Portable Storage Units: 5 Ways to Use Portable Storage Containers

Portable storage units, also called mobile storage containers, are large shipping containers that delivery companies drop off right at your home. 

They can serve as a short-term storage box that keeps your belongings safe and out of the way during home renovations. Or if you’re using the container as a moving solution, the portable storage unit rental company will pull back up in their moving truck, load up the shipping container, and take it to your new address for you. 

And depending on your neighborhood regulations, you may be able to rent or even buy a portable storage container and leave it in your backyard for long-term storage. 

But there are certain rules you’ll have to follow. And there are different types of containers, and the portable storage containers cost varies depending on the type and how you use them. 

This helpful guide explores five ways to use portable storage units. We’ll explain in detail how a portable storage container can improve your moving experience. 

We’ll also dive into how to use portable storage to your benefit, and when an off-site storage unit is probably a wiser choice. 

We’ll also reveal how our signature Storage.com search tool can help you find the ideal storage solution for your unique needs.

5 Ways to Use Portable Storage Containers

Use Portable Storage Units to Protect Your Belongings During Home Renovations

Home renovations are intrusive, time-consuming, and stressful enough without having to truck your belongings back and forth to off-site storage centers. And leaving your furniture, artwork, decorations, and other belongings in the room with the contractor’s work isn’t an option. They can get covered in dust and debris or even paint and drywall splatter. And leaving them in the way of the contractors risks slips, trips, falls, and spills.

Besides, major projects may require pulling up flooring or knocking down walls. The last thing you want is your personal belongings getting in the way, or in line of fire.

A portable storage container offers ground-level loading into an on-site storage container that sits right in your driveway or yard until the home improvement projects are finished and the dust has settled.

The container rental companies will drop the container off and place it where you tell them to.

Simply load your furniture, appliances, and decorations from your house into the container outside your door and keep them safe from the construction zone activity, like paint, dust, and other potential damage.

And if you need to grab something while they’re working, you won’t need to drive to a storage facility. Everything you’re storing is safe in a weather-resistant container right outside your house.

For example, suppose you’re getting your kitchen renovated, and it’s going to take 6-8 weeks. You put all your kitchen items, dining furniture, and nearby living room pieces into the portable storage unit right outside until the work is completed.

And if youneed to grab a specific pan, bowl, or cup, you can access the container as needed without paying for traditional storage or making multiple trips.

Plus, portable container companies typically offer weekly or monthly rentals. So if the home renovation takes longer than the timeline they initially quoted, you can always call the rental company and extend your rental for a prorated cost.

Tips for Using Portable Storage Units During Home Renovations

• Order early: Get your portable container 1-2 weeks before renovation starts so you can move a few things every day instead of hustling to move everything the night before.
• Strategic loading: Put the items you definitely won’t need in first so they’re in the way back. And keep anything you might need to grab before the construction is done last, so it’s easier to reach.
• Climate considerations: For longer home renovation projects that last over 3 months, consider how the weather and humidity might shift, and how that will impact temperature-sensitive items. You may want to rent a climate-controlled trailer container that provides temperature-controlled storage.
• Inventory tracking: Take photos and create a list of what’s stored.

Portable Storage Container Cost Comparison:

2. Use Portable Moving Containers As Local and Long-Distance Moving Solutions

Having covered the basics of using them at home during renovations, let’s take a look at how a portable storage container can improve your moving experience.

Common Problems With Moving Trucks:

Whether you’re moving on your own or hiring moving movers, the typical moving scenarios involve coordinating truck rentals, which include a pickup and drop-off deadline.

And then there’s a limited window in between where you’re paying per day in addition to per mile. If you run into any timing complications, like the new rental not being ready or delays in closing the deal, your options with the traditional moving truck method are slim.

You can’t store a moving truck full of your belongings. If you end up needing temporary storage between homes, you’ll have to rent a storage unit to unload the truck into, then rent another truck when the new house is ready, and have to load and unload all your things all over again.

And if your move requires multiple trips or stages, that means multiple moving truck rentals.

How a Portable Storage Container Can Improve Your Moving Experience:

Portable containers make ideal moving and storage solutions for a few different reasons: 

• Gradual packing: Take days, weeks, or even a month to load your storage container at your own pace. It’s not uncommon for storage container rental companies to include up to 30 days with the standard rental, which means you could spend two weeks loading the container and another 2 weeks unloading it at the new house. 
• Flexible timing: If you need to add a few weeks or even a month or two while you get your moving plan in order, you simply add to your rental time until you’re ready. In some cases, you don’t even have to call customer service, as you can log in and add time on your renters’ portal or app.
• Combining moving and storage: If you run into any hiccups with your rental being ready or delayed closing on your new house, you don’t need to rent a storage space and figure out a moving truck. The portable storage unit companies can securely store the container full of your stuff at their local storage facility until your new house is ready.
• No driving stress: The storage container company drops the container off at your old address. And once it’s loaded, you let them know, and they pick it up and take it to your new home. You simply drive your personal vehicle from one spot ot the other at yor own leisure and unload the container when you get there.
• Load once, unload once: With moving containers, you load once and unload once the container gets to your new address delivery location.

How Portable Storage Units Help In Different Moving Scenarios:

Portable Storage Containers are helpful tools in both local and long-distance moves. 

How To Load a Portable Storage Container For Moving

Using a portable moving container for moving presents you with an element that using it for storage doesn’t–motion. The moving container company shows up and either tows the container or sets it on their truck and then takes off. But what they don’t do is make sure everything inside the container is safe from shifting around in transit.

That means that you have to take some precautions when using portable storage units for moving, like using loading straps, ratchet straps, and tie downs. These straps are often provided by the container rental company, but it’s on you to put them into action.

We suggest using the heaviest items as a base layer on the bottom of the container, and distributing the weight evenly across the container to keep it stable during transport.

One of the primary benefits is the flexible pick-up and drop-off windows. We suggest you take advantage of the timeline and give yourself time to pack and secure the container properly before transport day arrives. If you’re unsure about your packing skills, there’s no shame in hiring professional packers to prep the portable storage unit for you.

3. Use Portable Storage Units to Declutter Your Living Space Or Stage Your Home for Sale

The motivation to declutter our home arises for a few different reasons. In some cases, our home starts to feel cluttered and cramped, and it’s impacting our level of comfort, storage capacity, or mental health. We may know that we want to declutter our living space, but we’re having trouble deciding on what to sell or donate and what to keep.

In other situations, our need to declutter stems from the fact that we’re selling our house. We’ve got too much furniture on display for open houses, and our living space is too personalized for prospective buyers to see themselves living there.

Portable storage containers can help us out of both of these challenging scenarios.

Decuttering and Downsizing

When it comes to decluttering, a portable storage container lets you remove some of your personal items without getting rid of them for good.

• You can feel what it’s like to live without them.
• If you find yourself missing or needing them as time goes by, they’re right outside your door.
• But if your life moves on just fine without them, you can donate or sell them for good.

But if your life moves on just fine without them, you can donate or sell them for good. And if you need to remove furniture temporarily to create a home office or nursery, or so an elderly parent can move in, a portable storage container keeps your furniture close by.

Another great use is for spring cleaning. Use a portable storage unit to empty out an entire room. Clean the room, and then clean off your furniture item by item as you load it back into the space.

Strategy For Using Portable Storage Units to Stage a House For Selling:

Putting a portable storage unit in the driveway gives us a furniture hiding place in close proximity. We can remove any excess furniture to make the house feel more spacious to potential buyers. It also gives us a place to hide our personal items like photos, artwork, and book or trinket collections to help buyers feel natural and at home in the space.

If the sale falls through, or if we need to postpone selling the house, all our things are right outside. And if the sale does go through, a large chunk of our belongings is already packed up in a container and ready to be transported.

Here’s a quick strategy you can use:

• Remove 30-50% of furniture for showing: Staging your nicer pieces in the house makes the house seem desirable and feel more like a home and less like an empty house.
• Store off-season items like winter clothes or holiday decor: These items may feel out of place and take the buyers out of their fantasy.
• Clear out the garage, basement, and closets: The buyers want to see exactly how much empty space these spaces have so they can plan accordingly.
• Keep portable container on property or at facility during listing: Keep your things close by in case you need something or want to swap out your furniture displays.

4. Use Portable Storage Units to Expand Business Storage or Support Commercial Projects

Portable containers also make great storage solutions for businesses that need some extra space. Creative professionals and retailers alike know the clutter that seasonal inventory rotations and retail stock overflow can cause. 

The overflow can shrink your office or studio and limit the space you have to interact with customers. Construction sites get cluttered by tools and heavy machinery, and are exposed to risks of overnight theft and wear and tear from the weather.

Caterers and event planners often have limited space to work with, and keeping your supplies, utensils, equipment, and decorations nearby but out of sight is a challenge.

And any business with an office space knows the obstacles inherent in moving offices around or prepping spaces for meetings with out-of-towners, or moving equipment from one branch to another.

Let’s take a look at how portable storage containers can solve the common problem associated with each business. 

How Portable Storage Solves It:

Retail Businesses:

• Store seasonal inventory like holiday merchandise and products that are specific to the summer and winter
• Store warehouse overflow from during peak seasons while keeping it close by, so that you can restock as soon as you need to restock
• Keep your mail-order inventory secure and ready to ship at the distribution center without leasing additional space.
• Keeping backup inventory on site without eating up your retail space

Construction Companies:

• Corrugated steel storage containers store your tools and equipment at the job site.
• Secure, lockable containers keep your equipment safe from overnight theft
• Steel-frame containers double as weather-resistant containers that protect your construction materials from the elements
• Steel storage containers are also mobile, allowing you to move your equipment from job site to job site
• Mobile office modifications are available for many of the same steel storage containers used to store equipment

Event Businesses:

• Steel storage containers keep tents, tables, chairs, and decorations safe from theft and from the elements between events
• Towable storage containers make it easy to transport supplies from the restaurant, commissary kitchen, or event planning headquarters to event locations
• Load your storage container full of pots and pans, ovens, chairs, tables, and decorations for the event the night before and keep it secure overnight, unloading first thing in the morning
• Secure, lockable containers with steel frames offer year-round protected and safe outdoor storage for your supplies

Office Relocations:

• Pack non-essential files and equipment you don’t use into the storage container early
• Minimize business disruption by supplies and equipment on site and retrievable until the move happens
• Store things in your portable storage container during office renovations or when there are out-of-town guests

• No long-term warehouse lease required
• Pay only for the months you need to share your space 
• Portable storage units offer flexible timelines for unpacking their belongings 

Portable storage benefits small businesses financially as well. Rather than requiring a long-term warehouse lease, you only have to pay for the months you need.

And you’re not locked into a specific amount of storage space, especially if you’re renting your storage container. The containers come in different storage sizes. So if your business needs increase or decrease for a period, simply scale your container size up or down accordingly.

The cost-benefit of portable storage containers for businesses is also significant. For example, a portable storage container costs $200-$400 in rent, depending on the size, and that includes on-demand delivery, no utilities cost, no lease commitment, and the option to change sizes from one month to the next. And that’s not to mention the container placement and mobility flexibility. 

A commercial warehouse lease, on the other hand, will run you between $500 and $1,500 foa similar-sized space, and you’re committing to a lease with limited size scalability options. 

5. Use Portable Storage Units For Life Transitions and Special Circumstances

Now that you understand how a portable storage container can improve your moving experience, help declutter your home, and work with your small business, let’s take a look at how it can ease us into some life transitions.

From college turnover and studying abroad to military exposure to divorce, retirement, and estate management, life tends to throw some unpredictable curve balls at all of us from time to time. In many of these situations, the need for temporary housing and storage arises. 

In others, there’s the challenge of moving lots of stuff from one location to another with little notice. Let’s consider how portable storage can help us navigate all these different life transitions:

Portable Storage For College Students:

Storing belongings in a portable container between semesters gives college students the flexibility of having their stuff shipped wherever they end up. Then, you just have the container company send it right back to campus next semester. 

First, you have it shipped to your dorm room, where you can load it up. Then you can ship it to your parents’ house or a storage facility close to campus, and have it brought back to your dorm once class is back in session.

If you’re studying abroad, the container company will holdyour container full of dorm belongings at their facility until you’re ready for them to drop it back off. And if you find yourself in a temporary housing situation post graduation, you can have your belongings shipped to the house you’re staying at, where you can access what you need, and then have it trucked to your more permanent living once you get there.

Using Portable Storage Units for Military Families:

Deployment for military families can last 6-8 months, sometimes with temporary housing between military assignments, and at times, you’re staying on a military base. 

A portable moving container can sit in your temporary house’s driveway, where you can load and unload as needed during your stay. When it’s time to relocate or head back home, simply load your container back up and specify the delivery location to the container company. 

And if you’re deploying out of the country or indefinitely, the container rental company will hold the container at their facility until you come back home. 

Downsizing/Retirement:

Portable storage containers come in handy when downsizing from a large house to a smaller house, apartment, or retirement community. You’ll have to pack all your things when you’re moving anyway, so you might as well pack them into a portable storage container. 

Unpack what you need when you get to the smaller living space and leave everything else in the container. This lets you decide what you want to keep long term and what you don’t use and can get rid of. 

Using Portable Storage Units For Estate Management:

Combing through a loved one’s possessions. after the tragic loss of a family member can take time. Portable storage containers are a great tool for clearing your parents’ or relatives’ home, allowing you and their other survivors to comb through their belongings at your leisure. 

If it’s too painful even to pack their stuff, you can have professional packers load the container with all their possessions and then have the container company ship it ot your house, where you can get to it when you’re emotionally ready. Portable storage units keep your heirlooms secure and close until that time comes. 

Extended Travel/Sabbaticals:

Portable storage containers can keep your belongings safe while you travel for months at a time, giving you the option to rent your house out while you’re gone. And when you come back, all your stuff is right outside your front door and ready to come inside and make you feel at home. 

Divorce/Separation:

Going through your belongings with an ex-partner can be painful and even hostile while the wounds are still fresh. Putting the things you shared in a storage container while you both cool off lets you go through it at your leisure, when you’re both thinking clearly. 

You can move it to a neutral friend’s house, where you can both access it during a settlement if need be. Storage containers are also a great option to keep your belongings nearby while you stay with friends or family and decide your next move.

Need Storage for a Life Transition? Here’s How Storage.com Can Help

Now you know how portable storage units can alleviate some stress during moving, downsizing and decluttering, traveling, selling your home, and during home renovations.

The primary advantages of storage containers are flexibility, the lack of driving and repeated packing/unpacking, and keeping your things close by.

Whether moving, renovating, or navigating life changes, portable containers offer solutions that off-site storage units can’t always compete with.

Of course, there are pros and cons to both. For instance, moving truck rentals are less expensive than portable moving containers. But containers are often easier to use than rental trucks. Assess your budget and make the right choice for your particular situation in terms of cost versus convenience.

But if you aren’t ready to move right away, most moving container companies will keep your packed belongings at a secure storage facility for a monthly fee. However, storing a pod is generally more expensive than renting a storage unit and keeping your items there until you are ready to move.

The primary considerations when choosing are the timeline of our working with, the budget you have on hand, and your particular short-term or long-term storage needs.

But how do you find a storage unit that has all the amenities you need? Storage unit options include electricity, alarms, 24-hour access, drive-up access, and security cameras. And depending on what you’re storing, the need for indoor climate-controlled storage might be a non-negotiable. 

Lucky for you, Storage.com is here to help.

Storage.com lets you browse and compare self-storage units using amenity filters that isolate the storage facilities in your area with all the ideal storage features you’re looking for. 

Just punch your zip code into our handy Storage.com search tool, and you’ll see what we mean. 

We’ll filter through the thousands of local storage facilities for you, making it easy to find the storage unit that best fits your situation. 

Whether you’re looking for a storage unit with climate control, Storage.com makes the process quick and painless.