Okay so you opened that door today and just stood there staring, right? Like your brain literally could not process what you were looking at. Boxes stacked to the ceiling, furniture wedged in at weird angles, that one random lamp sticking out like it’s trying to escape. And you’re thinking, “How the hell did this happen?”
I know that feeling. I really do. Because I’ve been that person standing in front of a unit that looks like a hoarder’s fever dream, wondering where I went wrong in life.
Here’s the thing nobody admits. Storage units have a way of doing this to you. You start with good intentions. You’re organized. You label things. You keep a little path so you can walk in and grab stuff. And then life happens. You get busy. You just start throwing things in there because you have five minutes before the moving truck has to leave. And before you know it, you can’t even slide the door open without a box falling on your foot.
So now you’re standing there with a full unit and you have absolutely no idea what to do next.
Let me walk you through what I’d tell my buddy if he called me with this problem.
Are You Actually Full or Just Bad at Packing?
I’m asking this seriously because most people think they’re full when they’re really just messy.
Think about it. When you packed that unit, were you actually trying to maximize the space? Or were you just tossing stuff in there because you wanted to get it over with?
Be honest with yourself.
I helped my friend pack his unit last year and I swear to God, he had a queen size mattress just laying flat on the floor. Flat. Taking up like 30 square feet all by itself. I looked at him and said “dude, stand that thing up against the wall” and his mind was blown. He’d been storing it like that for months.
So look at your unit with fresh eyes.
Are your boxes all different sizes and shapes so they don’t stack neatly? Could you repack them into uniform boxes that actually stack? Are you using all your vertical space or is there like four feet of empty air above everything? Is there a walking path in there that’s basically just wasted square footage?
If you fix these things, you might buy yourself another month or two before you really have to deal with the full problem.
The Shelving Thing Changed My Life
I’m not exaggerating.
I had a unit that was packed tight and I couldn’t fit one more thing in there. I was about to rent a bigger unit. Then my neighbor at the storage place told me to just buy some plastic shelves from the hardware store.
I thought he was crazy. Shelves? In a storage unit? What is this, my apartment?
But I tried it. I cleared out one section of the unit, put in two shelving units that were like six feet tall, and started putting boxes on them instead of on the floor. You know how much space I saved? I freed up like a third of my floor space. I couldn’t believe it.
The shelves were cheap. Like forty bucks each. And they made me feel like I had a brand new unit without actually having to move anything.
So yeah, go buy some shelves. Put them against the back wall. Stack your boxes vertically instead of horizontally. You’ll thank me later.
Here’s the Part Nobody Wants to Talk About
You might have too much stuff.
I know. I hate saying it. You hate hearing it. But let’s be real for a second.
When you look at everything in that unit, are you actually going to use any of it? Or is it just stuff you couldn’t throw away so you paid to hide it somewhere else?
I did that for years. I had a box of clothes that I kept “just in case” I lost weight. That box sat in storage for six years. Six years. Meanwhile I was paying like fifty bucks a month to store clothes I couldn’t even fit into. Do the math on that. That’s thousands of dollars to store clothes I never wore.
I finally donated everything and felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
So go through your stuff. Not all of it. Just enough to make a dent.
Pick one corner. Go through those boxes. Be ruthless.
- Old textbooks you’re never opening again? Give them away.
- That broken chair you keep saying you’ll fix? You’re not fixing it. Nobody fixes chairs. Just throw it out.
- Baby clothes from a kid who’s now in middle school? Donate them to someone who actually needs them.
- Holiday decorations you haven’t used in five years? Toss them.
Every single thing you get rid of creates space. And space is what you’re paying for. Why are you paying to store garbage?
Maybe You Just Need to Go Bigger
Look, sometimes you just have a lot of stuff. And that’s okay.
Maybe you’re running a small business and you have inventory. Maybe you’re between houses and you’ve got everything you own in that unit. Maybe you inherited a bunch of furniture from your parents and you don’t know what to do with it.
If that’s you, there’s no shame in getting a bigger unit.
Here’s my advice though. When you upgrade, go bigger than you think you need. Because if you’re full now and you upgrade to a size that just barely fits everything, you’ll be back in this same situation in a few months. Give yourself some breathing room.
And when you move everything to the bigger unit, do it right this time. Start fresh. Put the stuff you use most near the front. Put heavy stuff on bottom. Label everything. Don’t just replicate the chaos in a bigger space.
What About Renting Two Units?
I’ve seen people do this.
They have a full unit so instead of upsizing, they just rent a second smaller one to hold the overflow.
Honestly? I’m not a fan of this approach. Now you have two bills. Two doors to remember to lock. Two places to drive to if you need something. It gets complicated.
But sometimes it makes sense. Like if you have business inventory in one unit and personal stuff in another. Or if you’re storing things for different family members. Or if you’re slowly moving stuff out and you just need temporary overflow while you sort through it.
If you go this route, at least put your most used stuff in the unit that’s easiest to access. Don’t put the thing you need every week in the back of the second unit behind a bunch of boxes.
Let’s Talk About Climate Control for a Second
Most people don’t think about this. But if your unit is packed tight, there’s no air flow in there.
In the summer, if it’s hot and humid, that trapped air can get nasty. Mold loves that kind of environment. It’ll grow on your furniture, your clothes, your cardboard boxes. I’ve seen it happen and it’s not pretty.
If you’re storing anything valuable or sentimental, you might want to consider a climate controlled unit. It costs more but it’s way cheaper than replacing all your stuff.
We’ve got both options where I work, and I’m always happy to help you figure out which one makes sense for you. I’m not going to push you toward the expensive option if you don’t need it. But I want you to know what you’re getting into.
Here’s What We Can Do for You
If you’re at the point where you just can’t deal with it anymore, we can help.
I can show you what bigger units we have available. I can walk through the different options with you. If you decide to upgrade, we can make the whole process smooth. No stress, no complicated paperwork, nothing weird.
And if you decide to reorganize instead, I can give you some tips on how to pack more efficiently. I’ve seen enough units to know what works and what doesn’t.
I’m not going to give you a sales pitch. You’ve got a problem and I can help you solve it. That’s my job.
Just Pick a Weekend and Get It Done
I’m going to be honest with you. The longer you wait, the worse this gets.
Right now, it’s just a full unit. But if you keep ignoring it, you’ll eventually stop going there at all. You’ll just keep paying the bill and never actually see your stuff. That’s not why you rented the unit in the first place.
Pick a weekend. Just one. Ask a friend to help you. Bring some boxes and garbage bags. Go through everything. Sort it into three piles: keep, donate, trash.
If you keep it, put it back in an organized way. Maybe you realize you need a bigger unit. Maybe you realize you just needed shelves. Maybe you realize you can cut your stuff in half and downsize to a smaller unit. Whatever it is, you’ll feel better once you’ve done it.
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