Storage unit cleanouts, emptied down to the floor

The hardest part of a personal unit is opening the boxes. If you can, go through it once before the crew comes. Pull what you're keeping into your car or to the front of the unit. Anything left is going.

Can't face it alone, or live too far away to do it? Tell us what to look for, like photos, papers or a certain box, and the crew will set those aside instead of loading them. The storage unit cleanout guide has a fuller plan.

If you won a unit at auction, you want the good pieces and you need the rest gone. Pull what you're keeping, and the crew loads everything else and leaves the unit broom-clean.

Facility managers clearing an abandoned unit usually need the space back and a record that it was cleared. ME3 Junk Solutions provides before-and-after photos when you ask, and a W-9 and Certificate of Insurance are available for vendor setup.

Most units can be priced from one photo taken from the front of the unit with the door all the way up. Add the unit size if you know it, and say whether it's a drive-up unit or an inside unit on an upper floor. Inside units mean longer carries and sometimes an elevator, and that changes the labor.

The price is set by how much trailer space the contents fill, and it's firm before loading. If the unit has heavy material in it, like bags of concrete or tile, that's quoted on its own. See the pricing page for how it's figured.

Storage facilities have their own rules, and it pays to know them before the crew shows up. Ask about gate hours and whether the crew will need a code. Find out how far the trailer can park from your unit, and whether there's a cart or an elevator for inside units.

If a refrigerator or freezer is in the unit, mention it. Refrigerant is handled, and it's priced into the quote. Same for a mattress or a treadmill: none of it is a problem, but it all helps the range you get match the job.

Once the unit is empty and swept, take your own photo before you lock it for the last time. It's an easy record to have.

Plenty of people try to clear a unit with a borrowed trailer. It can work. Just plan the trip before you start loading.

Tarp or strap down anything loose before you pull onto the road. That's plain safe hauling on any Texas highway. Twin Oaks Landfill sits on State Hwy 30 in Anderson, so it's a drive. Check its current hours, fees and rules on the Twin Oaks website before you head out.

Add the loading, the drive and the unloading, and for most units it's a long Saturday. That's the trade-off the junk removal vs dumpster rental guide walks through too.

Storage units often hold furniture in good shape. When it's practical, usable pieces go to donation or reuse. The rest is disposed of the right way, and the unit is swept before the crew leaves.

If there's something in the unit you plan to give to a friend or a family member, set it outside the door or mark it clearly so it doesn't get loaded by mistake.