Your decorating kit, yes. The paint itself, no, whatever the type. Clause 18(c) of our terms says you must not store "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases". It names paint without separating water-based emulsion from solvent-based gloss, and it makes no exception for small or sealed tins, so no paint goes in the unit. White spirit, thinners, brush cleaner and spray paint are out too. Clean brushes, rollers, trays, ladders, dust sheets, wallpaper and tools are fine. Below: the table, then notes for anyone decorating at home, for decorators and trades, for anyone clearing a relative's house, and for customers who've already stored a tin.
Decorating supplies, item by item
| Item | Can it go in the unit? |
|---|---|
| Emulsion, gloss, primer, undercoat, masonry paint, tester pots (full, part-used or unopened) | No: clause 18(c) names paint |
| Spray paint and aerosol primer | No |
| Artists' paints in tubes or pots (oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolour), linseed and other painting oils | No: clause 18(c) names paint and oil |
| White spirit (including 'odourless' mineral spirits), thinners, turpentine, brush cleaner, methylated spirits | No: flammable, and clause 18(c) names cleaning solvents |
| Paint stripper | No: clause 18(e) bars chemicals |
| Wood oil, and any varnish or stain labelled flammable | No: clause 18(c) names oil |
| Filler, decorators' caulk, sealant, grout, wallpaper paste or varnish | If the label shows the flame symbol or says flammable, No; otherwise ask us on 0800 2545585 |
| Rags or dust sheets soaked in oil, spirit or paint | No |
| Brushes, rollers and trays, cleaned and dry | Yes |
| Clean dust sheets, masking tape, wallpaper rolls, scrapers, hand tools | Yes (dust sheets with dried paint on them? ask us; wet or solvent-soaked is out) |
| Ladders, trestles and platforms | Yes (with dried paint on them? ask us; wet or solvent-soaked is out) |
| Easels, blank canvases and clean equipment | Yes |
| Paintings or palettes with paint still wet or giving off odour | No (clause 18(f)) |
| Dried paintings and palettes | Ask us on 0800 2545585 |
| Corded sanders and heat guns | Yes |
| Cordless tools and their batteries | Yes, within the limits in clause 20 |
For anything not in the table, read the label. A product that is flammable carries the flame pictogram, a red-bordered diamond with a flame in it. Clause 18(c) covers combustible as well as flammable substances, and some combustible liquids carry no flame symbol, so the symbol rules things out but its absence rules nothing in. Emulsion, for example, has no symbol and is still barred, so if it isn't in the table, ask us. Our glossary entry on flammable liquids explains the idea in more detail. Clause 18(f) also bars "any item that emits fumes, or odours", which is why a brush still wet with spirit, or a rag soaked in it, stays out.
Cordless sanders and drills are allowed, but clause 20 limits lithium-ion batteries (loose batteries over 160Wh are barred, and power banks can't be stored). Our page on e-bikes and lithium batteries sets those limits out.
Why water-based paint is included
Emulsion is water-based, so people often expect it to be allowed. The clause doesn't draw that line: it says "paint", with no split by type, and we apply it as written. Our guide what you can and can't store puts paint with everything else "that can leak, ignite or give off fumes", and gives three reasons: one spill or slow leak in an enclosed unit can contaminate an entire corridor, one ignition source near stored fuel is an emergency, and keeping every unit clean and dry depends on keeping out anything combustible or corrosive. Sealing the lid tighter doesn't change the rule.
Clause 27 also lets us "refuse storage of any Goods or require You to remove Goods if in Our opinion storage of such Goods creates a risk to the safety of any person or property."
Can I keep leftover or touch-up paint in my unit while decorating?
No. Leftover and touch-up tins are still paint under clause 18(c), however small. One way to decorate room by room: clear a room into the unit, paint it, move everything back, then start the next. The furniture, boxes and pictures go in the unit. The paint, brushes in use and spirit stay with you indoors, somewhere dry and away from frost and extreme heat, following the storage advice printed on each tin (Dulux Trade, for example, says not to store paint in extreme temperatures and to protect it from damp and frost). Our renovation guide covers sizing a unit for the job. For a short job, see renting a storage unit for a week.
If you're between homes with nowhere else to keep leftover tins, the unit isn't the answer. Pass on what's usable (see below), note the colour name and code from the label first, and buy fresh for touch-ups later.
Decorators, trades and landlords
Your ladders, trestles, clean dust sheets, hand tools, corded power tools and cleaned brushes can live in a unit between jobs, including landlords between tenancies. Your paint stock, thinners, brush cleaner and spray cans can't, sealed or not, so they stay somewhere you control, such as a workshop or garage, following the storage advice printed on each tin (see the Dulux Trade advice above), so a van in winter is a poor home for bulk stock. Our guide to storing building materials between jobs covers the rest of a trade load, including contact adhesives in tins, which it lists among the products that can't go in.
Clearing a parent's house or garage
If a loft or garage clearance turns up old tins, they can't go into the unit with the furniture. The recycling advice site Recycle Now gives three routes:
- Usable paint: donate it. Community RePaint runs local drop-off points for leftover household paint, and Community RePaint says its member organisations also accept usable leftover paint from commercial and trade sources.
- Unusable water-based paint: harden it (with paint hardener, sawdust, sand or soil, lid off) and take it to your council's recycling centre. Recycle Now says councils can't accept liquid paint.
- Solvent-based paint, thinners and white spirit: these go to a hazardous waste service. In England you can find yours by postcode on GOV.UK.
This is household disposal; trade waste has its own rules, so check with your waste carrier. If the paint came from a rental property, ask your council whether its recycling centre treats it as household waste: Doncaster Council, for example, classes tenants' waste that a landlord brings in as commercial or trade waste. It is also the one place where water-based and solvent-based paint are treated differently: for disposal, not for storage.
Already put paint in your unit?
Take it out on your next visit. The rule applies to paint that's already inside, and under clause 27 we can ask you to remove anything we consider a safety risk. Under clause 32 you're responsible for claims and costs that result from breaking the agreement, so a leaking tin that damages a neighbouring unit's contents could fall to you. If you can't get to the site soon, call us on 0800 2545585.
Storing your furniture while you decorate
With the paint and spirit kept at home, the furniture and the rest of the room can go, apart from anything else on our prohibited list. Get a price online, or call 0800 2545585 if you have a product you're unsure about.
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