To clean out a storage unit, check your facility's move-out rules, sort what you're keeping, and clear everything else down to a swept floor. Paint, chemicals, motor oil and tires need their own disposal. Cowboy Site Services clears storage units across Collin and Grayson County, priced by trailer space from $189 with a firm price confirmed before loading.
Why does a storage unit cleanout need a plan?
A storage unit fills up a box at a time, often over years. By the time you decide to close it out, it's packed to the door with things nobody has looked at in a while. Then you're working against a monthly bill and a move-out date.
A short plan makes the day go faster. Settle the facility's rules first, decide what's coming home, and know where the rest is going before you open the door.
Step 1: What should you check with the facility first?
Every facility runs its own way, so don't assume. Read your rental agreement or call the office before cleanout day. Ask about these points:
- Access hours: when the gate opens and closes, and whether the office keeps different hours.
- Gate codes: whether a helper or crew can use your code, or needs to be added to the account.
- Move-out notice: how much notice they want before you vacate, and how to give it.
- Broom-clean expectations: what condition the unit has to be in, and whether they inspect it.
- Locks: whether you remove your lock when you leave, or they handle it.
- Vehicle access: whether a truck and trailer can pull up near the unit's door.
Step 2: Who needs to be there?
Usually the renter on file, or someone they've cleared with the office. If the unit belonged to a parent or relative, sort out access with the facility before you plan the day.
If you're hiring help, you handle the gate code and the lock. The crew can't get you in, but they can take it from there.
Step 3: How do you sort what to keep?
Work front to back. Pull things into three piles in the aisle or by the door: keep, donate and haul. Don't open every box twice, so decide as you go.
Look carefully for papers, photos and keepsakes before boxes get loaded. Old tax files, family photos and jewelry tend to hide in boxes marked "kitchen". Set them aside in your own car first.
If the keep pile is big, have your own way to move it. We haul junk away, but we don't deliver kept items to another address.
- Keep: papers, photos, heirlooms and anything you'd regret losing.
- Donate: furniture and household items still in usable shape.
- Haul: broken furniture, worn mattresses, old electronics, boxes of clutter.
Step 4: What can't go on a junk trailer?
Storage units collect things that don't belong in a load. We can't take wet paint and chemicals, motor oil, asbestos, ammunition or tires. Set those aside before loading starts.
TCEQ's household hazardous waste page lists items like corrosive cleaners, fuels, paints, pesticides, pool chlorine and wood stains as household hazardous waste. TCEQ also says used oil can't go in the landfill, though many collection programs accept it. Keep these in their original containers with readable labels, upright and secured, and never mix products.
Tires are their own problem. TCEQ's special waste page lists whole used or scrap tires as prohibited from disposal in any municipal solid waste facility. Our household hazardous waste guide covers where chemicals can go in Collin County.
Step 5: How does the unit get cleared and loaded?
With a crew, the day is simple. We clear the unit, load everything on the trailer, and haul it off in one trip. You point at what goes, and we do the lifting.
Doing it yourself? Start with the heaviest pieces near the door, then work back. Break down empty boxes as you go so the aisle stays open.
Usable furniture and household items go to area charities when we can place them. Metal and electronics get pulled for recycling where possible. The rest is disposed of properly.
Step 6: How do you leave the unit rent-ready?
Most facilities expect a unit back empty and broom-clean. That means no trash left behind, nothing stuck to the walls, and a swept floor. Check what your facility counts as clean, since that's their call.
Once the last load is out, sweep from the back wall to the door. Pick up loose screws, packing peanuts and tape. Take one last look in the corners, then lock up or remove your lock as the facility asks.
We broom-sweep the unit behind us to get it rent-ready. Our broom-swept finish post explains what that looks like.
What does a storage unit cleanout cost?
We price by how much room the load takes on our trailer. Minimum Pickup starts at $189, Half Trailer Load from $515, and Full Trailer Load from $759. A small unit might fit the minimum, while a large packed unit can run to a full load.
Send photos of the open unit for an honest estimate. The firm price is confirmed at the unit before anything is loaded, and it doesn't change after you say go. See our pricing page for how the tiers work.
Quick checklist
Print this list or keep it on your phone for the day.
- Read your rental agreement and confirm access hours, gate code and move-out notice.
- Confirm broom-clean expectations and lock rules with the office.
- Book help and plan a vehicle for anything you're keeping.
- Pull papers, photos and keepsakes first.
- Set aside paint, chemicals, motor oil, ammunition and tires.
- Sort keep, donate and haul as you go.
- Load, haul off and sweep the floor.
- Give notice and turn in or remove the lock.
When should you hand it off?
Hire it out when the unit is packed, you live far from it, or the move-out date is close. It's also a fair call when the unit belonged to someone who passed. Our estate cleanout service works through a loved one's things with care.
Our storage unit cleanout service clears the unit, loads it, hauls it off and sweeps the floor. Same-day service is available when the schedule allows. For a garage that's stacked up too, our garage cleanout service can follow.