Storage unit cleanout guide: emptying a unit in the LA area

Storage units fill up slowly and empty all at once, usually because of a move, a rent increase or a family member's things that finally need a decision. The work isn't complicated, but the setting is: you're on someone else's property, on their schedule, with no curb and no bins of your own. This guide walks through it.

Start with the facility's rules

Before you pick a date, call or visit the office. Every facility sets its own rules, and we won't guess at yours. Ask about:

• Gate and access hours. When can you and a helper get in, and do you need to add a helper or a hauler to your access list?
• Loading. Where can a truck park, is there a loading dock, and are carts or elevators available?
• Move-out requirements. What condition should the unit be left in, and is there a deadline or notice period to avoid another month's rent?
• Leftover items and trash. What happens if something is left behind, and is there a charge?
• The dumpster. Is there one tenants may use, and for what?

That last one matters. The facility's dumpster is private property, and California law makes it unlawful to dump waste on private property without the owner's consent.^[1] If the office says no, the answer is no.

Sort at the unit, not at home

The biggest time sink in a storage cleanout is moving things twice. If you haul everything home to sort it, you'll end up hauling most of it out again.

A better approach:

1. Bring supplies: a tarp, markers, tape, boxes, contractor bags, gloves and a flashlight. Many units have poor lighting.
2. Work from the front. Pull items into the aisle only if the facility allows it. Otherwise, sort inside the unit in layers.
3. Use three piles: keep, donate and discard. Keep the "maybe" pile small and decide on it before you leave.
4. Open every box. Old storage boxes hide documents, photos and valuables, especially in a family member's unit.
5. Load the keep pile last, into your own car or truck, so it doesn't get mixed in with the discard pile.

If there are things worth selling, photograph them at the unit and list them before cleanout day, with a clear pickup window. Buyers can't easily get through a storage facility's gate, so plan to bring sold pieces home or meet buyers somewhere else. Anything that hasn't sold by your deadline moves to the donate pile. Waiting another month for a sale rarely makes sense once you count another month's rent on the unit.

Donations from a storage unit

This is where storage cleanouts differ most from home cleanouts. Charity pickup programs are designed around homes and curbs, not storage facilities.

• St. Vincent de Paul of Los Angeles offers free truck pickup,^[2] but items must be outside at street level and labeled.^[2]
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater LA picks up items that are on a ground floor, in a garage or carport, or at the driveway or curb.^[3] Drop-off at a ReStore is free.^[4]
• The Salvation Army books pickups by ZIP code and address,^[5] and what it accepts varies by location.^[5]

In practice, the easiest route is usually to put donations in your own vehicle and drop them off on the way home. Near the East Valley, Goodwill Southern California has stores at 5855 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood^[6] and 3226 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank.^[7] Hope the Mission's thrift store is at 10955 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.^[8] In Glendale, Goodwill is at 240 N. Brand Blvd.^[9]

Keep your expectations realistic for things that have sat in storage a long time. Goodwill only takes items in good, clean, sellable condition and doesn't repair anything.^[10] Furniture that picked up water damage or a musty smell usually belongs in the discard pile.

Clothes, bedding and linens

Units often hold bags of clothes and bedding that were meant to be sorted "later." Some of it has good homes:

• Burbank's official recycling guide notes that animal sanctuaries and shelters often take old bedding in good condition, even though many secondhand stores won't.^[11] The City's animal shelters put towels and blankets on their standing wish list.^[12]
• Out of the Closet accepts adult clothing,^[13] but not bedding, linens or towels.^[13]
• Chrysalis, a jobs nonprofit, takes gently used, laundered professional attire at 13545 Van Nuys Blvd. in Pacoima.^[14] Drop-offs run Monday to Thursday, 8 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m., and Friday mornings.^[14]

Anything damp, stained or smelling of mildew is better off in the discard pile.

Old files and paperwork

Boxes of old bills and records shouldn't go into a dumpster whole. Go through them for anything you need to keep, then shred the rest. If you live in Pasadena, the City holds one-day e-waste and document-shredding events for residents at the Rose Bowl through the year.^[15] Otherwise, look for a local shredding service or event before cleanout day so the boxes have somewhere to go.

Items that need their own route

Storage units hold a lot of the same problem items as garages, just packed tighter.

• Mattresses and box springs. Goodwill doesn't accept them,^[10] and neither do Habitat LA ReStores.^[4] Participating Bye Bye Mattress sites take mattresses and box springs regardless of condition.^[16] Bed frames and mattress toppers aren't covered by that free program.^[17]
• TVs, monitors and computers. They're on California's trash-ban list.^[18] Goodwill Southern California takes anything with a battery or a plug in any condition,^[19] and S.A.F.E. Centers take e-waste for free.^[20]
• Fridges, freezers and AC units. Refrigerant has to be removed before disposal by a certified appliance recycler or an EPA-certified technician.^[21],[22] Don't leave one in a dumpster.
• Paint, fuel and chemicals. Your rental agreement may not allow storing them at all, and they can't go in a dumpster.^[18] Take them to a S.A.F.E. Center; the Randall Street center in Sun Valley is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.^[23]
• Propane tanks. Compressed gas cylinders are on the state's banned-from-trash list.^[18]

Hauling it yourself: where loads can go

If you have a truck and helpers, self-hauling the discard pile is possible. The closest options for the Valley have rules worth knowing before you load.

At Sunshine Canyon, every load is charged a one-ton minimum,^[29] and the posted rate for municipal solid waste is $120 per ton as of July 2024.^[29] Loads that aren't tarped pay an extra $175.^[29] Appliances cost $115 each and computers or monitors $85 each.^[29] Bring a completed Origin Report Form,^[24] and if you're unloading by hand, note the earlier cutoff for reaching the scales.^[24]

Add up the truck rental, fuel, the one-ton minimum and a day of your time before deciding. For a single small unit, it can be more than it looks.

Your cleanout-day checklist

When to call a hauler

Self-hauling works for a small unit with a few big items. Paying for a crew tends to win when:

• the unit is full, or you have more than one;
• the move-out deadline is close and you can't spare a weekend;
• you don't have a truck, or don't want to pay a landfill's one-ton minimum for half a load;
• there are heavy pieces like dressers, a sleeper sofa or an old freezer;
• you're clearing a relative's unit from out of town and just need it done.

The most useful thing you can do is sort first, then have the crew meet you at the unit and take everything in the discard and donate piles in one visit. We're a family-run crew based on Victory Blvd in North Hollywood, working across the Valley, Burbank and Glendale. Text photos of the open unit and we'll send you a price. Two customers wrote about their storage jobs.

Text photos for a priceor call (909) 566-3090