For a long stay (more than a few weeks), lidded plastic crates are better for books, paperwork and tool consumables: they stack evenly, close securely, are waterproof "to a point" and are harder for pests to get into. For clothes and bedding, plastic tubs are fine for a few weeks if everything is bone dry; for longer, keep the lid on but don't seal them completely, and hang clothes in a wardrobe box. For a shorter stay, good double-walled cardboard boxes, filled to the top and taped, do the job at a lower cost. Plastic keeps moisture out, but it also keeps in any moisture that goes in with your things, and our units are clean, dry and secure but not climate-controlled.
Side by side
| Lidded plastic crate | Double-walled cardboard box | |
|---|---|---|
| Stacking | Our house-move guide: "consistent height and footprint makes stacking easier and stacks more stable" | Stacks well if every box is the same size, full and taped. "A half-filled box compresses under weight" |
| Water and damp | "Waterproof to a point" | Damp weakens cardboard, and a wet box sags under the one above |
| Moisture already inside | Held in. A damp item in a sealed crate can grow mould | Not airtight, but a damp item still damps the box around it. Dry things first either way |
| Long stays | Re-uses well over several moves | Our work-abroad guide: "Cardboard boxes can degrade over a couple of years" |
| Mice | They can gnaw plastic, so a crate slows a mouse down without stopping it | Paper and card are nesting material |
| Cost | Higher up front. Our Box Shop doesn't sell plastic crates; its boxes are all double-walled cardboard | Box Shop, 23 September 2026 sale prices: from £3.50 each, or £25 for ten Medium (£2.50 a box). Wardrobe Box with hanging rail £9.99. Check your basket for VAT and delivery |
| Seeing inside | Clear crates let you see what's in them | Needs a label on the side |
Our house-move guide sums it up: "Both work. The choice comes down to how long you are storing, what you are storing, and how much you want to spend on containers." What boxes does the Box Shop sell? has every size.
Plastic tubs or cardboard boxes: which to use for what
Books and paperwork. For a shorter stay, small cardboard boxes keep the weight liftable. For years, a small lidded crate protects paper from damp and makes it harder for mice to reach. Either way, keep them low in the stack. One-of-a-kind papers may fall under clause 18(j) too; see storing photographs.
Clothes, bedding and soft furnishings. Bone dry, in a rigid lidded container with the lid on but not sealed for anything longer than a few weeks, and a Wardrobe Box for clothes on hangers. See the clothes section below.
Cot mattress. Dry, flat, loosely covered and never sealed in plastic: see how to store a mattress.
Toys with built-in batteries. Clause 20(d) of our terms caps laptops, tablets, children's toys and similar items with built-in batteries at ten in total per unit ("more than ten (10) laptops, tablet computers, children's toys or other similar items containing built-in batteries" can't be stored), and they must be "not stacked" (clause 20.1(b)). Our baby-gear guide adds: "Remove batteries from everything before storage."
Christmas decorations. Wrap baubles individually and fill the gaps so nothing moves. Take the batteries out of anything that lights up, for the same reason as toys.
Kitchenware and fragile things. Either works if each piece is wrapped and the container is full so nothing moves. What you store is at your own risk under clause 30 of our terms, so pack fragile things to take a knock and put them near the top of a stack.
Photos, albums and keepsakes. These need rigid, acid-free boxes rather than plastic bags. Clause 18(j) bars "items which are unique in nature and/or where the value to You cannot be assessed on a financial basis", which we read as covering photos of which no other copy exists, so scan those first or ask us before you store them; our guide to storing photographs goes through it.
An open crate, or a lid that doesn't close, gives none of a tub's benefits, so pick ones with lids that fit.
Moving house or storing long term
Going abroad for a year or more? Our work-abroad guide says to "use sealed plastic boxes for anything in long-term storage rather than cardboard"; for clothes and bedding, follow the clothes advice below. While you're away, name someone to check the unit for you.
Tools and trade kit
Our tool storage guide's advice on rust and damp: "A thin film of machine oil on drill bits, blades, and chucks costs almost nothing and significantly slows any surface oxidation. Silica gel packets in your toolboxes absorb any residual moisture in the air around the tools and are cheap to replace when they are saturated. Keep tools off the concrete floor." For abrasives, sandpaper and other moisture-sensitive consumables, it says "a sealed plastic tote is the easiest way to protect them."
Oiled tools are fine, but clause 18(c) bars "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases", so cans of oil and solvents stay out. Keep heavy cable reels low, on boards or a pallet.
Tool batteries have their own rules under clause 20. You can't store "any Lithium ion batteries exceeding a watt-hour (Wh) rating of 160 Wh unless they are built-in and cannot be removed", or "portable battery chargers, power banks or any similar portable power source". Goods with built-in batteries must be stored so they "are not stacked and are stored allowing air circulation" (clause 20.1(b)), so they don't go in a stack at all. If you're unsure whether a tool charger counts, ask us before you store it.
Is it safe to store clothes in plastic boxes?
For a few weeks, yes, if they're bone dry; clean cardboard is fine too. For anything longer, use a rigid lidded container with the lid on but not sealed completely, and only when everything is bone dry. Our baby-gear guide says to wash and dry everything, then "store it in a breathable lidded container, not a black bag", and for anything staying more than a few months notes "Cardboard can soften over time". Our sentimental items guide suggests silica gel sachets in boxes "to absorb residual moisture". Cedar isn't mentioned in our terms, so ask us before you add it. Plastic holds in any moisture that goes in, and as our climate guide puts it, "A wet rug sealed into a plastic box will grow mould regardless of how good the unit is…" Our page on stopping clothes going musty covers clothes in detail.
Plastic in an unheated unit
Our units aren't heated or climate-controlled, and we don't control or publish the humidity, so dryness going in matters more than the container. Your goods are stored "at Your sole risk and responsibility", including "deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason" (clause 30), and our Contents Protection excludes "atmospheric or climatic damage". See does contents protection cover damp and mould? before you rely on insurance for damp.
Booking an outdoor container? Our booking system describes the Chipping Norton and Shipston-on-Stour containers as insulated (for any other, ask when you book); see condensation in container units.
Whatever the container, stand stacks off the floor with a little air at the walls, one type of box or crate per stack: see how to pack boxes so they stack safely.
Storing business stock or files
Supplier cartons are fine for stock that turns over. For stock that sits for a season, or anything that mustn't get dusty or marked, lidded crates protect it better and stack squarely. Our florists' guide says "Lidded plastic totes or breathable garment covers keep dust off and make casual pest access harder." Files are heavy: small boxes or crates, kept low. Under clause 30(a) we exclude liability for "loss or damage to Your business", so stock that would be costly to lose is worth the better container.
Already storing in cardboard?
There's no need to repack everything. On your next visit (access is normally 6am to 10pm; check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book), check the bottom row of each stack: a box that has bowed, softened or smells damp is the one to move into a crate or a fresh box. If you're staying longer than you planned, books and paperwork are the things most worth moving into lidded crates.
Getting boxes and a unit
For cardboard, our Box Shop delivers double-walled boxes and moving kits. If you still need a unit, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585. To find a site near you, see our locations.
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