Storage during a move
Researched and written by Ashley Davis · Reviewed by Emily Johnson · Last reviewed August 2026
Storage during a move splits into three questions that are answered separately. What size unit the contents need, which is arithmetic on room count rather than a guess. How to load and prepare the contents so they come out in the condition they went in. And who is liable while the goods sit there, which is not the same answer for a unit you rent as for a shipment your mover holds. This hub covers a unit you rent yourself, and [storage in transit](/guides/hiring/storage-in-transit) covers the case where the moving company holds the shipment.
What is the difference between a storage unit and storage in transit?
Who holds the goods, and under what liability. A self-storage unit is space you rent, you load it, you hold the key, and the facility is a landlord rather than a custodian of your belongings. Storage in transit is your shipment sitting in the mover's warehouse between pickup and delivery, still on the mover's paperwork and still under the liability level you chose on the bill of lading. The storage in transit page sets out the second case, and everything in this cluster describes the first.
Which storage question do you actually have?
Usually one of three. If the question is how much space the contents need, start with unit sizes, which sets out what each standard footprint holds. If the contents are already decided and the question is how to keep them intact, start with storing furniture, which is where most avoidable damage happens. If the question is what happens when something is damaged or taken, start with storage insurance, because the facility contract almost never covers the contents.
Does the length of the stay change what you do?
It changes the preparation rather than the unit. A stay of a few weeks between a sale and a purchase needs little more than a sensible loading order and a clear aisle. A stay measured in seasons brings in humidity, pests and the slow damage that shows only on removal, which is what long-term storage covers and why climate control matters more the longer the stay runs.
What is never allowed in a storage unit?
Every facility contract bars the same broad categories, and they overlap with what a moving truck may not carry. Fuels, gas cylinders, paint, solvents and anything else flammable or explosive. Perishable food, which is how a unit gets an infestation. Living things, plant or animal. And in almost every contract, anything used as a residence or a workshop. The what movers will not move page covers the transport side of the same list.
How much space do you need?
- What are the standard storage unit sizes?The five standard storage footprints in feet and square feet, how much each holds, and which home size matches which unit.
- What size storage unit do you need?Work the size out from the four largest pieces of furniture and the box count rather than guessing from the room count.
- What fits in a 5x10 storage unit?The dimensions of a five by ten unit, what a studio load looks like inside it, and how to lay it out so nothing is wasted.
- What fits in a 10x10 storage unit?The dimensions of a ten by ten unit, what a two-bedroom load looks like inside it, and how it should be laid out.
- What fits in a 10x20 storage unit?A garage-sized unit in feet and square feet, what a family house load looks like in it, and whether a car is allowed.
How do you store it without damage?
- How do you store furniture without damaging it?Why furniture is damaged by moisture, pressure and plastic film in storage, and the preparation that prevents each.
- How do you pack a storage unit?The order a unit is loaded in, how to stack boxes so they stay up, and when a centre aisle is worth the floor it costs.
- Do you need a climate controlled storage unit?What climate control actually regulates, which contents need it, and which are perfectly safe in an ordinary unit.
- How do you prepare belongings for long-term storage?What changes when belongings sit through a full weather cycle, how to keep pests out, and what should never go in at all.
- How do you store a mattress?Why a mattress needs a breathable cover and a supported base, and whether it should be stored flat or on its side.
- How do you store appliances?Draining, drying and propping open a washer, dishwasher, refrigerator or freezer, and what to do before powering one on again.
- How do you store clothes?Why clothing must be washed before storage, what to use instead of cardboard, and what should hang rather than fold.
Who is liable while it is in there?
- Do you need storage unit insurance?Why the rental contract does not cover the contents, the three ways to insure a unit, and the exclusions that decide the value.
- Does home insurance cover a storage unit?How a homeowner or renter policy treats property away from the home, the reduced off-premises limit, and what to ask the insurer.