Five Unconventional Uses For A Storage Unit

Written By Drew

February 17th, 2012

Self Storage Tires Storage units are for storing excess sporting equipment, furniture and family belongings, right? Maybe not. Check out this list of inventive (and sometimes frightening) uses for mini storage units.

Hotel room: If you're itching for an affair, but you're on a tight budget, a storage unit might be the right solution. Storage facility owners in Britain noted a trend last May: amorous dalliances taking place at storage facilities. After all, "Owners have their own keys; the units are windowless, therefore private and are more discreet and cheaper than a hotel…" Financially smart? Maybe. Still, it seems a little harsh to ask someone to carry on an affair in a concrete box.
Dumpster: Getting rid of trash that has a high environmental impact can sometimes be a pain. Most people realize the importance of disposing with technology, appliances and tires appropriately. It usually requires a trip to specialty drop-off location, so it's hard to see why this storage unit renter would choose to dispose of tires in his storage unit, abandon it and risk incurring a fine.
Pet home: One of the more disturbing trends in storage unit misuse involves the suffering of animals. Stories cover the gamut of cats and dogs abandoned in mini storage to the more sinister recent story about more than 30 dead pythons found in a storage unit in Minnesota.
Drug laundering: If you want to be really clever, disguise your drugs as potpourri and bath salts. No joke. In Baltimore, authorities seized the contents of a storage unit filled with "bath salts and herbal potpourri" that were actually synthetic drugs meant to mimic the effects of cocaine and marijuana. The product names might've been a tipoff: "Snowblind Bath Salts," "Zombie World" and "Dark Night Sampler."
Apartment: In the tough economy, a lot of people are changing their living situation by downsizing or moving in with family. But can you imagine downsizing to a storage unit? Although the savings on rent might be appealing, you'd be without a toilet, shower, stove…the list goes on. Not only is living in a storage unit unappealing, it's also dangerous. There were several fires last year set off by storage unit owners living in their units. These fires are often started because of measures people take to make the unit more livable, like hot plates or heaters.