How to Get Rid of Storage Unit Stuff

Co-authored by Marty Stevens-Heebner, SMM-C, CPO® and Eric McClure

Last Updated: March 20, 2023 References

It’s easy to let a storage unit turn into a heap of items you haven’t gotten around to dealing with, and you aren’t the first person in history to realize it’s time for a cleanse. Good on you! It can be difficult to let go of things—especially if you’ve been holding on to them for a long time. Luckily, you’ve already completed the most difficult step, which is realizing it’s time to declutter. From here, you’ve got a ton of options (some even involve you making money!). Read on to learn everything you need to know about storage unit cleanouts.

Things You Should Know

Create separate piles for items you want to keep or get rid of and sort the items in your storage unit individually.
Sell the entire contents of the unit to a storage unit speculator, or list the items individually online to maximize profits.
Abandon the unit if there’s nothing worth keeping and your contract allows it; the storage unit company will sell the items for you.

1

Bring the necessary supplies.

Hit up your friends if you need to get rid of a ton of stuff. You may also need to solicit friends to come help if you’ve got some especially heavy items, like appliances or furniture. In any case, it helps to have some company while you sort, and they can push you in the right direction if you tend to hold on to things you don’t need.^{[1]
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- Offer to pay any friends who help you out, or at least cover a few pizzas and a case of beer.
- Bring garbage bags and boxes to pack any goods you take with you. Bring cleaning supplies if you need to clean the unit before leaving per your rental agreement.
- You may also want to bring a lifting brace for your back and a dolly if you’ve got a ton of heavy stuff to move.
- If you don’t have a friend with a truck who can help, you may need to rent a truck.

2

Create some room to work.

Make some space in the middle of your storage unit to sort stuff. If your storage unit is packed to the brim with items, choose a dedicated space just outside of the unit to sort your stuff. If you have one of those outdoor units, you should have plenty of space to organize as you see fit.^{[2]
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- No storage unit cleanout is going to be successful if you turn clutter into more clutter! Be methodical and take your time.
- You want to be in a productive, upbeat headspace as you go through everything! It’s hard to feel that way if your work area is messy and unorganized.

3

Sort your items.

Create separate “keep,” “toss,” and “maybe” piles. Go through your items one at a time and for each piece, ask yourself, “Is this worth holding on to?” If it is, put it in your “keep” pile. If it isn’t, toss it out or set it aside for donation. If you’re taking your time, feel free to create a “maybe” pile that you can go back to if you aren’t sure whether some things are worth keeping or not.^{[3]
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- Ask yourself if an item brings you joy, has a use, or is necessary. If the answer to all of those questions is “no,” you probably don’t need to keep it.
- Only you can determine if something is worth keeping to sell. Perhaps a $10 sale is worth the time and effort to you, or maybe it’s not. It’s totally subjective.
- It is totally okay if you just want to get rid of everything. In that case, you don’t really need to sort anything (although you may want to do a quick scan to confirm it’s all worth getting rid of).

4

Get rid of your trash.

Most cities offer bulk garbage collection or drop off. If you’re only getting rid of a few items, put them in your normal trash. If you’ve got a lot of stuff to junk though, look online to see how your city or town handles bulk trash. The vast majority of cities and towns will have a dump where you can take large amounts of garbage for free. Some cities will even pick it up for you wherever you are!^{[4]
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- You may need to pay a junk removal company to haul furniture. Some city garbage dumps won’t take massive items like that.
- If you don’t have truck and you’ve got a ton of stuff, you may just have to make multiple trips to the city dump.

5

Donate items in good condition.

If you can’t use something, give it to somebody in need. Find a good home for any items that you don’t have any personal use for. Contact your local homeless shelter to see if they need blankets, clothes, or furniture. You might hit up your local school to donate pencils, pens, and other supplies. If nobody nearby needs your items, you could seek out a national nonprofit to donate to.^{[5]
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- Dress for Success will take any professional attire to help people in need secure jobs.
- Room to Grow is a nonprofit for children born into poverty, and they’ll take any child-related items (baby clothes, books, toys, etc.).
- Got a bunch of old books? Give them to Operation Paperback. They send books to troops overseas.
- HopeLine will take any old mobile equipment (phones, chargers, etc.) and give it to women in need.

6

Sell expensive goods online.

Why not make some cash while decluttering your storage unit? If you can make some money while decluttering, it’s a win-win! Take photos of each item worth selling and then hop online. Write some short descriptions of each item and set your prices. Post your items online to sell. Depending on what you’re selling, you likely want to post on:^{[6]
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- Facebook marketplace. This is the best option if you have highly desirable items and you’d rather sell them locally on your own.
- Craigslist. Craigslist is perfect for larger items and novelty goods, since people often search the site for specific goods.
- eBay. This online marketplace is perfect if you’ve got any valuables or obscure collector’s items. You can either let buyers compete by bidding, or sell your items for the “buy now” price.
- Poshmark. Poshmark is an online marketplace for used clothes. It is extremely intuitive and easy to use, and it gets a ton of traffic. If you’ve got some cool clothes, sell them here!

7

Host a yard sale.

A yard sale is the most efficient way to sell a lot of goods quickly. If your storage unit is filled with high-quality items and you’ve got decent foot traffic where you live, haul everything to your home for a garage sale. Advertise your garage sale online in local Facebook groups and put up posters in your area. On the day of the sale, set everything out in your yard or on the sidewalk and wheel and deal your way into a cleaner home and good money!^{[7]
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- Try to price your items fairly if you want them to sell.
- Get plenty of bills and change ahead of time. People are unlikely to have exact change.

8

Hire a company to junk your unit.

If there’s nothing worth keeping, hire a crew to do this for you. There are tons of junk hauling companies out there that will show up, pack everything you own into a truck, and haul it away for you. Just search online for junk removal companies, call to get multiple quotes, and meet them at your storage unit to let them in and get to work.^{[8]
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- Junk removal can run anywhere from $50 to $360 depending on how big your storage unit is and how much heavy gear you have.

9

Sell the entire unit.

People actually buy the contents of entire units! There’s a whole subculture out there of people who buy the contents of storage units and then resell the items individually for a profit. Pop online and post on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist that you’re selling an entire storage unit. Wait for offers to come in and then sell the unit as a whole.^{[9]
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- You are probably not going to get any super high offers, but this will be much faster and efficient than selling the items yourself.
- Many storage unit buyers attend auctions for abandoned or delinquent units. You might look for auction events in your area on Facebook and then message the users who comment that they’re interested.

10

Abandon the unit.

If your contract allows for it, just stop paying your bill. Read your storage unit contract carefully. There is probably a clause in there about abandoning your unit. If it says you can leave the unit without paying fees, contact the unit storage company and tell them you’re relinquishing your storage unit. The storage unit company will auction your goods off for you.^{[10]
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- This is normally an incentive for people to not skip out on rent, but if you’ve got nothing in the storage unit you want to keep then this is a win-win.
- Don’t do this if the company has a credit card on file for you and there are fees (or legal threats) in the contract associated with breaking the lease.