Highlights
- Placing your stuff in temporary storage can be a great temporary solution when moving from one place to another.
- However, you need to know that there are restrictions on what items you can put in storage.
- Read on to learn what things you can put in storage and what things you are not allowed to store at a storage facility.
Moving from one home to another is a highly transitional period in life – an interim stage in which you’ll need to decide what to do with the various furniture pieces you own, the number of household appliances, and all the personal belongings you’ve accumulated through the years.
Once you’ve sorted out your things and got rid of anything you no longer want, like, or need (decluttering your home is key), you may still be left with too many items that you can’t possibly fit in the new home, at least not at the time of moving into it. That’s especially true when you’re downsizing – that is, moving into a smaller home.
What’s more, your new home may be in the middle of a renovation project, you may be moving temporarily to another place to work or study, including abroad, or you may be merging all the stuff from two households into one (in case of moving in with your loved one).
Why temporary storage can be a good solution for you? In all those cases, renting a storage unit to keep the things you don’t need at the moment, but still wish to hold on to for the time being, can prove to be a good practical solution in case of insufficient storage space.
In reality, a storage unit is just like having an extra storage room at your disposal, only that room happens to be outside the new home.
When used sensibly and wisely, a (self-) storage unit can provide you with a great storage solution when you’re moving out of one home and moving into another one.
So, naturally, the question of what to put in storage and what NOT to put in storage when moving will soon occupy your mind, causing you additional stress during an already stressful move.
Read on to learn what things to place in storage – a list of the most common items in storage units.
Also, get more information about the things you should never put into a storage unit, and why (usually for safety reasons).
What to put in storage when moving
Deciding what to keep and what to discard when moving out can be harder than you think. Once you’ve gone through the must-take and will-leave lists, you’ll be left with a number of household items that you won’t be sure what to do with.
Sometimes the stress of having to make those decisions right there on the spot may be too much to bear. So, keeping your undecided belongings in a safe place, usually accessible 24/7, is a good way to reduce the stress of moving as it gives you more time to make the right decisions later when you’ve already moved into your new place.
After all, it’s not a secret that extreme time pressure can often lead to bad decisions.
To help you make an informed decision, here’s what you should put in storage, whenever needed.
Furniture
Without a doubt, furniture is one of the most common items in storage units. Why? Most furniture pieces are rather bulky and they tend to take a lot of space.
- First of all, you may not have enough space in the new home for all the furniture items you want to take with you.
- Secondly, your current pieces may not match the interior of the new place.
- And thirdly, some of the furniture you’re moving may have already been made redundant by the fact that the new house or apartment is fully furnished.
And yet, the logical choice of getting rid of your unneeded furniture pieces prior to the move (like selling them at a garage sale) may not work for you in case you wish to keep them for their sentimental value. Another good reason to place furniture in storage is that you think you will need those items again sometime in the near future.
Furniture items most commonly found in storage units include:
- Beds that have been disassembled to their main components;
- Mattresses protected in plastic mattress bags;
- Tables and chairs, often part of a dining room set;
- Patio furniture, usually stored away for the winter.
When placing any furniture in storage, consider disassembling the larger pieces to save space in the storage unit.
Also, make sure all furniture items are clean and 100% dry to prevent the growth of mold.
What to Do With Furniture When Moving
Seasonal items
Seasonal items such as clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. are some of the most frequent items people place in storage when moving simply because they won’t need them until the next season.
And until that next season comes along, most people will have had enough time to figure out what they will do with the seasonal belongings they’ve stored away.
When you’re moving house, you can do the same and put some of your seasonal items in storage:
- Clothes and shoes. You can choose to store away temporarily your out-of-season clothes and shoes until you decide what to do with them. For example, your winter clothes and heavy boots can be comfortably stored away during a summer move.
- Various seasonal equipment. You won’t need your ski gear during the summer so you can put such season-specific items in temporary storage. Summer or snow tires are another example of things that you can store away according to the season.
- Holiday decorations. Major holidays such as Christmas and Halloween are only once a year, so you can practically store away their holiday-specific decorations until you need them again. However, those decorations don’t usually take up a lot of space so it may be better to keep them stored away somewhere in your new home.
How to Prepare Items for Storage: Tips and Tricks
Large household appliances
Kitchen stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators are big and heavy, so you may not have enough space for them in the new home.
If you happen to be moving into temporary housing and you know you’ll be moving out again soon, then it makes sense to store away some of your large appliances until you come to need them again.
Another scenario where you may wish to store your big appliances for later use is when you’re moving into a new home that already has some of those units in there.
And since you know that duplicating appliances is a bad idea in terms of living space (how many dishwashers do you need?), then it’s not really surprising that household appliances are one of the things you find in storage units.
How to Pack Home Appliances for Moving
Files and documents
You should always keep your important documents with you wherever you move to.
However, there are many documents and work files that are not that important and yet you have to keep them for a number of years until it is safe to dispose of them properly – usually destroy them.
Examples of such documents include warranties for items you bought recently (you need to keep them safe until their respective warranty periods expire), receipts, certain medical records, financial documents, employment records, school records, etc.).
Renting a reputable storage unit will give you the chance to keep those important but non-essential documents safe until you find a good place for them in the new home or you make up your mind about what you should do with them.
What Important Documents to Take When Moving
Books and magazines
Regardless of how small your new place is, you should definitely have some books in it, at least your favorite ones.
However, the living space may not let you move all of your books or magazines, so it’s only normal that you should consider placing your most loved volumes in storage until you come up with a better solution in time.
Make sure you sort out your book collection prior to moving out with the purpose of getting rid of the books you don’t like anymore or that you won’t ever read again.
Remember that books become super heavy when packed in boxes, so give away, donate, or sell the copies that are no longer important to you.
In the best-case scenario, the books you decide to put in storage will be the ones you want to keep having in the future.
Collectibles and artwork pieces
From all the things to put in storage, collectors’ items and artwork pieces are some of the most common things that get stored away during a house move.
Such a decision does make sense in most cases considering the chaotic nature of most house moves – after all, people do want to make sure their valuable items are safe and sound until they move into a new home and settle down. And so do you.
The best storage facilities in the country are super-safe as they offer 24-hour video surveillance and a number of other modern security features such as fences, gates, fire prevention systems, live guards, and most importantly – adequate insurance. See How to Choose a Storage Facility
Thanks for explaining why we shouldn’t put scented items in storage units. My husband and I have been thinking about finding a storage unit facility to rent from. Following your tips should help our items stay safe in storage!
I liked that you mentioned a storage unit will be perfect to store all those holiday decorations. My husband is thinking about buying another car, and we are looking for advice about what to do with all the stuff that we have in our garage. I will recommend him to rent a storage unit to make room for our new car.
That’s a really good point that storage units are a great place for collectibles and art pieces since they have 24-hour surveillance. My cousin has a really cool and valuable salt and pepper shaker collection, but she recently decided to move to a big city so she has to downsize. She’ll need to find a storage unit that will provide that climate control and surveillance so that she feels okay about storing her collection.
Thanks for explaining why furniture is a common item to be put in storage. My husband and I will be moving to a new home soon. I’m glad I read your article and learned why using a storage unit service would be beneficial!
It’s good to know that you shouldn’t put expensive items into storage. My wife and I would like to put some things in storage. We’ll be sure to look into our options for putting our cheaper things in storage in the future.
Thanks for sharing what not to put into storage when moving. I need to find a storage unit to put my stuff while I am moving. I’ll be sure to find a good one that fits my needs.
I have been thinking about getting a storage unit this year. Thanks for explaining that I will want to get a unit that is 100 percent dry. That does seem like it would help keep all of my stuff safe.
Thank you for telling me that I should keep all my furniture items dry before I place them in a storage unit to prevent mold from growing. I will be staying at my sister’s for a while because of a house renovation project, and I’m planning to store all my belongings at a facility since her apartment is already filled with necessities. Since I have a lot of furniture, I’ll keep your advice in mind and take note of things I shouldn’t keep inside the unit as well.
This is the perfect blog for anyone who wants to know about this topic. The article is nice and it’s pleasant to read. I have known very important things over here. Thank you so much for this post.
I liked that you explained that it would be smart to put my seasonal items in a storage unit. That does seem like a good thing for me to do because I have a lot fo season sports equipment and the clothing that comes along with all of those activities. It might be smart for me to get a storage unit with shelves.
Thanks for mentioning keeping furniture dry before placing them in a storage unit. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be staying with my brother for a while before my apartment is ready and I need a place to store some of my junk. Since I have a lot of stuff, I’ll keep in mind these tips and see what all can fit.
That’s a good idea to store seasonal items like Christmas decorations or ski equipment. I am moving into a small townhouse next month that doesn’t have a lot of storage space, so I am thinking about renting a unit for my spare items. This will be a great solution for things that I don’t use for most of the year.
Thanks for sharing these helpful tips. One of our family member is moving so I can share these tips with them about the storage items
This is a great article and you are banged on with your points about what are really needed to put in storage during moving!!Thank you very much for sharing these details with us, really helpful during moving to new place.
My parents are having our house renovated soon, which is why we’re currently looking for self-storage units for rent in the city to store some of our stuff for the meantime. It’s great that you said that we should know store jewelry, artworks, and other valuable pieces in the unit for safety purposes. Although, if we decided to do that, we should make sure to tell the facility about it. I’ll share this information with my parents so we can start sorting out the things that we have to take with us to our rented hotel. Thanks, Joshua!
That’s a good idea to store seasonal items like clothing and holiday decorates since you don’t use it on a regular basis. My new apartment is quite small and doesn’t have much extra closet space. I think I will get a small storage unit for my holiday decor and skiing equipment.
I liked that you pointed out that it would be smart for me to consider putting extra clothes in a storage unit. That is great for me to be aware of because I have a lot of them. It might be smart for me to cycle through my clothes and keep the off-season ones in a storage unit. That would probably keep my closet from bursting open all of the time.
I like that you said that I could store seasonal clothing in a storage unit, so it doesn’t take up much space in my home, such as winter jackets and heavy boots. My family lives in a modest house that doesn’t have much closet space, so we store our seasonal items in our basement. Perhaps we should consider renting a storage unit so we can put our stuff there and use the basement for other purposes. Thanks!
Great Post! Thanks for sharing.
It’s good to know that mattresses should be protected by plastic bags. I am moving next month and need a place to store my guest bedroom furniture. I will keep your advice in mind and look for a mattress cover.
Thanks for explaining that it would be smart to consider putting stuff into a storage unit when you are moving. That is a good thing to be aware of because my parents want to downsize this year. So, having a place to put some of their extra furniture for a while might be helpful.
An experienced fleet of movers will have the tools needed to transport heavy objects without compromising their safety, as well as your own.
I agree with what you said that it is a good idea to keep books that you want to hold on to in a storage facility since not all apartments have room for them. I’m about to move out of my parents’ house in a few months and my biggest problem is where I would be storing all my book collections because I will be sharing the space in my new apartment with two other people. I think I’m going to look into keeping them in a storage facility so I can have the option to keep them for the meantime and just sort it out later when I have more time.
Thanks for the reminder not to store scented items. My sister is looking for a small storage unit. I’ll tell her not to put any scented candles in there.
I like your idea to put holiday decorations in a storage unit. My aunt wants to reduce clutter in her home. This info should help her determine if a storage unit would be beneficial!
It’s good to know that you should not put plants in storage. I need to get some storage space while my new house is under construction. I’ll be sure to avoid leaving the plants there.
I like your tip about making sure to take your favorite books to your new place and putting the others in storage. I am moving from a little home to a condo and I’m going to have a lot less space. I have a large book collection so I’ll definitely have to find a storage unit for them.
I’m glad that you mentioned that deciding what to keep and discard when moving out can be harder than you think. Since my family is moving to a new home, we intend to buy new appliances and furniture. And some old critical furniture needs to be stored. I will find a reliable self-storage company to handle this issue.
It made sense to me when you said that you must consider informing a storage company if you would be storing prized possessions. This is something that my father will surely consider since he is planning to have his boat stored for 3 or more months, He would surely want to keep it safe and damage-free while being kept, so I will share this with him.
My husband and I are looking to get a storage unit for our move next year. It’s good to know that some have public safety restrictions on what can be stored. I think we’ll only need to store furniture, so I don’t think it will be too bad.
This is a great article for anyone considering renting a storage unit. It covers what items are best suited for storage and what items are better off left at home. This is valuable information for anyone who is looking to save space and money when moving.