[Editors note: This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

Public storage facilities have multiplied across the nation.  But when it's time to clean out your storage unit, how will you get rid of the junk?

The convenience of extra storage is a boon for many people. It's estimated that there are over 50,000 storage units in the United States. And, according to the crew of the Auction Hunters TV reality show,  all of these bleak little industrial storage units are home to about $1 billion worth of personal belongings.

How big is storage rental? 

Here's a snapshot of the storage unit industry as of early 2019:

• Annual industry revenue: $38 billion
• Number of storage facilities (range): 45,000-52,000
• Total rentable self-storage space: 1.7 billion square feet
• Self-storage space per person: 5.4 square feet
• Percentage of households that rent a self-storage unit: 9.4 percent
• Average monthly cost for a self-storage unit: $88.85

Self-Storage Needs Junk Hauling 

Not only do we have an abundance of rented storage units in this country, it's estimated that about 1 out of 10 American households also own personal storage units.  And that's not counting the garage, which most people use for storage!

And, according to the newly released 2015 American Housing Survey, 63 percent of all occupied residential units have a garage or carport. However, according to the U.S. Department of Eneragy, about 25 percent of people with 2-car garages don’t park in them at all. And a third can only park one car, largely due to garage clutter.

In fact, a Sparefoot survey of 1,000 Americans found that 47 percent questioned said they had problems with being able to park in their garage. And a study from UCLA of 32 families in the Los Angeles-area showed that 75 percent of them didn’t use their garages for parking.

Here are a few interesting statistics about the typical American garage:

"A home organization study done by Moen (North America’s top faucet brand) found that the garage was the most cluttered space in homes. Another survey conducted by the National Association of Professional Organizers found that 50% of homeowners named the garage as the most disorganized area of their house.

“Removing junk” ranked as the top answer from those asked how they could enjoy their garage more. (Wall Street Journal survey)"

Let the Hauling Begin

While no one is usually trying to park a car in their rented storage unit, finding room for more stuff can be a challenge for most storage unit renters. The tendency seems to be to keep adding more items, but rarely do we remove things from them. 

The end result is that, eventually, we either move everything to a larger unit or simply rent another one!

Too much stuff - most of which eventually gets designated as "junk" - is the bane of a majority of people in the U.S. We are inundated with stuff and have turned storage unit rentals into a close to 40 million dollar industry. And, sometimes, we simply throw up our hands and just abandon our junk when it's time to move on.

Quite often, storage facility managers discover a large amount of junk that is left behind by old tenants. Unfortunately, the job of getting all that junk loaded up and hauled away usually falls on them.

Sometimes, of course, there can be auctions. These have even given rise to popular TV "reality" shows such as Storage Wars and American Pickers. But, even if there is an auction, not everything is gotten rid of many times. This means that at some point the self-storage facility owners or their managers must deal with defaulted leases, discarded junk, and any other items that went unsold at auction. 

But more often, the storage facility owner or manager is left with the task of clearing out the abandoned units in order to put them back on the market. An occupied, though abandoned, storage unit represents a loss of revenue for the facility owners.

Just getting the junk out of these units can be a logistical challenge.

Because they are often close together and the space inside is often limited and cramped, it can make the work of separating and staging all the "junk" a bit difficult. A smart approach, then, is to have an action plan decided on ahead of time. Also, try to arrange for extra hands. In addition to a clear-cut strategy for what is going and what is staying, and plenty of help, having a large enough vehicle to use can make the whole task far easier.

Property managers who have to remove junk from abandoned units can easily have access to a small dumpster, which will make the job go faster and is far more efficient. This is why a MINI Dumpster from Junk King can be a quick and affordable solution to what is usually tough and labor intensive chore.

You Can Delegate the Job of Storage Unit Junk Removal 

As a storage unit renter, you don't have to do all the hard work of removing and hauling your excess junk from your storage space. And, as a facility manager, you don't have to miss out on rental fees for a unit that is temporarily unavailable because it is full of left behind junk.

Just have a professional junk hauling firm like Junk King come and quickly clear out and haul away the unwanted or unclaimed items so you can rent to a new tenant immediately.

Because a professional junk removal company can be a huge asset in times like these, it’s critical to find an experienced junk removal company that you can depend on. And because timing is such a critical aspect, especially when it comes to self-storage rental situations, dependability and timeliness are important qualities to look for in the company you choose to outsource this work to.

Junk King offers professional experts who know how to safely and carefully remove even the biggest, bulkiest, heaviest items. We take almost anything! In fact, about the only thing we don’t take is hazardous waste. (And hopefully your tenants didn't leave any hazardous waste behind!)

We have the staff and resources to handle all types of storage facility junk — even large furniture, kitchen appliances, and extreme volumes of junk and debris. Our crew will haul away refrigerators, beds, sofas, and other bulky or large items.

And since we only charge based on how much space the junk takes up in our trucks, you don’t need to worry about paying for heavy loads.

The Best Team for Your Junk Removal and Hauling

Junk King is your answer when you need storage facility junk removal. We haul it away for one simple price, while making everything fast and stress-free for you.

Our team specializes in large waste removal and junk hauling. We can be on location in mere minutes, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.

One of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle a much of the material we pick-up. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service. If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, give us a call at (707) 744-4254.