What You Shouldn't Put in a Storage Container (LA Heat Edition)

We get asked this constantly, usually while a container is already sitting in the driveway half full: "Is it okay to put this in there?"

Most of the time the answer is yes. There's a short list of things that genuinely can't go in a container anywhere, and then a second list where the honest answer is it depends where the container lives — because a steel box baking in your driveway and a climate-controlled bay at our Gardena warehouse are two completely different environments.

The Hard No List

These are not judgment calls. They don't go in, in any container, from any company:

• Fuel, propane, and gas cans — including the tank still attached to the barbecue and the half-full can behind the mower. Drain them or leave them out.
• Paint, solvents, thinner, pool chemicals, fertilizer, pesticides — anything flammable, corrosive, or that gives off fumes in heat.
• Fireworks, ammunition, explosives.
• Anything perishable. Food, open pantry goods, pet food. Sealed cans are fine; a bag of rice is an invitation.
• Living things. Plants included — they die, and then they rot.
• Anything illegal to possess. Obviously, but it gets asked.

Two of these come up almost every week. The barbecue propane tank is the classic — people forget it's attached. And the half-can of paint from the last remodel, sitting in the garage corner, going into the container with everything else from the garage. Take five minutes with the flammables before load day and you're done.

The "It Depends Where It Lives" List

This is the part most people don't know, and it's worth knowing before you choose where your container sits.

A container in your driveway is an uninsulated steel box. Parked in the sun in August, the air inside runs well above the outside temperature. That's completely fine for furniture, tools, boxes, appliances, and the entire contents of a garage — which is most of what people store.

Our Gardena warehouse is climate controlled. If your container is stored with us rather than kept at your place, the temperature question goes away. That's the whole reason the option exists.

So for the items below, the answer isn't "don't" — it's "not in the driveway for a Southern California summer, but at our facility, no problem":

• Candles and anything wax
• Cosmetics, skincare, and most medication
• Vinyl records, which warp faster than people expect
• Wine and anything you'd care about the flavor of
• Adhesives, glues, and certain art supplies
• Leather furniture, and wooden musical instruments that go out of true with humidity
• Electronics you actually care about — a TV survives a driveway summer fine, but a machine with work on it or a camera body worth more than the month's rent is better off inside
• Chocolate, and yes, people have tried

At your place, those run $99 for a 5x8, $199 for an 8x12, $279 for an 8x16, and $299 for an 8x20 per month. Climate controlled at our facility: $149, $269, $299, and $379. If what you're storing is temperature-sensitive, that difference is the cheapest insurance on this page.

The one exception: paper and irreplaceable things

Photo albums, letters, certificates, kids' artwork. Paper is the item most often ruined and the one people are most upset about, because it's the one that can't be replaced. Our facility handles it far better than a driveway does — but if something is genuinely irreplaceable, keep it with you or scan it. That's true of any storage, ours included.

And one to ask about first

A piano is a different conversation entirely. Call us before you plan that one.

The Things People Assume Are a Problem, But Aren't

• Appliances. Fine, as long as the fridge and washer are drained and dry, and the fridge door is propped slightly open.
• Mattresses and upholstered furniture. Fine, covered but not shrink-wrapped airtight. It's the sealed plastic that grows mildew, not the container.
• Tools and equipment. Ideal container contents. Wipe metal down; a light coat of oil on bare steel doesn't hurt.
• Books. Fine for a few months. Small boxes, off the floor, not against the back wall where condensation collects.
• Cars, motorcycles, and bikes. Motorcycles and bikes are common and no problem. A car doesn't fit through an 8-foot door in any useful way — that's a different kind of storage.

Two Habits That Prevent Most Problems

Don't load anything damp. Not the tent from the camping trip, not the towels from the beach, not the patio cushions after a hose-down. Moisture that goes in stays in.

Don't seal soft things in airtight plastic. Furniture pads, cotton covers, and cardboard all breathe. Shrink wrap traps whatever humidity was in the fabric on the day you wrapped it and holds it there for three months.

A few moisture absorbers in the corners cost almost nothing and handle the rest.

When In Doubt, Just Ask Us

We would much rather tell you before load day that something is a bad fit than hear about it after. If you're storing anything unusual — inventory with a temperature spec, an instrument, an art collection, restaurant equipment — tell us what it is and we'll tell you straight whether it should sit in your driveway, come to our climate-controlled facility, or stay in the house.

Call 310-515-9122 — a real person answers — or get a quote online. We deliver across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and Ventura Counties, often as soon as the next day.