Renting a self-storage unit can be a very useful way to maximize storage space at home and reduce the likeliness that your home feels cluttered or disorganized. If you're in the process of sorting through your belongings to be placed in storage, it's important that you don't rush into dropping everything off without much thought.

In order for your storage unit to remain a safe space for your belongings for any length of storage, be sure to avoid placing the following five items in the unit:

Paint and Other Combustible Items

It's common to want to place home improvement tools and other items into storage since they're not used often enough to warrant a lot of room being taken up in your home. Despite this, you'll want to make sure that you avoid placing anything that's highly flammable in the storage unit due to the safety risks. Items such as paint, aerosol cans, and other combustible items should be avoided altogether.

Medical Supplies

Whether you enjoy camping and have a first aid kit on you or you simply have a lot of extra supplies taking up room at home, you may be interested in using your storage unit for storing medical supplies. The problem with this is that you could potentially damage the items or end up with some of the supplies expiring while in storage, making them dangerous to use.

Perishable Foods and Drinks

If you would like to use your storage unit to store foods in case of an emergency or just for extra storage space, it's important that you stick to non-perishable foods. This will ensure that nothing goes bad while in storage and make it safe to consume them whenever you access the unit.

Some good examples of non-perishable foods to store include peanut butter, canned soups, dried fruits, and bottled water.

Any Wet Items

Items with any lingering moisture is just asking for trouble due to the fact that it can lead to mildew and mold inside of your storage unit. Making sure everything is dry before placing in storage will help keep the unit smelling fresh and help to avoid any potential damage to the unit.

Prohibited Items at the Storage Facility

When you first sign up for your storage unit, it's likely that you were given a great deal of paperwork to look over and sign. Taking a look at these papers can help provide you with any insight towards which items are prohibited, making it easier to decide what can be placed in storage.

As you prepare for placing belongings in your new storage unit, it's crucial that you don't end up storing anything that could be potentially damaging or dangerous by avoiding the items above.  Contact a company like AA All American Airborne Self-Storage to learn more.