7-Step Moving and Storage Service Guide
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, roughly 27 million Americans pack up and move to a new home every year, and a growing share of them need somewhere to put their stuff in the meantime. If you're one of them, you already know that a regular move and a move-with-storage move are not the same animal. Combining a move with storage adds an extra layer of planning: timing, item selection, and access all need to be figured out before moving day, not during it.
When you're just hauling boxes from Point A to Point B, you can wing a few details and still land fine. Add a storage unit into the mix, and suddenly you're juggling two schedules, two sets of costs, and decisions about what goes where. Skip the planning, and you'll end up paying for a bigger unit than you need, scrambling for a truck on move-in day, or discovering your grandmother's china didn't love spending a summer in a non-climate-controlled unit.
That's exactly why we put together this guide. Follow these seven steps in order, and you'll turn a stressful moving and storage service into a project you can actually check off the list without any surprise fees or last-minute panic.
Step 1: What Is a Moving and Storage Service?
A moving and storage service is a single provider that handles both transporting your belongings and keeping some (or all) of them in a secure facility, so you're not coordinating two separate vendors on two separate timelines. Think of it as one company managing the whole chain: pickup, transport, storage, and eventual delivery.
This matters more than it sounds like it should. When one moving & storage service owns the entire process, you get one point of contact, one invoice, and one team that already knows the condition and inventory of your items. Compare that to hiring a mover for the truck and a separate self-storage facility for the unit, and you can see why so many people prefer the all-in-one route. If you want to see what that looks like in practice, take a look at BoxStar Movers' storage solutions.
A moving and storage service is essentially a bundled solution: transport plus temporary or long-term storage, coordinated by a single company so nothing falls through the cracks between hand-offs.
Step 2: When Do You Need Storage as Part of Your Move?
Do you actually need storage, or just a bigger truck? The answer comes down to timing gaps and space constraints, not just how much stuff you own.
You likely need storage if any of these apply to your situation:
- There's a gap between move-out and move-in dates. Closing on a new home or starting a new lease rarely lines up perfectly with when you have to be out of your old place.
- You're downsizing. Moving from a house to a smaller apartment or condo often means some furniture simply won't fit right away, or ever.
- You're renovating before moving in. Contractors and furniture don't mix well in the same room.
- You're relocating for work or military orders and won't have permanent housing lined up immediately.
- You're staging a home for sale and need to clear out excess furniture to make rooms look bigger.
Whether it's a quick local move across town or a bigger cross-region relocation, the gap between move-out and move-in is where storage almost always ends up saving the day.
Step 3: How Do You Choose Between Storage Types?
Not all storage is created equal, and picking the wrong type is one of the most common (and expensive) mistakes people make with moving and storage services. The right choice depends on how sensitive your items are, how often you need access, and how long they'll sit in storage.
If you're not sure which column your situation falls into, ask yourself one question: would this item be damaged by heat, cold, or humidity swings? If yes, climate control isn't optional. If your items are sturdy and you're storing for under a month, a standard unit usually does the job just fine. For high-value or fragile items, it's worth asking your provider about white-glove moving options that add extra handling care on top of storage.
Step 4: What Should You Check Before Booking a Moving and Storage Provider?
Before you sign anything, run through this checklist. Skipping even one of these steps is where most of the horror stories come from.
- Verify licensing and insurance. Confirm the company holds a USDOT number for interstate moves and carries liability coverage for both transport and storage.
- Ask about facility security. Confirm the storage facility has cameras, gated access, and individual unit alarms, not just a padlock and a hope.
- Get the storage terms in writing. Confirm the monthly rate, minimum stay, and what happens if you need an extension.
- Clarify access policies. Confirm whether you can visit your unit anytime or need to schedule access in advance, especially for full-service warehouse storage.
- Ask about climate control specifics. Confirm the temperature and humidity range the facility maintains, not just that it's "climate-controlled."
- Read the fine print on fees. Confirm there's no surprise charge for early pickup, late payment, or exceeding a weight allowance.
Not sure where to start vetting providers? Our about us page walks through what to look for in a licensed, insured moving and storage company.
Step 5: How Do You Prepare Items for Storage?
The prep work you do before your items go into storage determines what condition they're in when they come out. This is not the step to rush.
Start with a full inventory. Photograph and list everything going into storage before it leaves your hands, so you have a record if anything's missing or damaged later.
Clean everything first. Dirt and moisture trapped in storage can cause mold, rust, or pest problems over a long stay. Wipe down furniture, empty and dry appliances completely, and vacuum upholstered items.
Disassemble large furniture. Bed frames, tables, and shelving units take up far less space broken down, and they're less likely to get scratched or cracked in transit.
Use uniform, sturdy boxes. Mismatched box sizes waste space and create unstable stacks. Label every box with contents and the room it belongs to. If packing everything yourself sounds like a lot, BoxStar's packing services can handle this step for you.
Store strategically. Put items you might need sooner near the front of the unit, and place heavier boxes on the bottom with fragile items on top, never the reverse.
Step 6: How Much Does a Moving and Storage Service Cost?
Pricing for moving services storage typically breaks down into three buckets: the moving cost, the storage cost, and any add-on fees.
Moving costs depend on distance, the volume of your belongings, and whether you need packing help. Storage costs depend on unit size and whether it's climate-controlled, with climate-controlled units generally running noticeably higher per month than standard units. Add-on fees can include things like fuel surcharges, stair or elevator fees, and early termination charges on the storage side.
A bundled moving and storage service often costs less overall than hiring a mover and a separate storage facility, simply because you're not paying two companies' overhead and two sets of transport fees. That said, always ask for an itemized quote so you know exactly what you're paying for before move day arrives. Check out our moving tips for more ways to keep costs down, or head straight to get a free quote for your move.
Step 7: How Do You Coordinate Timing Between Moving and Storage?
This is the step that trips up the most people, and it's also the whole reason a step-by-step process matters in the first place.
Start by locking in your move-out date and your move-in date, then figure out the gap between them. If that gap is more than a few days, storage is non-negotiable. Book your storage unit or full-service storage slot at the same time you book your moving truck, not after, since availability can get tight during peak moving season (typically summer months).
Build in a buffer. If your new place's closing date or lease start could slip, a few extra days of flexibility on your storage end date saves you from a scramble. Finally, confirm delivery logistics for when items come out of storage: does the provider need advance notice, and does delivery happen on a set day or on demand? This same coordination logic applies to office moving too, where downtime is even more costly if the timing slips.
Wrapping It Up
The whole experience of a moving and storage service comes down to three things: planning your timeline realistically, choosing the right type of storage for what you own, and prepping your items properly before they go into a unit. Get those three right, and everything else tends to fall into place.
Following these seven steps in order is what keeps you out of the most common traps: gaps in scheduling that leave you with nowhere to put your things, unexpected fees buried in the fine print, and belongings that come out of storage in worse shape than they went in. A little upfront planning saves a lot of headaches later.
Ready to make your move-and-store plan actually happen? Get a free quote from BoxStar Movers and let our team handle the transport and storage details for you.
