Remember that feeling when you finally rent a storage unit? It’s like the world just got lighter. You drive home with an empty car and a clean garage and you think, I’ve got this adulting thing down.
Yeah. Me too.
Then my friend Mark taught me—the hard way—that you can screw it up spectacularly.
Mark’s a smart guy. Engineer. But he put a bag of grass seed in his storage unit. You know, for the lawn. Seemed fine. It was in a sealed bag!
Six months later, he opened his unit to get his ski gear. What he found was a miniature ecosystem. Mice had chewed through the bag, spread seed everywhere, nested in his sofa cushions, and turned his snowboard bag into a maternity ward. The cleanup bill was more than the skis were worth.
So, let’s talk safety. Not in a boring “rules and regulations” way, but in a “let’s not be Mark” way. I’ve chatted with the team over at HarrisonBurg Storage a lot—good people—and they’ve seen it all. The horror stories usually start with someone thinking, “Eh, it’s probably fine.”
Spoiler: It’s usually not fine.
Here’s the real list, from one human to another.
First: If it’s alive
I mean this literally and seriously.
- Food of any kind: Not just perishables. That unopened bag of rice? The last cans of soup from your pandemic stockpile? The bag of dog food you thought might come in handy? You’re running a buffet. For pests. Mice, rats, ants, beetles—they’re better at breaking and entering than any cat burglar. They will find it. They will move in. They will thank you by ruining everything else you own.
- Plants: That ficus tree from your divorce apartment isn’t going to “chill” in the dark for a year. It’s going to die, shed leaves, attract mold, and make you sad. Don’t do it.
- Anything damp: This is the silent killer. That beach towel you tossed in a bin after the last swim of summer? The camping tent you couldn’t be bothered to dry properly? In the still, closed air of a storage unit, dampness turns to mold. And mold doesn’t stay in one place. It sends out spores like little invaders, claiming your leather jacket, your photo boxes, your grandma’s quilt. If it’s not bone-dry, it doesn’t go in.
Second: The “What Were You Thinking?”
These are the items that are dangerous, illegal, or just plain stupid.
- Flammables and combustibles: This seems obvious. But you’d be amazed how many people think, “Where should I put this half-full gas can for the lawnmower? Ah, the storage unit!” Or the leftover fireworks from Fourth of July. Or the paint thinner. A storage unit can get hot. Things pressurize, leak, create fumes. You’re not just risking your stuff; you’re risking the whole building. At HarrisonBurg Storage, we have a zero-tolerance policy on this, and it’s not because we’re mean—it’s because we’ve seen what happens.
- People or pets: I wish this went without saying. It doesn’t. A storage unit is a metal or concrete box. No air flow. No climate control (unless you specifically pay for it). In summer, it’s an oven. In winter, it’s a freezer. It is never, ever a living space.
- The obviously illegal: Stolen goods, drugs, unregistered weapons. If you’re thinking about storing this stuff, you have bigger problems than clutter.
Third: The Heartbreakers
These are the things you can physically store, but you absolutely shouldn’t.
- The only copy of anything: The video of your wedding. Your kid’s ultrasound picture. Your grandfather’s letters from the war. Your entire life’s photos on an external hard drive. These are not “storage” items. These are “fireproof safe at home or safety deposit box” items. A storage unit is secure, but it’s not magical. It’s a physical space in the real world. Protect your history like it’s precious, because it is.
- Documents you might need tomorrow: Your passport, social security card, car title, will. Imagine you have a sudden job opportunity that requires a passport. Or you need to sell your car. You don’t want your most important papers buried in a box behind your old skis. Keep them accessible.
- Sentimental valuables: Your great-aunt’s heirloom jewelry. The coin collection your dad left you. The cash you’ve been stashing. A storage unit is not a bank vault. For true valuables, use a bank’s services. That’s what they’re for.
Fourth: The Practical No-Nos
Stuff that just causes practical, annoying, expensive problems.
- Batteries (left inside things): That box of old toys? The flashlight? The cordless drill? If the batteries are still in them, they are slowly, inevitably, leaking acid. That acid will eat through plastic, corrode metal, and ruin everything it touches. Always, always remove batteries.
- Strongly scented items: That potent drawer liner, those strong candles, mothballs. Over months, those smells will migrate. They’ll seep into your clothes, your books, your furniture. You’ll retrieve your winter sweater and it will smell like a grandma’s cedar chest exploded.
So what SHOULD go in?
Almost everything else! And that’s the joy of it. The Christmas decorations. The patio furniture. The business inventory for your Etsy shop. The baby clothes you’re saving for the next kid. The vintage vinyl collection. That’s the good stuff. The stuff that makes your daily life less cluttered and more sane.
The whole point of getting a unit from a place like HarrisonBurg Storage is to make your life easier. To give you back your basement, your garage, your peace of mind. We’re here to provide a clean, safe, accessible space for the things that matter to your life—but not for the things that are your life.
Use it for the stuff you use. Not for the stuff you can’t afford to lose.
Next time you’re standing there with a box in your hands, wondering… just ask yourself: “Could this go bad, attract pests, or hurt someone?” If the answer is maybe, leave it out.
And maybe… just maybe… leave the grass seed at the garden center.
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