What a storage unit cleanout costs in St. Louis

The short answer

Storage unit cleanouts have their own flat prices by unit size, for a unit that is full: 5x5 $226, 5x10 $397, 5x15 $539, 10x10 $587, 10x15 $880, 10x20 $1174, 10x25 $1463, 10x30 $1757. Partly full units can be priced by truck tier or by item instead, whichever fits. The crew empties the unit, loads it and hauls it away, so you can hand the unit back and stop the rent.

Prices by unit size

These are for full units. If your 10x15 is half empty, send a photo; a truck tier might fit better — a half truck is $431, a 3/4 truck $587.

Why St. Louis storage units fill up

Storage units around the metro collect the overflow of life changes.

• Downsizing and estates. Families clearing a long-held house in Florissant, St. Louis Hills or Kirkwood often put furniture in storage "for now." Years later, the rent has paid for the furniture several times over.
• Student and resident moves. SLU and WashU students, and medical residents and fellows around the CWE medical center, store things between leases.
• Military moves. Families at Scott AFB move on PCS orders, often in summer, and storage fills the gap.
• Rehabs and remodels. Buyers renovating older homes in Maplewood, Soulard or Old North St. Louis often store furniture while the work runs long.
• Office moves. Clayton is the region's second business district, with about 46,000 daytime employees, and office relocations leave desks and filing cabinets parked in storage.

Do the math on the rent

Before paying to empty a unit, it is worth doing the opposite math: what is it costing to keep? Monthly storage rent adds up over a year or two, and the contents are often worth less than the rent paid on them. A 5x10 full of a dorm room's worth of furniture costs $397 to clear once. If it is mostly particleboard and old mattresses, that is the end of the rent.

If there is something valuable inside, pull it before the cleanout. Everything else can go in one visit.

Partial units: price by item

Sometimes a unit is mostly empty except for the furniture nobody wanted. Item prices work better then:

• Sofa, queen set and dresser: $126 + $143 + $126 = $395.
• Dining table for six and six chairs: $163 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 = $433.
• Ten moving boxes: at $31 each that is $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 + $31 = $310, which is more than a quarter truck at $241 — so a quarter truck is the better price for loose boxes.
• Office leftovers from a Clayton move: two 4-drawer filing cabinets and an L-shaped desk, $75 + $75 + $134 = $284.

You see the price before booking, and it only changes if you approve.

Two St. Louis examples

A Scott AFB family on PCS orders. A family in O'Fallon IL put the overflow from base housing into a 10x10 while they waited on orders. When the orders come, they take what they want and leave the rest: an old sectional, kids' bikes, a grill and boxes. If the unit is still full, the flat price is $587. If they pull half of it out first, a 3/8 truck at $338 may fit what remains, which is why photos matter.

An estate overflow in South County. After a Mehlville or Oakville house sold, the family moved its furniture into a 10x15 to decide later. Two years on, nobody wants the dining set or the bedroom furniture. A full 10x15 is $880. If they keep the china hutch and a few boxes and clear the rest, the crew takes everything else and the unit goes back to the facility the same day.

Facility rules to know

• Access. You need the gate code and the unit key or lock combination. Some facilities require the renter on site.
• Hours. Gate hours vary. We work 8am to midnight; pick a two-hour window inside your facility's access hours.
• Dumpster bans. Most facilities forbid tenants from leaving junk in their dumpsters. Do not leave things in the hallway.
• Certificate of insurance. If the facility asks, we email a COI within one hour.
• Move-out inspection. Ask what condition they want the unit in.

Sorting a unit you have not opened in years

Many storage cleanouts start with a unit nobody has looked inside since it was packed. A short plan helps:

1. Go once before the cleanout. Bring a flashlight, gloves and a few empty boxes.
2. Open the boxes near the door first. Those are usually the last things packed and the most likely to matter: papers, photos, small valuables.
3. Look for paperwork. Tax files, deeds, insurance documents and family records often end up in storage after an estate or a move.
4. Take what you want in your car that day. Leave the rest.
5. Photograph the open unit from the doorway and upload the photos for a quote.

Humidity is the other thing to check. St. Louis summers are hot and humid, and units without climate control can be hard on upholstered furniture, mattresses, paper and wood. If the sofa smells of mildew, it is junk, not a keepsake.

Things to check before you book

Look for anything that is not standard: hazardous chemicals, propane cylinders, car batteries. Paint is accepted. Hazardous waste is case by case — ask. Appliances are fine and go to recycling, since Missouri bans them from landfills. If the unit is in Illinois — Belleville, O'Fallon or Edwardsville — note that electronics cannot go in Illinois trash, and we recycle whatever we can.

Get the price from a photo of the open unit at the instant quote page. Same-day works when you book by 4 PM.

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