How do you clean out a storage unit that's been sitting for years?

It helps to break it into three steps. First, assess and document what is there without hauling anything. Second, make keep, donate, and discard decisions. Third, schedule a junk removal pickup to clear everything that is not going home with you.

Storage units, left untouched for years, turn into mysteries. That’s why there are so many shows about auctioning them off and clearing them out. Those are fun to watch, but it’s not fun to clear one out yourself. So it helps to break the process into three discrete parts to make it manageable.

Look first before doing anything else. Open the unit, take stock of what is actually in there, and photograph the contents before you move anything. This can help you avoid the common mistake of hauling things off on impulse.

Your second step is to decide. Go through the unit and sort items into three piles: keep, donate, and discard. Be honest about what has been worth paying monthly rent to store. A lot of what ends up in long-term storage is furniture, boxes, and gear you have lived well without.

Third and last, it’s time to clear it out. You can do this yourself, carload by carload, dropping off items at the transfer station. But if your time or patience is limited, you can schedule junk removal instead. The crew comes to the facility and you won’t have to load or haul anything on your own.

If you work with The Junkluggers of Southeastern MA & RI, the team will meet you at the unit. They’ll then carry out everything in the discard and donate piles, and sort the load so usable items are donated and rehomed rather than dumped. For the items donated on your behalf, all applicable donation receipts will be provided. 

Need help clearing your storage unit? Schedule your pickup online. The Junkluggers of Southeastern MA & RI serves Plymouth, Middleboro, Lakeville, Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Attleboro, and Providence.