[Image by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0]

Have you been paying for a self-storage unit month after month for years only to discover that you never get into it? Maybe it's time for some major junk removal.

Of course, it might be easier to simply abandon your unit, stop paying the rent, and hope that it just "goes away." But that isn't really what happens.

When Your Storage Unit Can Store No More

Unfortunately, when someone leaves their belongings in an abandoned self-storage rental unit, the storage facility managers have to dispose of all those items have been left behind by old tenants and you'll likely end up paying for it - and more!

Of course, the storage rental facility can try to auction off the goods that are abandoned and left unclaimed, especially if they seem to be valuable.  However, the facility owners or managers must get rid of any discarded junk that goes unsold at the auction.

On the bright side, most folks are ethical and honest. They don't abandon their rental units and skip out on the rent. But they do find that, at some point, they must either rent another unit or start getting rid of things that they're storing. 

And that becomes a costly dilemma.

But We Do Love Our Self-Storage Units!

The United States has more self-storage units per person than any other nation in the world. It seems that we have so much stuff we can't store it all in our homes and apartments, so we have to rent space for it.

In fact, according to Statista,

"In 2019, there were 47,863 self-storage facilities in the United States, up from 45,547 facilities in the previous year."

To put that number into  perspective, let's just there are almost three times more self-storage facilities in American than there are McDonald's, and almost four times more than Starbucks!

And the number of new facilities under construction continues to rise. 

In addition, a 2018 report by Neighbor.com, found that there were an estimated 23,404,300 individual self-storage units in the United States that year. And it turns out that Texas is the King of Self-Storage with more than 5,230 self-storage facilities as of 2020. Which is curious as they have a population of about 29.5 million folks, while California - with only 3,730 self-storage facilities - has over 10 million more residents. 

As we noted already, if the renter of a storage unit either defaults on there rental fees, or simply doesn't renew their rental agreement and leaves it full of stuff, the storage facility is left with  clearing it out.  Regardless of the reason for it, an abandoned unit with junk inside represents a loss of revenue for the facility owners until they get some junk removal taken care of.

When Your Valuable Stuff Just Becomes Junk

Almost everything we put into our self-storage units has value. At least, that's what we tell ourselves when we choose to pay every month for a large, metal shed to keep it all in. Some of it has cash value, while some it is sentimental value. Nonetheless, we feel that it's worth hanging onto.

Until a year or two - or three - goes by and we haven't used or even touched it.

No one likes to think of themselves as a hoarder, but if you keep things around that are not used or even seen, it's fair to ask yourself, "Am I paying to store my things, or am I paying to keep a metal shed full of stuff?"

A brutally honest response may be a bit disturbing.

Organizational consultants tend to agree: if you haven't used an item for over a year, you should get rid of it. Maybe not your great-grandmother's wedding gown or other truly valuable family heirloom, but certainly that third crockpot you thought would be handy to keep around.

So, assess the "real" value of items you are holding onto in your storage unit. The goal is to minimize the amount of items until you can empty the unit and store what you keep at home. 

Here are three simple rules to start with:

• First, If it needs to be kept, try to find a place in your home for it.
• Secondly, get rid of duplicates - you really don't two or three of most anything.
• And, thirdly, be ruthless with your stuff - if you don't use it or need, toss it.

If you do have valuable belongings stored in your self-storage rental unit but find that the space is getting cramped and cluttered, there are a few things you can do to help remedy the situation.

We found this great graphic from Storage Solutions to guide your self-storage organization efforts:

Here are some more tips to keep your self-storage unit organized and uncluttered:

• Keep everything organized by designating areas for everything and sorting everything into categories.
• Label everything so you can easily find what you need.
• Get rid of clutter by donating or selling items you no longer need.
• Use boxes or bins to store items and keep them organized.
• Use vacuum storage bags to save space.
• Create an inventory list of everything you have stored in your unit.
• Keep the unit clean and dry by sweeping it out regularly and using moisture absorbers.

Self-Storage Cleanouts and Junk Hauling: The Thrill Is Gone

When you're done sorting through your belongings and have set aside the few things you will keep, you are likely going to have a pile of things that are mostly junk.

The good news is that you don't have to take on a daunting task like loading and hauling all these items yourself. You can, in fact, have a professional junk hauling firm come and quickly haul away the unwanted items for you.

Then you can also stop paying rent on an unneeded storage unit.

Another problem with a rented self-storage unit is that, even if you think you needed everything that's in there, it can eventually get too full. And when that happens it is difficult to find what the thing you're looking for. Because of the lack of room, trying to organize it becomes is almost impossible, as well.

Again, this is a great time to clean out that unit and haul away the junk you know is in there! And a professional junk removal company like Junk King can be a huge asset in this situation.

Storage Unit Junk Removal Doesn't Have to Be a DIY Project

It’s important to find an experienced junk removal company that you can depend on. Because loading and hauling large quantities of items can be challenging, especially when it comes to emptying out self-storage rental units.

And, because you don't want to be spending an entire day with the process, dependability and timeliness are important features in the company you choose to hand over this job to.

Junk King sends professional junk removal experts who know how to quickly and carefully remove even the biggest, bulkiest, heaviest items. No matter what it is or how much, we can take care of it for you. The only thing we don’t take is hazardous waste and it's a safe bet you won't have any in your self-storage unit!

Junk King has the teams and resources to handle all varieties of storage facility junk removal — commercial and residential - and we can even remove large furniture, kitchen appliances, and other large junk and debris. Our crew will haul away refrigerators, beds, sofas, and other awkward or large items.

Best of all, we only charge by how much space your junk takes up in our trucks, so you don’t have to worry about heavy loads.

Get the Best Team for Your Junk Removal and Hauling

When you need storage facility junk removal, Junk King is your answer — we haul it away for one simple price, 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 as 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 1-888-888-JUNK (5865).