orientated, we offer flexible solutions to our storage service to help you with your own personal situations. To enquire about our storage in Cheltenham services, call us on 0800 833 932.