6 Tips To Declutter and Clean Out a Storage Unit

Decluttering your storage unit makes it easier to find items and avoid wasting space. You may also decide to clean out your storage unit to add new items or choose another storage unit. The following tips will come in handy.

1. Audit Your Storage Unit

If you inherited your storage space, bought it at auction, or have not visited it for months, you might not know the items within it. The first step is to create a full list of all the items inside the storage unit. Begin the audit by writing down the large items that are immediately visible. Also, note the number of boxes inside the unit, and determine whether you might need additional boxes for storage. 

2. Get the Right Supplies

You require the right supplies to remove trash and other unwanted belongings. The necessary supplies include:

• Garbage bags. Buy more garbage bags than necessary. Avoid the tiny kitchen trash bags. Instead, go for heavy-duty bags or even contractor bags.
• Tape. Packaging tape will help you to close up boxes for more effective storage or transport.
• Scissors. Bring scissors or box cutters to quickly open boxes you'd already stored.
• Markers. Markers help with the accurate labeling of boxes.
• Gloves. Gloves help protect your hands from dirt and debris and also avoid contaminating fragile items such as artwork.



Dirt and debris may have accumulated in the self-storage unit over time. Buy a mask to protect yourself from air pollutants.

3. Create Groups of Items

Decluttering or cleaning out is much easier if you sort the belongings into categories. Create groups based on how you plan to use the items. Typical groups include keeping, storing, donating, selling, and discarding. For example, family heirlooms that you want to put in the house will go into the keep box.

Items remaining in the storage unit should go into the storage box. Anything you don't need will go into the remaining categories. If some of the items still work, you can sell or donate them. But those that are broken or malfunctioning should go in the discarding category.

4. Discard the Easy Materials First

You will be motivated to keep decluttering if you see progress. The best way to create momentum is to tackle the easy items first. For example, you can begin with paperwork and clothes piles that provide reassurance that the process is moving on smoothly. You can sell or donate the clothes to people.

Common types of paperwork that you should discard include newspapers, old magazines, and receipts. If you might want to remember the information on some of these papers, scan the papers to have a digital copy. Retain any important financial documents such as revenue documents and wills. The rest of the documents should go into the shredder.

5. Get Rid of the Trash

Many cities have bulk garbage pickup and drop-off. If you only removed a few items from the self-storage unit, put them in the regular trash can. But if you get rid of a lot of junk, hire a professional junk removal service. Some cities will even pick large amounts of junk from your storage unit for free.

6. Sell Items Online

You can make some money as you declutter the storage unit. Collect photos of all the items and post them on online retail websites. You can also post the items on your social media pages. Create short descriptions of all the items and set the prices. You may be surprised at how much money you make by selling the items.

A self-storage unit is important if you have surplus items in your home. Tysons Self-Storage provides accessible self-storage unit spaces to store your items as you move or declutter your home. Contact us to learn more about our storage units.