You tried a workaround · 5
It went into storage
Something slipped, the goods went into a unit, and the unit quietly became the arrangement. It is an extremely common place to be and it is a solvable one.
Emptying a unit is nearly always a longer day than filling it was. Knowing that in advance is most of the battle.
What emptying a unit involves
Why it takes longer than it did going in
Because nobody makes a list on the way in. Things were stacked by whoever had the van that day, in whatever order they came off it, with no expectation of needing to find anything.
On the way out that has to be undone: everything comes forward, gets identified, and gets sorted into what is going where. It is a slower and more careful job than the one that created it.
The sorting is the useful part
Most units that have been shut for a year contain three categories: things that are genuinely wanted, things that are being kept because nobody decided, and things that should have gone to a charity or a buyer at the start.
We will take goods to any of those destinations as part of the same day. We hold no waste carrier licence and do not dispose of anything, so anything in the fourth category needs a licensed firm.
When the answer is a different kind of storage
If goods are going to be held for a long time rather than coming out now, container storage with a remover is usually cheaper per unit of volume than a self-storage room, and it comes with an inventory.
What you trade is the ability to turn up on a Saturday. Where you genuinely need that, a unit is the right product and we will say so.
The facility itself
Access hours, lift availability, trolley access and whether a vehicle can reach the unit door all vary considerably between sites, and they change how long the day takes.
Tell us which facility it is at the enquiry. A minute of checking beforehand is worth an hour on the day.
It went into storage
Questions about it went into storage
- 01
Can you empty a storage unit?
Yes, and it is one of our commonest jobs. It usually takes longer than filling it did, because nobody made a list and nothing was stacked to be found.
- 02
Will you list what comes out?
As it is loaded. On a unit that has been shut for a year, that list is frequently the first record anybody has of the contents.
- 03
Some of it should go elsewhere.
Very common. We will take goods to a buyer, a charity or another address in the same day. Anything for disposal needs a licensed firm, which we are not.
- 04
Should we keep using the unit?
If you need to turn up at short notice, yes. If the goods are simply being held, container storage with an inventory is usually cheaper per volume and much better documented.
- 05
What do you need to know about the facility?
Which one it is. Access hours, lifts, trolleys and whether a vehicle reaches the unit door vary a lot and change how long the day takes.
- 06
Can you deliver to more than one address?
Yes, planned as one day rather than as separate jobs. On a unit clear-out that is usually the efficient way to do it.
Where are you up to?
Both addresses, roughly what is left, and how much time there is. If you are partway through something already, say so — that is the useful part rather than the embarrassing one.