Storage Unit Cleanout: How to Finally Empty That Unit You've Been Paying For
Let's do some math you're not going to like.
That storage unit you've been renting — the one with boxes you haven't opened since you moved them in — how long has it been? Two years? Three? Five?
At $150 a month, that's $1,800 per year. Three years is $5,400. Five years is $9,000.
Nine thousand dollars. To store things you apparently don't need, because you haven't touched them in five years.
I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. I'm saying it because almost everyone with a long-term storage unit has done this math at 2 AM and felt that specific combination of guilt and frustration. You know you should deal with it. You keep meaning to. And somehow, another month passes, another $150 disappears, and the unit stays full.
If you're finally ready to stop the bleeding — to empty that unit, cancel the rental, and be done with this chapter — here's how it actually works.
Why Storage Units Become Black Holes
Nobody rents a storage unit planning to keep it for years. It always starts as a temporary solution.
You're moving and need somewhere to put things during the transition. You're renovating and have to clear out rooms. You inherited stuff and don't have space at home. You're going through a divorce and need to separate belongings quickly.
The unit is supposed to be a bridge. Six months, maybe a year.
But then life happens.
Moving takes longer than expected. The renovation drags on. You never find time to sort through the inherited stuff. The divorce gets complicated and the storage unit becomes the least of your problems.
Months pass. The stuff sits there. You keep paying because stopping means dealing with it, and dealing with it feels overwhelming. So you don't.
Eventually the unit becomes psychological background noise. You know it's there. You know it's costing money. But it's easier to keep paying than to face what's inside.
This is incredibly common. Storage industry statistics suggest that about 30% of units are rented for more than two years. Many renters admit they don't remember everything that's in their unit.
You're not uniquely bad at this. You're just human.
The Real Cost of "I'll Deal With It Later"
Beyond the monthly rent, long-term storage has hidden costs that make the situation worse over time:
The stuff is probably worth less than you think.
That furniture you stored because it was "too good to throw away"? Furniture depreciates. Fast. Your five-year-old couch that was worth $800 when you stored it is maybe worth $100 now — if you could find a buyer. The electronics are outdated. The clothes are out of style. The "valuable" items you were going to sell someday have been sitting in a climate-controlled box while the market moved on.
Meanwhile, you've spent thousands in storage fees.
Climate control doesn't prevent all damage.
Even climate-controlled units have issues. Dust accumulates. Pests find their way in. Boxes on the bottom get crushed. Humidity fluctuates. That antique wooden furniture might have warped. Those books might smell like mildew.
Things stored for years rarely come out in the same condition they went in.
The emotional weight accumulates too.
Every month, you know you're paying for something you're not using. That low-grade financial guilt adds up. The storage unit becomes a symbol of decisions you're avoiding, things you're not dealing with, life admin that keeps getting pushed back.
Emptying the unit isn't just about the money. It's about clearing that mental weight.
The "I Don't Even Know What's In There" Problem
Here's something people are embarrassed to admit: after a few years, most storage unit renters don't actually know what they're storing.
They have a vague sense. "Furniture from mom's house." "Boxes from the old apartment." "Stuff from when the kids moved out."
But specific items? No idea.
This is both the problem and the opportunity.
The problem: you can't decide what to do with things you don't remember owning.
The opportunity: if you haven't needed it in years — if you don't even remember it exists — you almost certainly don't need it.
This realization is liberating for some people. If you've gone three years without accessing these items, your life has clearly continued fine without them. The stuff isn't essential. It's not serving you. It's just... there. Costing money. Taking up space. Being a thing you feel guilty about.
Letting it go isn't giving up on your past. It's accepting that you've already moved on.
Your Options for Emptying a Storage Unit
When you're ready to deal with this, you have a few paths:
Option 1: The Marathon DIY Session
Rent a truck, clear a weekend, go through everything yourself.
Who this works for: People with smaller units, people who have time to sort, people who want to examine every item before deciding.
The reality: Most people dramatically underestimate how long this takes. A 10x10 unit packed floor to ceiling can easily take 8-12 hours to empty and sort. You'll need to make decisions about every item — keep, donate, trash. You'll need somewhere to take donations and somewhere to take trash. You'll end up exhausted, emotionally drained, and possibly still not finished.
If you have strong feelings about what's in there, or if it belonged to someone who passed away, this process can be overwhelming.
Option 2: Sort and Partial Removal
Go through the unit yourself over multiple trips, gradually removing items. Keep what you want, donate what you can, then call someone to haul the rest.
Who this works for: People who need time to process, people who want to handle sentimental items personally but don't want to deal with logistics.
The reality: This is more manageable emotionally but can drag on for months. Multiple trips to the storage facility, multiple trips to donation centers, stuff piling up at home while you decide what to do with it. Some people start this process and then stall out halfway through.
Option 3: Complete Professional Cleanout
Someone else empties the entire unit in one day. You can be there to identify anything you want to keep, or you can hand over the key and let them handle everything.
Who this works for: People who are done. People who want the unit empty and the monthly payments stopped as fast as possible. People who've already accepted that most of what's in there can go.
The reality: This is the fastest option. A professional storage unit cleanout in Palm Beach County typically takes 2-4 hours depending on unit size. Everything gets removed, sorted, and either donated, recycled, or disposed of properly. The unit is left empty and broom-clean.
You stop paying rent that same day.
What Storage Unit Cleanout Actually Costs
Let's talk numbers. Professional storage unit cleanout pricing in Palm Beach County:
Unit SizeTypical Cost5x5 (closet size)$150-2505x10 (walk-in closet)$200-35010x10 (small room)$300-50010x15 (large room)$450-70010x20 (one-car garage)$550-90010x30 (large garage/studio)$800-1,400
Factors that affect price:
How full is it? A half-empty unit costs less than one packed floor-to-ceiling.
What's inside? Heavy items (furniture, appliances, boxes of books) take more labor. Light items (clothes, linens, empty boxes) go faster.
How accessible is the unit? Ground-floor, drive-up units are easiest. Second-floor units with narrow hallways and small elevators take longer.
Is there anything requiring special disposal? Old paint cans, chemicals, or hazardous materials can't go in a regular truck.
Now let's put this in perspective.
If your 10x10 unit costs $150/month and you've been renting for two years, you've spent $3,600. A professional cleanout costs $300-500. You're "losing" that money either way — but the cleanout stops the bleeding immediately.
Every month you delay costs another $150. Two months of overthinking = $300. The cost of just getting it done.
What Happens to Everything?
People ask this, usually with a mix of curiosity and guilt. Where does all that stuff actually go?
Items in good condition:
Furniture, working appliances, clothing, household goods — these go to donation partners. Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Goodwill, local charities. Items get a second life instead of going to a landfill. We can provide donation receipts for tax purposes if you want them.
Recyclable materials:
Metal, cardboard, certain plastics — these go to recycling facilities. Scrap metal from old bed frames, filing cabinets, shelving units has value and gets processed rather than buried.
Everything else:
Non-donatable, non-recyclable items go to proper disposal. This is the stuff that's truly at the end of its useful life — damaged furniture, stained mattresses, broken electronics, mystery boxes full of stuff that's been deteriorating for years.
About 60-70% of what comes out of storage units can be donated or recycled. The rest gets disposed of properly.
If you're worried about "throwing everything away" — most of it doesn't get thrown away. And the stuff that does was genuinely trash, just trash you were paying $150/month to store.
The Storage Unit Cleanout Process
Here's how it works when you call for professional storage unit clearing:
Step 1: You tell us what we're dealing with.
Unit size, general contents (furniture? boxes? appliances?), location of the facility. Is there anything specific you want to keep? Any known issues (biohazards, heavy items, awkward access)?
Step 2: We give you a quote.
Based on what you describe, we'll quote a price. That's the price — no surprises when we show up.
Step 3: Coordinate access.
You'll need to either be there to let us in, leave a key with the facility office, or add us to the approved access list. Storage facilities have different policies, so you may need to call ahead.
Step 4: We empty the unit.
Our crew removes everything. If you want to be present to grab anything specific — photos, documents, that one box you actually care about — you can be. If you'd rather not see any of it, that's fine too.
Most units take 2-4 hours. Larger or more packed units may take longer.
Step 5: You cancel your rental.
Once the unit is empty, you notify the facility. No more monthly payments. Done.
The whole process, from phone call to empty unit, usually happens within a few days. Sometimes same-day if schedules align.
For Property Managers and Facility Owners
If you're not a renter but someone who manages storage facilities, we should talk separately.
Abandoned units are a headache. The legal process for taking possession varies, but once you have the right to clear the unit, you need it emptied quickly so it can generate revenue again.
Junk Bull works with storage facilities across Palm Beach County, Martin County, and Broward County for:
Abandoned unit cleanouts after lien sales
Units cleared due to non-payment
Estate situations where family can't handle the cleanout
Bulk cleanouts when facilities are changing ownership or closing
We understand the urgency — every day an empty unit sits full is a day you're not renting it. Fast turnaround, clean results, proper disposal documentation.
The One Thing Nobody Tells You
Here's what happens after a storage unit cleanout:
You feel lighter.
Not just financially — although yes, canceling that monthly payment feels great. There's a psychological weight that lifts when you finally close this chapter.
That storage unit has been sitting in the back of your mind for years. A thing you should deal with. A reminder of decisions you've been avoiding. A small, persistent source of guilt every time you see the charge on your credit card statement.
When it's gone — when the unit is empty and the rental is canceled and you never have to think about it again — there's a relief that surprises people.
It's done. Finally done.
All those months of "I should really deal with that" are over. You dealt with it. It's handled.
People describe it as feeling like they lost weight, or paid off a debt, or finished a project that's been hanging over them forever. The stuff itself doesn't matter — most of it they'd forgotten they even owned. What matters is that the mental burden is gone.
That's worth more than whatever was in the boxes.
You've Been Paying Long Enough
That storage unit has been costing you money for how long now?
Every month you delay is another $100, $150, $200 gone. Another month of knowing you should deal with it and not dealing with it. Another month of that low-grade guilt humming in the background.
It doesn't have to be complicated. One phone call. One appointment. A few hours of work that you don't have to do yourself.
Then it's done. The unit is empty. The payments stop. The mental weight lifts.
You've been paying long enough. Time to be done.
Ready to empty that storage unit?
Junk Bull provides storage unit cleanout services across Palm Beach County, Martin County, and Broward County. Any size unit, any amount of stuff. We empty it, you cancel the rental.
Call 561-344-6677 or book online at junkbull.com.
Same-day service available. Let's close this chapter.
Junk Bull — Junk Removal & Demolition Serving Palm Beach, Martin & Broward Counties 📞 561-344-6677 🌐 www.junkbull.com
Stop paying rent on stuff you forgot you owned.
