What can’t I store in a storage unit?

Storage units are incredibly handy when you need extra room to store a wide variety of items. Storage units can safely keep just about anything however, there are some items that we don’t allow or discourage in a storage unit.

Combustible, flammable or toxic

It’s important to look over your storage items and confirm you haven’t accidentally included any combustible, flammable or toxic items. Without even realising, you could be choosing flammable items to store in your self storage unit. Familiarise yourself with the list below and check if your items fit into one of the categories.

  • Petrol/gasoline
  • Compressed gasses
  • Radioactive materials
  • Paint and paint thinner
  • Turpentine
  • Solvents
  • Aerosols
  • Flammable liquids 
  • Lithium batteries 

Perishable items – food and drink

Although some food has a long shelf life, fresh food and drinks don’t stand the test of time. Perishable foods are those items that are likely to spoil and become unsafe to consume if not kept refrigerated at specific temperatures. If you’re wanting to store any food or beverage items, make sure you double check the expiration date and storage requirements of the items. Storing perishable food or drink in your storage unit will lead to bacteria growth and cause unpleasant odours and harmful toxins in your storage unit. If you’re hoping to store any food or drink (perishable or otherwise) in your storage unit, confirm with our Go 2 Storage team prior to storing. 

Perishable food & drink items:

  • Meat
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Milk
  • Dairy products
  • Cooked leftovers

For those worried about doomsday, the food and drink items you can store in your storage unit include the below long-shelf life items.

Long-shelf life items:

  • Tea – approx. 6-12 months past “best by” date
  • Powdered milk – commonly lasts 1 – 1.5 years
  • Beef jerky – 1-2 years
  • Canned fruits – 1-2 years past expiration date
  • Canned vegetables – 1-2 years past expiration date
  • Dried pasta – 1-2 years past the best before date
  • Peanut butter – depending on the peanut butter, usually 2 years
  • Dark chocolate – 2-5 years
  • Canned tuna – 3-5 years after the expiration date
  • Dried beans – indefinite, dried beans are essentially indestructible 
  • Liquor – depending on the liquor will determine the longevity. 
  • Rice – uncooked rice is much like dried beans, indestructible 

Living things, pets or the naughty kids

Although we’re yet to cross this bridge, we thought we better include living things in the list too! Perhaps it might seem like a convenient way to keep your pets safe, you can’t keep your cat, dog, pony or goldfish in your storage unit. And, you especially can’t keep your naughty children in the storage unit either (as much as you might be tempted to).

Storage units are only for items and not for living things.

Illegal items

Any illegal items are completely prohibited in your storage unit. We don’t like to get our hands dirty, keep your suspicious items at home. Any illegal substances, stolen items or banned materials are not allowed in your Go 2 Storage unit and will be reported if discovered.

Keeping you and your items safe

These precautions aim to keep you and your items completely safe. It’s an essential requirement to make sure that our venue is 100% safe and secure. If you believe you might have one or more of the items listed above, confirm with our team what’s allowed before you choose to store the items in your unit. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. 

If you have any questions regarding your self storage unit, contact our team and we’ll be happy to answer any and all questions.