Storage facilities offer an excellent storage solution when moving or reconstructing a home or office. They also come in handy when you need extra space for unused items. In addition to that, they offer extra security while protecting your goods from damage.
But, it's not everything in your home or office that you can keep in these units. The restrictions on what not to store are based on legal and safety matters. Below are some items not allowed in self-storage units.
Living Things
Self-storage units should not accommodate living things, whether animals or plants. All living things need fresh air, which they cannot get when enclosed in these units. Therefore, even when relocating, you should never put plants or pets in a storage unit.
Plants require three essentials for their survival, and storage units provide none. Apart from fresh air, plants need sunshine and water. Since an enclosed unit won't provide these essential elements, your plants will die.
Dangerous Items
All flammable, explosive, corrosive, and lethal items fall under this category. They include fertilizers, acids, paint, compressed gas, and car batteries. Items in the said categories shouldn't be stored in self-storage units. That is because they need special storage and proper handling for maximal safety.
Therefore, avoid keeping any substance you consider dangerous or corrosive in your storage unit. Besides, the facility's management will help you understand these regulations to avoid getting on the wrong side of the law. Remember that you would be held liable in case of disasters like fire. Unfortunately, this situation might affect your property insurance coverage since it's regarded as negligence.
Food and Perishables
Storage units may not have the required ventilation or measures to ensure proper food storage. As such, rodents can get in, messing up your food items. Remember that rodents and other pests have a strong sense of smell and will get attracted to stored food, even in small quantities.
So, avoid using storage units to keep your or your pet's food. After all, you don't want to find pest droppings in your pet's food, as it will lead to losses. Also, foods can easily attract mold if stored in an unfavorable environment.
Usually, storage companies give guidelines on what they can handle. So, storing items outside their specifications could be unsafe or illegal. That said, observing these storage rules shields you from losses and liabilities. In addition to the items mentioned above, ask the facility manager about what can and cannot be stored in the units.
For more information about self-storage, contact a local company.
