10 Dumb and Ridiculous Facts About Storage

1. The Storage Industry Has More Facilities Than McDonald’s

That’s right! There are more self-storage facilities in the U.S. (over 50,000) than there are McDonald’s restaurants. This is the same for Australia and worldwide. Storage is now bigger than the “Golden Arches” 

2. We Pay Billions to Store Stuff We Don’t Use

Storage worldwide is worth over $185 billion annually. Most of this is for items people haven’t used in years, that just sit idle and with the effortless automated payment systems - storage facilities love it. Basically, you’re paying rent for your clutter’s vacation home - that has no view and does not enjoy an ocean breeze. 

3. Your Closet Is Full of Strangers’ Belongings (Kind Of)

The storage industry has 2.3 billion square feet of space - enough for every person in the U.S. to have 7 square feet each. Insane to think when we have a global homeless problem. That’s about the size of a regular closet! 

4. The Most Common Stored Item Is… A Box of Trash

This is one of the favourite facts for SYS. A survey revealed that many storage renters don’t even know what’s in their unit, but when cleared out and emptied, a shocking number of boxes are filled with junk mail, broken items, and actual trash. Last minute moves and an overwhelming sense of belonging to the items in question and TA-DA-DA:

Storage units: the world's fanciest dumpsters.

5. Unclaimed Storage Auctions Are Big Business

Unclaimed storage units are auctioned off “Storage Wars”-style but in different ways across the world. Australia & UK have “I Bid On Storage”  but the treasures often turn out to be less than exciting. It will be a masterstroke to find a unit which has been abandoned with actual value in there. 

6. You Could Fit the Great Wall of China in Storage Units

If you lined up all the self-storage units in the world, they’d stretch over 200,000 miles—long enough to circle the Earth eight times or house the Great Wall of China with room to spare. Ridiculous to think? Just 4 walls, floor and roof. 

7. Some Units Hold Actual Cars People Forgot About

It’s not uncommon for storage units to contain entire vehicles that owners abandoned. Classic cars, motorcycles, and even small airplanes have been discovered in units left unpaid for years. Who forgets a plane?! Who forgets anything when it comes off your credit card every month?!

8. Your Stuff Has Better Amenities Than You Do

Many modern storage facilities offer climate-controlled units, 24/7 surveillance, and pest control. Meanwhile, renters joke they can barely afford central air or a security system for their actual homes. There is a running joke that people “pay for storage but miss their mortgage” and storage facilities love it. 

9. The “World’s Largest Storage Unit” Is a Cave 

The world’s largest storage facility is a 220-acre cave in Kansas. It’s used to store everything from government documents to Hollywood movie reels. Weird huh?

10. Storage Units Can Be Haunted

Some renters have reported hearing strange noises or seeing shadowy figures in storage facilities. This is super common with an older storage facility. With so much random stuff, the right for people to hide what they want from prying eyes & no questions asked if the bill is paid. Its no wonder there are places haunted all over the place. 

Final Shock

Storage may seem like a mundane topic, but when you dig into the facts, it’s clear we’ve turned storing stuff into a hilariously out-of-control industry. Whether it’s paying billions to keep broken lamps or accidentally leaving a car in storage for years, our obsession with "stuff" takes ridiculous to a whole new embarrassing level.

The next time you’re tempted to stash something away in a storage unit, just remember: your clutter might be joining the ranks of these absurd storage facts!