Alright, let’s cut the crap. You’re here because you’re staring at a mountain of your belongings and you have no earthly idea what size storage unit to rent. You’re probably thinking, “Is a 5×10 bigger than a 10×5?” (Spoiler: It’s the same thing, and yes, we all have that moment.)
I once rented a unit that was way too small. I ended up building a precarious cardboard skyscraper of my life’s possessions, only to have it all collapse onto me when I tried to pull out my summer clothes. It was a metaphor for my life at that time. I don’t want that for you.
So, let’s talk real-world sizes. Not the clean, perfect examples you see on other sites. I’m talking about the “I-have-three-kids-and-my-garage-looks-like-a-toys-R-us-exploded” kind of sizing.
Step 1: Stop Guessing. Do This Instead
Go into the room where you’ve piled everything. Now, take 30% of the stuff you think you can live without and add it back to the pile. Be ruthless. We all underestimate. That “maybe” pile always becomes a “definitely” pile.
Step 2: Let’s Translate Unit Sizes from Corporate-Babble to English
Here’s the no-BS breakdown:
The 5×5 Unit (The “I’m Bad at Goodwill” Unit)
- What it actually is: A garden shed. A big closet.
- What it holds: Your fantasy of being a minimalist. In reality, it holds a queen mattress, your Christmas decorations, and about ten boxes. That’s it. It’s for the stuff you’re almost ready to get rid of.
- You need this if: You live in an apartment and your partner is threatening to leave you over your sneaker collection.
The 5×10 Unit (The “Breakup/Breakdown” Unit)
- What it actually is: A small bedroom.
- What it holds: The entire contents of a studio apartment. A fridge, a couch, a bed, a TV, and a whole lot of emotional baggage. You can walk in, but you can’t do yoga in there.
- You need this if: You’re going through a divorce, moving in with someone and wisely keeping an escape hatch, or your adult kid has finally moved out and you’ve turned their room into a craft room. No take-backsies.
The 10×10 Unit (The “We’re Grown-Ups Now” Unit)
- What it actually is: A legit room. This is the workhorse.
- What it holds: Everything from a one-bedroom house. You can line the walls with furniture and still have a “dance floor” in the middle for your boxes. This is where you put the stuff you genuinely like and plan to see again.
- You need this if: You’re between houses, renovating a kitchen, and discover you hate eating takeout on the floor, or you’ve inherited your aunt’s terrifying porcelain doll collection and you can’t bear to smash them with a hammer just yet.
The 10×20 Unit (The “I Have a Problem” Unit)
- What it actually is: A garage.
- What it holds: Your past lives. The contents of a 3-4 bedroom home. You could probably fit a Smart car in here with your stuff if you were determined. This is for when you’re serious about storing everything.
- You need this if: You’re a borderline hoarder (no judgment), running a small business out of your garage, or storing furniture for your three kids who all moved out at once.
A Quick Rant and Some Real Advice
Look, the secret no one tells you is that the pictures online are lies. They show a perfectly organized unit with clean, uniform boxes. No one’s unit looks like that. Mine looked like a Tetris game designed by a drunk person.
Here’s what actually works:
- Take pictures of your pile. I’m serious. Walk into your garage, take a wide shot, and show it to the person at the front desk. They’ve seen it all. They will not judge you. They’ll say, “Oh, a 10×10, easy.” Or, “Honey, you’re gonna need the big one.”
- Disassemble everything. That IKEA bookshelf you built? It’s flat-pack again now. Bed frames come apart. Table legs unscrew. This isn’t a suggestion; it’s a survival tactic.
- Make an aisle. Do not, under any circumstances, pack your unit wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling. You will need that one box at the very back in the bottom. It’s the law of the universe.
Why Bother With All This?
Because getting the wrong size is a massive, expensive pain. Too small, and you’re paying for a second unit or renting a truck to haul half your stuff to the dump. Too big, and you’re literally burning money every month on empty space you’re heating and cooling for your one box of yearbooks.
When you talk to us at A-Affordable Storage, we get it. We’re not a faceless corporation. We’re the people you see every month. We want you to get the right size because happy customers are long-term customers. We’ll look at your pile photo and give you the real deal.
So save yourself the stress. Make the pile, take the picture, and come have a chat. Let’s get you the right space without the headache.
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