Storage Countdown: Get Your Container Ready, Step by Step

Portable storage runs on schedule. Forget to schedule an event, and your entire storage or moving sequence may suffer. This countdown offers some suggested timelines for the events that are part of your storage journey. Follow these timelines to ensure a smooth storage experience. Grab the printable checklist (PDF) and check things off as you go.

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5 Days Before Delivery – Decide where the container will go▼

Where the container sits sets your whole pace, so settle this before you schedule anything.

☐On your property: check the path and the spot. The forklift carries the container in, so the path to the spot needs about 8.5 feet wide by 8.5 feet tall of clear room — watch for gates, side yards, low branches, and overhangs. The spot itself needs to be flat, firm, and level, with room for the container and its doors; match it to the size on the storage container sizes page. It can sit here, so you load at your own pace — and the spot has to hold it the whole time you store on your property.

☐On a public street: plan for a tight window. The storage container can’t sit on the street for long, so be packed and ready before it arrives, load quickly, and have it picked up. Holding the spot is a night-before job — see the next step.

White Box-n-Go storage container delivered on a residential driveway in front of a home — Your storage container sits right on your driveway, so you can load it at your own pace.

3 Days Before Delivery – Schedule your empty container delivery▼

Once you know where it’s going, get on the calendar.

☐Schedule delivery at least 3 business days ahead. That’s the notice we need to bring an empty storage container to your address.

☐The night before, hold a street spot. If it’s going on the street, park a car on the spot the evening before so it’s clear when we arrive. In tight city or apartment areas, posting no-parking permission from your city or building helps.

Delivery Day – Load it, record it, lock it▼

Pack ahead of time so loading day is just loading: box up what you can, take big furniture apart and bag the hardware to the piece, and wrap anything fragile. Keep liquids, food, flammable or hazardous items, and firearms or ammunition out of the storage container entirely — see the full prohibited items list before you pack.

☐Load it, following the loading guide. Once the storage container is on your spot, the loading guide walks you through doing it right so nothing shifts.

☐Fill in your inventory sheet and take photos as you load. Use our inventory sheets for a running list of what you pack, and photograph each wall of the loaded storage container and anything valuable — your record of what you stored and the shape it was in.

☐Put your own padlock on it. The storage container is yours the moment we deliver it — your lock, your only key, no copy kept.

☐Storing at our facility? Get it ready for pickup. Before we pick up the loaded storage container, make sure it’s fully loaded, the load is secure, the padlock is on, and the path to it is clear — move cars, open gates.

While It’s Stored – Facility access by appointment▼

If the storage container is on your property, just open it whenever you want — nothing to schedule. Only facility storage needs an appointment.

☐Storing at our facility and need something mid-storage? Schedule a visit. Facility access is by appointment — book it by noon the business day before. It’s ground-level, drive-up, at no extra charge.

10 Days Before Return – Schedule your return▼

This is the event most people leave too late.

☐Schedule your return at least 10 business days ahead. On your property: schedule us to pick up the empty storage container when you’re ready. At our facility: schedule us to bring the loaded storage container to wherever you want it — your same address or a new one.

☐Getting a loaded container delivered back? Ready the spot again. Same as the first delivery: check the path and the spot at the return address, and if it’s on a street, hold it the night before.

White Box-n-Go storage container placed on a backyard paver patio — The container can go beyond the driveway — onto a patio or yard — wherever the path and the spot allow.

After Return – Unload and return the empty▼

☐Unload, following the unloading guide. The unloading guide walks you through emptying it.

☐Before the empty pickup, get it ready. Take everything out, remove your padlock, make sure it’s clean, and clear the path so we can reach it — move cars, open gates.

What Our Customers Think

Judy S.

Video transcript

With any storage facility, my concerns are, number one, safety and theft of my items — how well are they going to be cared for? Are they going to be damaged, shaken around, especially in a pod? Then also ease of access — it’s not like a roll-up-door storage locker where you can just go and get in; it has to be brought out. And I thought, boy, all that moving around, it’s going to be a wreck. And cost, and so on. And then, working with the people there — how easy is that going to be?

I was very pleased with the service. When I first packed up, I didn’t order enough pods, and here I am in the middle of moving, on a deadline — I have to fly out across the Pacific, so it’s not like I can wait around. I needed more pods. They delivered me more pods on the spot, and I packed them up.

Over the years — and I’ve been here quite a few years, because I moved from the mainland to Hawaii, and now from Hawaii to Panama — I’ve had these storage lockers for years. I went from four to three, three to two, and now two to one. Every time I’ve had to come here or contact them, they’re Johnny-on-the-spot, so accommodating. When I call in to make my payments, I almost feel like I work here now, because I know everybody so well. They’re very understanding and easy to work with.

I’ve had other storage lockers — this is the best experience I’ve ever had. That’s why I’ve been here so long. My kids are already saying they’re going to use Box-n-Go when they move. You don’t think your stuff’s going to be in storage that long, but it is. And with all the ins and outs of the pods, nothing has ever been damaged. Not one thing. So I’m very pleased. Very pleased.

If you’re going to be out of state, your stuff’s secure, it’s taken care of, it’s not deteriorating. We had a leather saddle in there for years — I said to my husband, it’s going to be full of mold, even your shoes get moldy when they’re locked up. We took it out — it’s perfect. It’s temperature controlled, all of it. I couldn’t be happier. I would definitely recommend them. I have recommended them.

Kelly N.

Video transcript

This was the first time I was renting storage. My first concerns were: where was the storage place, and was it safe? I’m putting all my valuables and keepsakes — things that are really important to me — so it was really important that they felt safe, that the company was a real company I trusted. Also the cost — how much was it going to be? I didn’t want to have to worry, while I’m out traveling, about being hit with all these fees on top of it, or weird things. So those were the main concerns.

What surprised me the most — there are so many things I could say, but I guess just how easy it was. I had no idea. The whole process was very easy. When I moved everything, the box came to me, I put everything in there — it was just so simple and affordable. And then even getting into my storage: because I decided to keep traveling a little bit longer, it was super easy just to drop in, take stuff out or put some in. It was just so easy. And I felt very safe. So it totally blew my expectations of what I thought storage would be, because it’s just been very pleasant.

I recommend them all the time to many people — mostly because I feel safe, I feel like my storage is in a safe place, and just because of how easy and affordable this whole process has been.

Janice H.

Video transcript

When I first called Box-n-Go, I spoke to Frank, and he was very thorough with the information I needed — sizes, prices and rates, the contract based on the number of months, any specials. I thought, wow, he’s giving me everything; I’m not really having to ask. I liked that a lot — the information was provided up front. I told him I’d take everything, look through it, do some research, and come back to him. But I pretty much knew everything he’d said made sense, and I felt really comfortable with him. He was oriented toward good customer service, just on point. I had nothing in my mind that said I wanted to look any further.

I did some searches and Box-n-Go came up. I’d talked to some other people before, but when I got to Box-n-Go I was just like, “You know what? I’ve made my decision.” I had no hesitation about going with anyone else.

The container came to my home, and it was exactly the size I thought it was — no surprises, no “this is too big, this is too small.” I put everything in it, it got picked up, everything was on schedule, exactly as Frank had said. I was definitely pleased.

I really liked working with Frank. He was my point person the whole time I had my storage. I’d call him, he remembered me, and he made every attempt to be on point with everything. When I’d come to the storage facility to check on things — take some out, put some in — he was always there, friendly. And there were the two Stans; customer service was great, the warehouse guys were great. Everyone was friendly, no one was rude, no one was lost or disappeared. They helped me move stuff in, they helped me move stuff out. It was great — even though I was taking my stuff out of storage.

I would recommend them to everyone. So kudos to Frank, the two Stans, the warehouse guys, and Box-n-Go in general.

Print it and check it off

This page is also a printable one-page checklist — the same dates and steps above, condensed so you can carry it around, tick things off by hand, and keep your storage on schedule.

⬇ Download Printable Checklist (PDF)

Plans change. You can reschedule or cancel a delivery or pickup at no cost up to 2:00 PM the business day before — just call us, since voicemail and email don’t count. After that, a fee may apply. See our service policies for the details.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much notice do you need to deliver or pick up my container?

Plan on at least 3 business days to deliver an empty storage container. For the return — picking up the empty from your property, or bringing your loaded storage container to where you want it — schedule about 10 business days ahead. Scheduling early is the easiest way to get the day you want.

Can I get to my things while they’re in storage?

Yes. If the storage container is on your property, just open it whenever you like. If it’s at our facility, schedule a visit by noon the business day before — access is ground-level and drive-up, at no extra charge.

Do I need my own lock?

Yes. You put your own padlock on the storage container, and it’s the only key — we don’t keep a copy.

What can’t I store?

No liquids, no food or perishables, no flammable or hazardous items, and no firearms or ammunition — and everything should go in clean and fully dry. The full prohibited items list has the complete rundown before you pack.

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