Food and anything perishable

No food, no drink, no pet food, no opened packets, and no ‘it is sealed, it will be fine’.

The reason is pests. A single overlooked bag of rice or box of cereal attracts insects and rodents into a facility, and the problem does not stay in one unit. This is the restriction that every storage provider enforces most strictly, because one person's forgotten pasta becomes everybody's problem.

Check the kitchen cupboards yourself before collection day. Half-used spice jars and open packets are what people forget.

Flammable, explosive and pressurised items

Not permitted anywhere in storage:

  • Gas cylinders, including small camping and barbecue canisters — full or ‘empty’
  • Petrol, diesel, kerosene and lighter fluid
  • Paint, thinners, solvents and adhesives
  • Aerosols of any kind
  • Fireworks
  • Car batteries

Ambient temperature in an unconditioned space in a Dubai summer is high enough to make pressurised containers genuinely dangerous. Even in a temperature- controlled facility these are not accepted.

Drain the petrol from garden equipment. Lawnmowers, generators, pressure washers and strimmers routinely arrive with a full tank. Drain the tank and run the engine dry before collection day.

Chemicals and hazardous material

  • Pool chemicals, chlorine and acid
  • Pesticides and weedkiller
  • Industrial cleaning chemicals
  • Asbestos or anything containing it
  • Medical or biological waste

Household cleaning products in sealed retail packaging are a grey area worth asking about rather than assuming. Bleach and ammonia in particular are best left out.

Living things

No animals, obviously, but also no plants — including artificial-looking succulents and anything in soil.

Soil carries insects and holds moisture. A plant in a dark unit dies, and a dead plant in wet soil in a warm space becomes mould that spreads to whatever is next to it.

Weapons, ammunition and anything illegal

Firearms, ammunition, replica and decorative weapons, and anything prohibited under UAE law. This includes items that are legal elsewhere and are not legal here.

If you are relocating to Dubai and are unsure whether something you own is permitted in the UAE, resolve that question before it goes anywhere near a storage booking.

Valuables, cash and irreplaceable documents

This one is different from the others. It is not a safety restriction — it is advice you should follow anyway.

Do not put into storage:

  • Cash
  • Jewellery and watches
  • Passports, visas, birth and marriage certificates, title deeds
  • Original share certificates or bonds
  • Irreplaceable personal items — the photograph album, not the photograph frame

These belong in a bank safe deposit box, a home safe, or your hand luggage. They are small, so there is no practical reason to store them.

To be explicit about it: Smart Space does not include automatic cover for stored property. If cover matters to you for particular items, raise it when you request your quote and it will be set out in your quotation and terms.

Grey areas worth asking about first

These are not automatic refusals, but ask before collection day rather than on it:

  • Wine and spirits. Alcohol raises both regulatory and temperature questions. Ask first.
  • Musical instruments. Accepted, but pianos, double basses and anything with a wooden soundboard need specific handling. Flag them early.
  • Artwork. Accepted, but original work and anything of high value needs a conversation about handling and packing rather than being treated as a framed print.
  • Fridges and washing machines. Fine, but they must be defrosted and fully drained — see preparing furniture for storage.
  • Car parts. Tyres and body panels are usually fine. Anything holding fuel or oil is not.
  • Medication. Prescription medicines should stay with you, both for temperature reasons and because you will want them.

The five-minute check before collection day

  1. Empty the kitchen cupboards and the fridge completely.
  2. Walk the balcony and the store cupboard — this is where gas canisters, paint tins and pesticides live.
  3. Check the garage or the parking store if you have one.
  4. Take out anything valuable, small and irreplaceable, and keep it with you.
  5. Message a photo of anything you are unsure about, before the crew arrives rather than while they wait.