Storage spaces are essential in event venues and construction sites. That extra space to secure and set aside equipment or personal belongings makes the surroundings look more organised and presentable. Creating more storage space from a limited area is often a thing of creativity and resourcefulness. Let’s have a quick look at the history of storage units:
History of storage units:
When was the first storage unit created? Well, it dates as far back as 6000 years ago in China. It wasn’t a flashy and modern unit but, as you’d expect, an underground pit used by people to safely store their personal belongings, family heirlooms, and other vital items. People kept their possessions in this pit when there was insufficient space at home. Things tend to evolve as a response to the demand and utilisation of the available resources. Tracing back to the first modern storage facility is an exercise that will help us appreciate how far things have developed. The first modern storage unit was first opened in 1958 by The Collum family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company responsible for the facility is known as Lauderdale Storage.
Why portable toilets are not suitable as a storage unit
Our focus is on the portable toilets hired for events, construction sites, and other functions. Sometimes, event or site managers hire more facilities than required. Or, the number of projected attendees may have dropped due to external factors such as train strikes, a star artist pulling out, an outbreak of an infection, or any other logical reason. When this occurs, portable units may be vacant or less used than expected. It is an exact scenario that lures the contemplation of using these units for storage. Let’s look at why portable toilets are unsuitable for storage:
1) Risk of theft: Leaving valuable items in portable units for an extended period is unsafe. These units can be locked from the inside and are not designed to provide safe storage of belongings. Most times, portable toilets may be situated in less busy areas with high privacy. With less traffic and people watching, stored items may attract unwarranted attention and possibly theft.
3) Unsettle users: Mentally, people associate mobile units with a space where one empties their bowels or bladders. They expect it to be something other than storage facilities. Imagine someone so pressed entering a vacant portable toilet and suddenly realises it is being used as a storage facility. The user will be baffled and left unimpressed with the situation. Especially if instructions were not passed on by the organisers or site managers
2) Restricts access for the servicing of the units: mobile toilet hire companies regularly clean and service these facilities for multi-day events or construction projects that span weeks or even months. Leaving items in these units will make things challenging for the staff servicing these facilities.
3) Unsettle users: Mentally, people associate mobile units with a space where one empties their bowels or bladders. They expect it to be something other than storage facilities. Imagine someone so pressed entering a vacant portable toilet and suddenly realises it is being used as a storage facility. The user will be baffled and left unimpressed with the situation. Especially if instructions were not passed on by the organisers or site managers
Portable toilets are designed to be a safe and secure place for personal convenience. They are not substitutes for a temporary or long-term storage unit. People are expected to come in pressed and leave relieved.
