Storage Units in Washington
Washington, District Of Columbia
The Basics There are 16 storage facilities in Washington, DC proper, but that number increases dramatically when you expand your search to areas outside of the city . Unfortunately, because of the scarcity of storage, you can expect to pay a little bit more if you’re really set on having storage in a certain area. You’ll also be facing a lot more competition for space especially if you don’t have much flexibility on the size of your unit. That’s why it’s important to calculate the amount of space you actually need. You might think that you only need a closet’s worth of storage but if you forget to factor in larger pieces of furniture (or how much space your dress collection actually takes up), you might find that a larger unit actually makes more sense. You’ll also want to factor in your disposable income because, let’s face it, a storage unit is going to mean an extra monthly bill. You can always make this bill lower by storing outside of the city or going in on a storage unit with a spouse, a roommate or a friend. DC ranks as the 10th highest concentration of households earning at least $150,000 a year in a large city, and 30% of the job market is made up by typically recession-proof federal jobs and another large amount is accounted for by contracted jobs that are affiliated with the government. The $10.50 an hour wage (which could likely jump to $15 pretty soon) doesn’t hurt either. If like most of us, you’re not a millionaire and your educational credentials still aren’t cutting it for a government job, you can still make pretty decent money in the service industry because, hey, politicians have to drink beer somewhere. The cost of going out to eat is about 50% higher than the national average, so tipped workers are bound to pocket some serious change, meaning that even with the average apartment costing $1,700 a month, your disposable income should still cover a $70 a month 5x5 unit and those weekend cocktails. Millennials and Storage A lot of those friendly new faces around DC are recent college graduates, people taking gap years or young professionals. Basically, the kind of people who like technology and almond milk lattes. That’s right: millennials. According to a survey by the Urban Land Institute, people between the ages of 18-35 make up for 38% of the city’s population. If you’re one of these people, your storage needs are going to be different than the needs of your parents or older coworkers. You’re probably living in an apartment, potentially with roommates, meaning that your closet space leaves something to be desired. Your storage unit should have enough space for your seasonal wardrobe and all of those little odds and ends that your roommates or significant other have duplicates of as well as a few pieces of furniture. Unlike your parents, you’d probably rather pay bills online than via old fashioned snail mail, which is why it’s useful to look for a storage facility that offers online bill pay . If you don’t have a car and you anticipate moving at least a few more times over the next few years, you can save yourself a lot of extra stress (and money) by choosing a facility that has its own trucks for rent . It’s also worth considering a place that can provide you with boxes and supplies . Occasionally these features will cost a little extra when you actually use them, but many facilities will offer them up for free. DC Climate and Storage DC wasn’t built on a swamp, but it sure feels like one sometimes.The humidity is no joke. If you haven’t spent a summer in the city yet, prepare yourself and the contents of your storage unit for hot weather and heavy, moist air. Just as you’d take care of yourself by staying hydrated (or at least doing your day drinking in a pool), you should take care of everything in your storage unit. Opt for a facility that offers climate control and you won’t have to worry about a thing. Items like photographs and artwork can gather moisture when left in non climate-controlled storage and end up in pretty rough shape by the end of summer. Antique furniture and leather items are susceptible to this as well. Cardboard boxes (or anything made of paper) can wick moisture and suffer damage as well. Another thing that causes moisture in DC is precipitation. You might think to guard the contents of your unit against summer rain, but have you considered the effect of snow? It snows a lot in the winter, and in the spring that snow melts and can seep under your unit if you’re storing in an outside space. If you can’t find or afford indoor storage, take extra precautions against this by stacking items on top of a pallet or something similar. The more delicate, expensive or important an item is to you, the further it should be from the ground. Many facilities, like Security Public Storage offer upper level units, which are a surefire defense against the elements. You Won’t See the President Everywhere, But You Will Experience the Traffic DC residents spend about 82 hours a year sitting in traffic, most of which comes from commuters gridlocked on I-95. On top of that, at some point you’ll end up stopped in traffic thanks to the presidential motorcade. The first time, it’ll be super cool, the second time, you’ll wonder why there are so many vehicles involved ( Here's the answer. ). This will affect your commute to work or your commute home, but it will also affect access to your storage facility if you’re storing at a place that isn’t open 24 hours a day. If you need to access your unit on a regular basis (this especially applies to small business owners), consider the advantages of 24 hour access or at least budget for a few extra hours of time.
The Basics
There are 16 storage facilities in Washington, DC proper, but that number increases dramatically when you expand your search to areas outside of the city. Unfortunately, because of the scarcity of storage, you can expect to pay a little bit more if you’re really set on having storage in a certain area. You’ll also be facing a lot more competition for space especially if you don’t have much flexibility on the size of your unit. That’s why it’s important to calculate the amount of space you actually need. You might think that you only need a closet’s worth of storage but if you forget to factor in larger pieces of furniture (or how much space your dress collection actually takes up), you might find that a larger unit actually makes more sense. You’ll also want to factor in your disposable income because, let’s face it, a storage unit is going to mean an extra monthly bill. You can always make this bill lower by storing outside of the city or going in on a storage unit with a spouse, a roommate or a friend. DC ranks as the 10th highest concentration of households earning at least $150,000 a year in a large city, and 30% of the job market is made up by typically recession-proof federal jobs and another large amount is accounted for by contracted jobs that are affiliated with the government. The $10.50 an hour wage (which could likely jump to $15 pretty soon) doesn’t hurt either. If like most of us, you’re not a millionaire and your educational credentials still aren’t cutting it for a government job, you can still make pretty decent money in the service industry because, hey, politicians have to drink beer somewhere. The cost of going out to eat is about 50% higher than the national average, so tipped workers are bound to pocket some serious change, meaning that even with the average apartment costing $1,700 a month, your disposable income should still cover a $70 a month 5x5 unit and those weekend cocktails.Millennials and Storage
A lot of those friendly new faces around DC are recent college graduates, people taking gap years or young professionals. Basically, the kind of people who like technology and almond milk lattes. That’s right: millennials. According to a survey by the Urban Land Institute, people between the ages of 18-35 make up for 38% of the city’s population. If you’re one of these people, your storage needs are going to be different than the needs of your parents or older coworkers. You’re probably living in an apartment, potentially with roommates, meaning that your closet space leaves something to be desired. Your storage unit should have enough space for your seasonal wardrobe and all of those little odds and ends that your roommates or significant other have duplicates of as well as a few pieces of furniture. Unlike your parents, you’d probably rather pay bills online than via old fashioned snail mail, which is why it’s useful to look for a storage facility that offers online bill pay. If you don’t have a car and you anticipate moving at least a few more times over the next few years, you can save yourself a lot of extra stress (and money) by choosing a facility that has its own trucks for rent. It’s also worth considering a place that can provide you with boxes and supplies. Occasionally these features will cost a little extra when you actually use them, but many facilities will offer them up for free.DC Climate and Storage
DC wasn’t built on a swamp, but it sure feels like one sometimes.The humidity is no joke. If you haven’t spent a summer in the city yet, prepare yourself and the contents of your storage unit for hot weather and heavy, moist air. Just as you’d take care of yourself by staying hydrated (or at least doing your day drinking in a pool), you should take care of everything in your storage unit. Opt for a facility that offers climate control and you won’t have to worry about a thing. Items like photographs and artwork can gather moisture when left in non climate-controlled storage and end up in pretty rough shape by the end of summer. Antique furniture and leather items are susceptible to this as well. Cardboard boxes (or anything made of paper) can wick moisture and suffer damage as well. Another thing that causes moisture in DC is precipitation. You might think to guard the contents of your unit against summer rain, but have you considered the effect of snow? It snows a lot in the winter, and in the spring that snow melts and can seep under your unit if you’re storing in an outside space. If you can’t find or afford indoor storage, take extra precautions against this by stacking items on top of a pallet or something similar. The more delicate, expensive or important an item is to you, the further it should be from the ground. Many facilities, like Security Public Storage offer upper level units, which are a surefire defense against the elements.You Won’t See the President Everywhere, But You Will Experience the Traffic
DC residents spend about 82 hours a year sitting in traffic, most of which comes from commuters gridlocked on I-95. On top of that, at some point you’ll end up stopped in traffic thanks to the presidential motorcade. The first time, it’ll be super cool, the second time, you’ll wonder why there are so many vehicles involved (Here's the answer.). This will affect your commute to work or your commute home, but it will also affect access to your storage facility if you’re storing at a place that isn’t open 24 hours a day. If you need to access your unit on a regular basis (this especially applies to small business owners), consider the advantages of 24 hour access or at least budget for a few extra hours of time.
Storage FAQ's
Yes, storage managers can provide you with tips and techniques on how to most efficiently utilize your storage space. Their hope is that you can have easy access to your items and that your storage space is worth every penny of your money.
Most storage facilities in Washington accept deliveries for their customers so that they don't have to go through the process of moving every time they need something to be placed in their storage units. They will keep your items in the office and will inform you when they arrive so that you can place them in your storage unit at your convenience.
Storage companies in Washington offer a month-to-month lease. If for some reason you would like to cancel your lease during a particular month, please contact one of the facility managers to assist you.
Storage managers would be happy to help you determine which size unit is best for you so that you're not paying for a 10' X 30' unit when you really need a 4' X 5' unit. Please reference our <a href='/size-guide/' class='size_guide_pop_over'>size guide</a> for more information.
No, storage facilities do not provide movers. However, managers and team members would be happy to provide you with a list of reliable and reasonably priced movers in Washington. See our <a href='#'>resource guide</a> for movers in Washington.
No, no one in the storage facilities has access to your space unless you specifically ask them or give them the right to do so. For example, you may want them to have access to your unit for things you may want delivered directly to your unit.
Security is every storage operator's priority. Speak with the storage manager of a facility of your liking in Washington to find out what security measures they take to protect your belongings.
Drive-up storage units are typically more expensive and not as clean as interior units. Drive-up units are more exposed to the elements (water, dust, etc.) and are therefore not as clean as interior units. Interior units, on the other hand, have a much better climate. Essentially, the desire to rent a drive-up unit comes from clients thinking that they will be visiting their unit very frequently, which is surprisingly not the case. Most people don't come to their units as often as they think they will, so given the cost and cleanliness issues, it's better to rent an interior storage unit.
Students and active military members are clients that have unique needs because of the nature of their schedules. Most storage facilities in Washington offer discounts to students, and discounts and different policies for active military members. Please call your local facility or see our <a href='/university-self-storage/'>students</a> and <a href='/military-self-storage/'>active military members</a> pages to get detailed and updated information.
Generally the prices of storage units in Washington vary based on the size of the storage unit and the location of the unit in the facility. Prices range between 70.0 and 399.0, but representatives can better assist you once they have the details of your storage needs.
We recommend that you get insurance for your belongings because the contents of the units are not insured through storage facilities.
Most storage facilities accept cash, credit cards, or checks. Always ask about autopay, it's faster and much more convenient.
You have 62 facilities to choose from in Washington. Access hours range from 8 to 24 hours a day. Please contact your local facility for more specific information about your unit.
Most facilities in Washington schedule professional pest control services every month, and twice a month during summer months.
Yes, most storage facilities sell boxes of various sizes, tape, bubble wrap, labels, and other items for your packing and moving needs.
Yes, climate-controlled spaces are available in Washington due to the varying weather. Temperatures range from 30.2 to 44.6, which can dramatically affect things in your storage unit. For storing items such as wine, wooden items, electronics, metals, artwork, etc. storage facilities recommend that you rent a climate-controlled unit. For questions and more details, please contact a local facility.
Most storage companies in Washington only provide invoices upon request.
No, storage facility employees do not have copies of the keys used for the units. If you lose your key, check with the facility for lock cutting fees. They may also be able to sell another lock and key to you.
Once you move in and feel that you need to move into a smaller or bigger space, storage facilities are happy to accommodate your move. Before renting a space, it is recommended that you speak to a storage facility representative to help you find the best sized unit for your needs. If things change through the course of your lease, they will help make the transition to your next unit as efficient and simple as possible. We also have a <a href='/size-guide/' class='size_guide_pop_over'>size guide</a> that may answer some preliminary questions you may have.
Some factors to keep in mind when choosing a storage facility in Washington are: weather, peak rush hour times, items that you will be storing, and location within Washington.
In Washington, there are 62 storage facilities, with a total of 33 storage units. Storage unit sizes generally range from 4' X 5' to 10' X 30'. Call one of your local facilities to have a representative find what size unit is best for you.
Helpful Storage Resources
Moving Company
4.1mi
Secure Self Storage
5909 Blair Rd NW, Washington, DC, 20011
5.4mi
Security Public Storage
5223 River Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20816
18.5mi
Security Public Storage
385 Spring St, Herndon, VA, 2017019.4mi