The short answer
Storage unit cleanouts are priced 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. A unit that is only partly full can be priced by item or by truck-fill tier instead. Either way, the price is set from photos before you book.
Storage unit prices
| Unit size | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Storage Unit (5×5) | $226 |
| Storage Unit (5×10) | $397 |
| Storage Unit (5×15) | $539 |
| Storage Unit (10×10) | $587 |
| Storage Unit (10×15) | $880 |
| Storage Unit (10×20) | $1174 |
| Storage Unit (10×25) | $1463 |
| Storage Unit (10×30) | $1757 |
Half-full 10x15? Send photos and it may be priced as a truck-fill tier, such as a half truck of about 8 cubic yards at $431.
Why Metro Detroit units fill up
- Relocations. The metro's employers, from Ford in Dearborn to GM's Warren Technical Center and Stellantis's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, move people in and out. Things go into storage "for now" during the move.
- Inherited houses. When a family home in Detroit or the inner ring is sold, the furniture nobody could decide on often goes into a unit.
- Downsizing from a Livonia ranch or a Grosse Pointe colonial into a condo.
- Students at Wayne State, Eastern Michigan and Oakland University storing a room between leases.
A few years later, the monthly rent has added up to more than the contents are worth.
The rent math
Before paying for a cleanout, do one calculation: what you will pay in rent for another year, against the flat price to empty it now. Take your monthly rent from the last statement and multiply by 12. If that number is bigger than the cleanout price for your unit size, and nobody has opened the door in a year, the decision usually makes itself.
For most units holding older furniture, mattresses and boxes, the cleanout is a one-time cost and the rent never stops. The flat price includes loading, hauling and disposal. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can.
Why the free routes do not work here
The City of Detroit's free weekly bulk pickup only takes items set out at your own curb, up to 2 cubic yards a week, by 7 a.m. A storage unit is not your curb. Using it means renting a truck, loading the unit, driving it home, unloading it into your garage, and feeding it to the curb over several weeks. A full 10x10 is far more than one week's allowance. Setting it out somewhere else, or beside the facility's dumpster, is dumping, and Detroit's fines per Outlier Media's 2022 reporting start at $200.
Driving straight to SOCRRA's Troy transfer station is possible for residents with a vehicle: $75 per ton, $50 minimum, hand-unload only, weekdays 6 to 10 a.m. and Saturdays 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You still load and unload everything yourself.
Three units, priced
- A 5x10 near Southfield holding a relocated family's spare bedroom: bed set, dresser, boxes. Full: $397.
- A 10x10 in Warren from a parent's downsizing, five years on: full, $587. If the family wants to keep a few pieces, they pull them first and the rest may be priced as a 3/4 truck instead, also $587, or lower if less remains.
- Two units at the same Canton facility, a 10x15 and a 5x5, cleared in one visit: $880 + $226 = $1,106.
Before the crew arrives
- Go through it once. Pull out papers, photographs and anything you want to keep. Boxes in storage often hold documents.
- Check facility rules. Gate hours, access codes, whether outside vendors need to be registered, and where a truck can park.
- Arrange access. Be there, or give the facility written permission and the gate code.
- Check the lease. Many facilities require the unit to be broom-clean and want the lock removed by move-out.
Winter cleanouts
Detroit winters run December through March. Unheated units are cold, drive-up aisles can be icy, and anything left in a unit with a leaky roof may be damp after the spring thaw. Mattresses and upholstered furniture that have sat through a few freeze-thaw cycles are rarely worth keeping.
If you can choose, a dry day in spring or fall is easiest. If you cannot, we run 7 days a week, 8am to midnight, and same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM.
Partial units by item
If the unit holds only a few big pieces, item prices may come out lower than the unit price:
- Sofa, queen mattress set and dresser: $126 + $143 + $126 = $395.
- Dining table for six to eight and four chairs: $163 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 = $343.
- A stack of loose bags and odds and ends: the 10-bag price is $132, and a quarter truck of about 4 cubic yards is $241.
Send photos and the price comes back before you book. Get an instant quote. If the unit is part of a bigger move, see moving-out cleanouts in Detroit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a storage unit cleanout cost in Detroit?
By unit size: 5x5 $226, 5x10 $397, 5x15 $539, 10x10 $587, 10x15 $880, 10x20 $1174, 10x25 $1463, 10x30 $1757.
What if the unit is only half full?
It can be priced by item or by truck-fill tier from photos instead of the full-unit price.
Do I need to be at the storage facility?
Not necessarily. Check whether the facility allows a vendor with your written permission and gate code.
Do you donate items from storage units?
We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and recycle whatever we can.
Can you clean out a unit the same day?
Book by 4 PM for same-day pickup, subject to the facility's gate hours.
Can I leave unwanted items by the facility dumpster?
No. Facility dumpsters are rarely meant for furniture, and leaving items there can count as dumping. Book a pickup or take them home for your city's bulk program.