It can be, if the container stays dry inside and you pack for condensation. For chipboard wardrobes, mattresses and upholstery, ask us first. Our guide to self storage versus a shipping container steers most furniture to an indoor unit, listing it under "Items that belong in a clean, dry, alarmed unit". A bare steel box is hard on furniture: on a cold night the steel cools fast, and moisture from the air and from the furniture itself condenses on it, which is what marks wood, swells chipboard and moulds fabric. So two things decide it: the box (watertight, and ideally insulated) and how you pack (bone dry, off the floor, breathable covers, gaps for air). Our booking system describes the Chipping Norton and Shipston-on-Stour containers as insulated; for any other container, ask when you book.
Why a bare steel box is hard on furniture
That comparison guide explains it: "When the outside temperature drops overnight, the internal surfaces of the container cool down fast." The moisture comes from "the air itself and the goods you bring in. Cardboard boxes carry moisture. Furniture made of wood absorbs and releases it. Textiles hold it." The same guide lists furniture, upholstered chairs and sofas, mattresses and chipboard, MDF or veneered wardrobes as "the things that a cold, sweating steel box can damage in weeks", and adds: "Chipboard swells and warps."
That list covers most household furniture, including chipboard wardrobes and mattresses, and the guide is describing a bare steel container. Ours at Chipping Norton and Shipston-on-Stour are described as insulated, so ask us whether a container or an indoor unit suits your furniture for your stay. Insulation keeps the inside surfaces warmer than bare steel, so less moisture condenses on them, but it can't remove moisture that comes in with your furniture. Our container storage page calls our containers "a watertight space".
Our booking system (September 2026) lists these containers: at Chipping Norton, an 80 sq ft container (10ft x 8ft) and a 160 sq ft container (20ft x 8ft); at Shipston-on-Stour, a 160 sq ft container (20ft x 8ft); and at Warminster, a 320 sq ft container (40ft x 8ft). Whether those are inside or outside measurements isn't stated, and the height and door opening aren't published, so measure your tallest and longest pieces and ask us before you book. How big are our container units? has the detail.
Which furniture suits a container
| Furniture | In an insulated container (Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour) | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Solid wood tables, chairs, chests | Lower risk than veneer or upholstery, if it goes in dry | Clean, dry, breathable cover, off the floor, gap to the walls. See will wooden furniture warp? |
| Chipboard, MDF and veneered pieces, including wardrobes | Ask us before you book | If they go in, keep them well off the floor and away from the walls, and check them on your visits |
| Antiques: solid oak, walnut, mahogany, and upholstered Victorian pieces | Ask us before you book | Our period-detail guide warns that "horsehair and linen stuffing in upholstered Victorian pieces absorbs dust and moisture in ways that modern foam does not" |
| Fragile antiques, pianos, oil paintings | Ask us | For gilt, lacquer or marquetry, our antique furniture guide says "a specialist controlled environment is the safer call". See can I store a piano? |
| Sofas and upholstered chairs | Ask us before you book | If they go in, dry and under breathable fabric. Standing a sofa on its end needs headroom; see can I stand a sofa on its end? |
| Leather | Ask us before you book; damp can mould it | Clean and dry, breathable cover, off the floor and walls |
| Mattresses | Ask us before you book: our guide says they "take on a smell they never quite lose" | If one goes in, lay it flat, never stack, and take the polythene bag off and lay a cotton sheet over it instead. See how to store a mattress |
| Mirrors and glass tops | Ask us before you book | Fragile: wrap in furniture blankets, protect corners, and keep them out of the stack so nothing leans on them. The comparison guide lists "Mirrors and framed pictures" among the items for a clean, dry, alarmed unit |
| Lamps and electrical items | Ask us | The comparison guide lists "Kitchenware and electrical goods" among the items for a clean, dry, alarmed unit |
Warminster's container isn't described as insulated, so ask before you book.
Packing furniture into a container
- Dry everything first. The comparison guide says it of indoor units too: "do not store anything already damp in a Wigwam unit either". Anything damp or showing mould stays out.
- Take apart what comes apart (our furniture tips suggest it for bed frames and bookcases), and bag the fixings with each piece.
- Lift it off the floor on pallets, boards or battens. Our Box Shop doesn't list pallets, so bring your own, or ask what your site has.
- Cover it with breathable fabric. Our furniture packing guide says: "Avoid plastic covers that trap moisture; use breathable fabrics instead to let air circulate." Cloth dust sheets do this (breathable cover); our Box Shop sells a Furniture Blanket, but its page describes only "strong, heavy-duty textile fibres" and doesn't name the fibre, so ask whether it breathes. Our Dust Cover and Sofa Cover are polythene: fine for the move, but take them off in the container.
- Leave gaps between pieces and from the walls, so air can move and nothing touches cold steel.
- Add moisture absorbers where you can reach them without unstacking. Clause 19 bars portable heaters, and clause 22(e) says you must not connect utilities to the unit "unless authorised by Us", so don't plan on a plugged-in dehumidifier. Our guide to condensation in container units covers passive kit.
- Look in through the winter: pallets, desiccant and vents "reduce the problem; they do not eliminate it". Lift a cover or two and feel the backs and undersides. A musty smell, bloom on polished wood or a damp cover means moisture: take out and dry what's affected, and replace full absorbers. If it keeps coming back, call us on 0800 2545585. Away for months? Clause 26 advises you to inspect the unit "periodically during the Storage Period", so name someone to check the unit for you.
Risk and insurance
Clause 26 of our terms says: "You must ensure the Unit is suitable for the storage of the Goods intended to be stored in it and You are advised to inspect the Unit before storing Goods and periodically during the Storage Period." So whether a container suits your furniture is your call. Under clause 30, your goods are stored "at Your sole risk and responsibility", including "deterioration of the Goods caused by any reason". Clause 30(b) excludes liability for loss or damage to goods "except where this results from Our negligence or breach of contract, in which case Our liability will be limited to the sum of £100 in total". Clause 31 makes it a condition that they stay "adequately insured by You at all times for their Replacement Value". Our guide to climate-controlled storage notes that our contents protection policy "does not cover atmospheric or climatic damage", so don't count on it for condensation. Ask us for our Summary of Insurance; see does contents protection cover damp and mould?
What it costs, and for how long
On Shipston-on-Stour's September 2026 price list, the 160 sq ft container is £64 a week (£256 every four weeks), and the list notes "First 8 Weeks 50% Off – Containers Only"; check it shows on your quote.
For four weeks, the list comes to £256, or £128 with the offer. Whether the offer applies to a repeat booking isn't published, so ask. For a six-month stay, 26 weeks comes to £1,664 at list price (26 × £64), or £1,408 with the offer (8 weeks at £32, then 18 at £64). For longer stays, is it cheaper to rent or buy? has totals up to 156 weeks. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT. The deposit is two weeks' rent at the standard weekly rate, paid when you book and refunded within 21 days of your agreement ending (clause 4). Our minimum-term FAQ says "2 weeks is our minimum term". To leave, give written notice, normally 14 days (the exact number is on the Cover Sheet of your agreement); see how do I move out of my unit? The Chipping Norton and Warminster container prices aren't on our site-named price lists, so get a quote.
If your furniture is mostly veneer, antiques or soft furnishings and the stay runs through winter, ask us about an indoor unit at the same site too. Can I switch from an indoor unit to a container? compares the two. Get a price online or call 0800 2545585.
Storing furnished-let or office furniture? It packs the same way, but clause 30(a) excludes liability for "loss or damage to Your business", so check your own policy covers furniture kept away from the property. If the furniture belongs to a client, clause 1(c) has you warrant that you own the goods or are "entitled at law to deal with them … as agent for the owner", and clause 31's insurance condition covers their Replacement Value, so check your policy covers client goods.
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