Why Summer is the Ideal Time for a Storage Unit Cleanout and How to Do It

As warm weather moves in and cold weather moves out, it’s easy to set your sights on summer and plan for fun activities. Longer days mean more time for activities but one thing that likely won’t come to mind is cleaning out your storage unit. While it might not be your first choice of ways to spend a sunny day, summer is a great time to clean out and reorganize your self storage unit.

You may find yourself asking how to clean out a storage unit and not even knowing it is something you should do. However, think of it as an extension of your house. Would you not clean your bathroom for months on end? Probably not. To make sure your storage items are well-maintained, follow the storage unit clean out tips below.

Why Should I Clean Out Storage?

As stated above, you also wouldn’t let a portion of your home go without being cleaned. If you have ever owned a garage or shed, you know that dust and debris can fill a space quicker than you would expect. When you know the weather is going to be nice, it is an excellent opportunity to take everything out of a storage unit and deep clean all the nooks and crannies.

How to Clean Out Storage Units

It is no easy task to clean out your storage unit. Even though it seems like it should be easier than cleaning out your entire house, you may find numerous items that you don’t know what to do with. Even with the challenge, cleaning out your unit can uncover belongings you forgot about, which allows you to host a yard or garage sale, too, to get rid of those things you aren’t sure of. But, until you get started, you won’t know what you need to do with the items in your storage unit. 

Gather Necessary Supplies

If you plan on cleaning your storage unit along with clearing items out, you will need to bring some kind of vacuum and/or mop depending on what your storage unit looks like. At the least, plan to bring some kind of dusting materials to remove dirt and dust. In addition to those items, pack trash bags or boxes to remove the items you no longer want to keep in storage.

Switch Out Seasonal Items

Not only should you bring items for the winter that you will no longer be using (such as winter coats, hats, gloves, snow pants, etc.), but you should also make sure you have a way to transport summer items back to your house. Winter is a good time to have storage for summer clothes, and summer is a good time for storage for winter clothes. A summer clean out is an excellent opportunity to free up space in your house by bringing seasonal items back to storage. If you have holiday decorations that you don’t have space for, you can keep them in storage.

Sort Your Items Into Categories

Whether it’s boxes or trash bags, you need to find a way to sort through your items if you are doing a full storage unit clean out. Most sources recommend using three sorting categories, but here are five that you can use:

• Keep – items you will keep in storage or take back to your house
• Donate – items that are in good enough condition to donate
• Trash – items that are broken and need to be thrown away
• Sell – items that have value that you no longer want
• Second chance – items that you aren’t sure about and need to loop back to

Start with items that are easy to decide (such as things that have been destroyed or are falling apart), try to separate sentimental value, and limit the number of items placed in the second chance pile.

Reorganize the Unit

It may seem like the best idea to make a map or list of where everything was before you started the decluttering process. However, getting rid of items or bringing seasonal items in could force you to rearrange your storage unit anyway. You may find it beneficial to pull all your items out of storage and then put them all back. Try to visualize where they could go before moving them back into the unit. We also recommend designing a storage unit map with your new set up so you can easily find your belongings every time you visit. 

Create the Space You Need Today With Absolute Storage Management

Summer is one of the best times to clean out your storage unit thanks to warm weather and the inclination to switch out seasonal items. It is very simple to get your whole unit cleaned if you just get started. If you are using this method to clean out your home and need somewhere to keep seasonal items or items you aren’t sure where to put, Absolute Storage Management has you covered. Find a facility nearest you to get started today!