What You Need to Know About Valet Storage

In this blog we frequently cover self storage facilities and the art of packing your stuff and transporting it to a physical unit. We even cover how to pack your unit, including how to stack boxes correctly and how to take apart furniture.

There’s a type of storage that turns this paradigm on its head, and that’s valet storage.

Valet storage has been growing as a sub-industry of self storage since the mid-2010s, and now you can find these businesses in most parts of the U.S., and certainly in many cities.

How Does It Work?

Valet storage is an aptly-named alternative to traditional storage. However, instead of driving your stuff to a storage unit, the company picks it up and stores it for you.

It starts when you find the website of a local valet storage company. You then sign up for their service online or over the phone. Read about their box sizes and figure out how many it will take to pack what you need to store, then order the boxes.

The company will bring them to you for free, in most cases. After they’ve dropped the boxes off, pack them. Next, take photos of the open boxes. You’ll be able to upload these pictures to your account, with the matching box serial numbers, on their website. Then, contact the company and ask them to pick the boxes up. They’ll take the boxes to their warehouse and store them for you. The pickup may incur a small fee, but mostly you’ll pay for the storage per box, per month.

When you need something from storage, check the box photos and  see what box it’s in and ask for the box back. There will be a small fee for the return of the box. Once you’ve retrieved all you need from it, and perhaps put something else in the box, contact them. They’ll bring it back to storage.

A Note on the Boxes

Valet storage companies require that you use the boxes they provide rather than any you’ve purchased elsewhere. Their boxes fit their organizational system and have specific placements for their barcodes and serial numbers. You get to use the boxes for free.

This system works best for people who don’t have a lot to store, those who live in cities where most people don’t have cars, and for teleworkers who have opted not to use a car. You may have a car for long trips, but choose to walk, cycle, or take mass transit while in your home city, and if so, valet storage may be the solution for you as well.

Valet storage can save you money on storage rent. After all, the smallest typical unit, a 5x5, may be too big if all you need to store is three or four boxes.

If you think valet storage will work for you, check Google for listings in your area.