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Six Amazing Hacks For Packing Things To Put Into Storage

Many homes are bursting with old furniture, music and movie collections, clothing, and other items that the owner isn’t ready to part with. Some people might want to keep their children’s old clothing in case they have another baby, and some people might have too much furniture for their current home but anticipate needing it when they move into a larger house. Whatever the reason that you need to move certain items out of your house or apartment, a self-storage unit can give you extra space. Packing a self-storage unit isn’t hard, but it’s useful to know a few tips before you start so that your unit stays organized, free of pests, and safe for all of your possessions, and here are six of the most important tips.

1. Create an Inventory List

If you’ve ever packed something away and been unable to remember where you placed it a year later, you can understand the necessity of having a list that details exactly what you have inside of your unit. If you have many pieces of old clothing, you might wonder if it’s really necessary to put every toddler’s jumper on it. If you pack all of your children’s clothing in the storage unit, you might not need to. Instead, simply list the type of clothing and sizes. This technique is especially useful if you use your garage, attic, or basement for storage, too. Some of the items that you can put on a list include:

Clothing that’s listed by size and type
Furniture, such as lamps, tables, and chairs
Collectibles, such as coins and baseball cards

2. Pack Large, Heavy Items at the Back of the Unit

Any moving company will tell you, bed frames, desks, and other large pieces of furniture should be the first things to go into a storage unit. Smaller items, such as plastic totes, are easier to move, so if you want to find something at the back of the unit, it’s still fairly easy to do.

3. Label Boxes

Label boxes and other storage containers so that it’s easy to find something without opening every container. Use a permanent marker and clear packaging tape to preserve the label so that the markings don’t fade. Color and number coding can also work in tandem with your itemized list.

4. Deter Pests

If you’re storing your possessions in an outside unit, moths, rodents, and other pests could get inside. You can deter pests by placing any perishables, such as dog food, in a plastic container. Otherwise, find another place to store the food. If you’re concerned about moths, pack papers, clothing, and other fabrics in airtight containers with mothballs.

5. Prevent Moisture Damage

Some parts of the country get humid, which can cause mold and mildew. There are a few techniques to protect clothing and furniture. For instance, use the silica gel packets that come in shoe boxes and purses at the store. They absorb moisture, and you can find them at many packing stores. Also, while you should definitely clean clothing before you store it, make sure that everything is dry before placing items inside of storage containers. You should also invest in some platforms that you can place boxes and furniture on so that your items are protected in the event that the unit is flooded.

6. Pad Breakables

If you’re storing dishes and other breakables, invest in bubble wrap, or you can simply use newspaper. You should also use something a little sturdier than the average cardboard box.

Packing your possessions in a storage unit frees up a lot of space in your house or apartment. If you need supplies, go to a moving store. You’ll also find more ideas to keep your possessions safe while they’re in storage.

How to Pack a Storage Container When Moving Cross-Country

Portable storage units are one of the more efficient ways to move long distances. The idea is you pack the storage unit, the company moves the unit to your new home, and then you unpack the unit. It’s an economical choice, especially if you don’t want to be stuck driving the truck cross country or handing over your stuff to a long distance storage-in-transit company. Here are some tips to keep in mind when packing your storage container:

Try to Pack in Regular Shapes

When you’re packing, it’s easy to pack in any old way just to get it done. Unfortunately, the rules of packing still apply, so creating regular shapes of normal weight is the name of the game. Regular shapes are easier to pack together and easier to handle on the other end.

Build Walls

When first looking at a portable storage unit, it can seem like there’s a lot of space. The idea is to use walls of stuff to build out space, rather than just chucking stuff inside. These walls pack your belongings in close together, minimizing how much they shift during transport. This protects your items, even those that don’t seem particularly breakable.

Fill the Space Around Furniture

Furniture comes in all kinds of weird shapes. This can make it seem easier just to toss in where it fits. However, planning the space around furniture helps protect the furniture too. Boxes can go under desks or on top of couches, or you can use other odd shaped items. Also, don’t feel you have to store furniture the same way it is used. Sometimes things like couches travel better standing on their end.

Balance the Weight

Having an even distribution of weight can protect your belongings inside the portable storage unit. A balanced storage unit means there are fewer chances of things slamming into one end of the unit or the other. It is also safer to move and unpack without any wild tilts. To achieve this, distribute the furniture throughout along with the heaviest boxes.

Tie Things Down

Even the most tightly packed contents are liable to move during transport. The solution is to tie things down periodically. If it’s a single large object with a lot of weight, tie it down individually. If it’s a wall of boxes, consider running ties across in front of them. Also, consider tying any moving blankets to furniture. This will minimize the shifting, which in turn minimizes damage.

Keep Organized

While it may seem like the furthest thing from your mind when you’re on a deadline, making a packing list will help. If you’re splitting your possessions amongst multiple portable storage units or vehicles, this helps you find items on the other end. It also allows you to direct better any helpers you may have unpacking, since you’ll know where everything came from.

Conclusion

There are a lot of options for how you move, whether it’s local or cross country. Portable Storage units are a great middle ground between true do it yourself and professional moving company. They are a solid, economical choice for moving.

How to Estimate the Total Cost of Your Long Distance Move

A move that takes you over a long distance presents its own unique set of challenges. One major challenge is the incredible amount of expenses you will incur to pay for the move.

You can use the tips below to help estimate the cost of your long distance move so that you can create a realistic budget and save enough money to fund it.

Packing Costs

The first cost you’re going to experience while planning and executing your long distance move is the cost of purchasing the appropriate packing supplies. The cost of your packing supplies will vary based on the types of packing materials you choose to use.

Cardboard boxes are the most common type of moving containers chosen for those planning a long distance move. Boxes are relatively affordable, provide protection to your items, and can be easily stacked.
Garbage bags are affordable, but as Cheap Movers Portland notes, they also lack the durability to survive a long distance move with intact.
Plastic totes are a worthwhile investment for long distance moves because they’re reusable, provide water protection, and are more durable than cardboard. The only downside to plastic totes is that they cost a lot more than cardboard boxes. Using plastic totes eliminates the need for packing tape, which is an expense you can eliminate.

Once you’ve chosen your preferred options for packing materials, do an online price check to calculate the cost of purchasing these packing materials and add it to your expense list.

Travel Expenses

A long-distance move will require quite a bit of traveling on your part. Traveling, unfortunately, is an experience that will cost you quite a bit of money. The way you choose to travel to your new home will determine your total travel expenses.

Traveling by plane is going to cost in the hundreds of dollars per person, depending on the distance traveled and the destination. This option is often chosen by those who’ve made arrangements to ship their belongings to their new home.

For those who have opted to drive themselves and their belongings to their new home, the cost of renting a moving truck and buying gas should be calculated into the list of moving expenses.

Shipping Expenses

Not everyone has the desire or the capability to drive their belongings to their new home. In this type of situation, these people will choose to ship their items to their new home instead.

Shipping your items can be done in two ways. One way is to box your items, apply legible shipping labels, and send your items through the mail to your home. You can ship your items via the USPS or other private shipping companies.

Alternatively, you can have your items shipped to your new home using a moving company. Boxing and shipping your items through the mail will cost more work but less money. Using a moving company will cost more money but less work. Choosing your preferred shipping method all depends on which resource you value most.

Hired Movers Expenses

If you’d like to make your long distance move as low in stress as possible, you can hire professional movers to manage the bulk of your move. Professional movers will pack all of your items, secure the boxes, label the boxes, load your boxes and furniture into their truck, and drive all of it to your new home. Hiring professional movers can be a more expensive option, but it’ll save you a lot of time and worry.

7 Tips to Pack Clothes for Moving Cross Country

Are you planning a big move across the country? If so, then you’ll likely be bringing a lot of clothes with you, which means you’ll want to pack them as cleverly as possible.

Clothing is deceptively heavy, and it can take up a lot more space than you may realize. Before you start haphazardly cramming your entire wardrobe into a suitcase or the backseat of your car, you should check out these useful packing and moving tips.

1. Organize and Wash All Your Clothes

According to LifeStorage, the very first thing you should do is wash and declutter your entire wardrobe before you start packing. This gives you the perfect opportunity to assess all of your clothing, and discard any items you no longer wear or have any use for.

2. Leave Clothes in Drawers

If you plan on bringing a large dresser with you, you may want to consider leaving your clothes in the drawers. There is no sense in emptying the drawers, packing the clothes somewhere else, and then putting them back in the drawers when you arrive at your destination. That’s just doing more work for yourself.

3. Leave Clothes on Hangers

If you already have a closet full of clean clothes on hangers, you may want just to leave them on the hangers and hang them in the moving truck. Moving trucks are typically very tall, and they have rails on the inside upon which you can hang clothes. You can also hang your clothes in wardrobe boxes.

4. Vacuum Seal Your Clothes

If your clothes are taking up too much space, the best way to fix this problem is by vacuum sealing them. Vacuum sealing your clothes will also protect them from getting dirty or damaged during the move.

5. Use Clothing to Pad Other Items

Another way you can save space is by using some of your clothes as padding to protect other belongings you are packing in boxes. Why waste money on bubble wrap and foam peanuts when you can do the same job with a pair of jeans or a bathrobe? It’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

6. Pack Your Shoes Separately

If you still have the shoeboxes, your shoes came with, great! Simply pack your shoes in them, and then they will be compact and easy to stack. If you don’t have any shoeboxes, then you should still pack all of your shoes in a separate box or storage container. This will prevent your clothes from getting dirty and scuffed.

7. Set Aside Clothes for the Move

Last but not least, don’t forget to set aside enough clothes for you to wear during the move. You don’t want to be halfway through your move and then suddenly realize you’re out of clean clothes to wear because they are all packed away.

Not to mention, the more clothes you can wear on your body during the move, the fewer clothes you have to pack!

Where to Start When Packing for Your Upcoming Move

Once you decide to relocate to a new home, your mind may begin swirling with overwhelming thoughts about everything that needs to be done. Preparing for a relocation and moving all of your belongings into a new home are monumental tasks. Getting started early and…

Tips for Moving to Seattle from Out-of-State

If you are moving to Seattle from another state, there are many things you need to know about the city before you get there. Living in Seattle can be a terrific experience, but it also can be a lot different from where you are coming.

Here are some of our tips for first-timers moving to Seattle:

1. Bring a Raincoat With You

You may have heard that it rains a lot in Seattle. This is true. It rains about 152 days a year in the city. But on the upside rarely does it rain really hard. Only about 5 days a year does it rain more than one inch, so its 37.18″ annual rainfall is actually lower than much of the country.

Also, because it rains so often, the city landscape is quite green and pretty.

2. Get Out of the City Now and Then

While there is always plenty to do in Seattle, including lots of great street festivals, do not forget to spend some time outside of it. There you will find lots of natural beauty. For example, Mount Rainier National Park is only 90 miles from Seattle.

This 369-mile park is especially beautiful in the spring when the wildflowers bloom.

3. Learn Not To Honk Your Horn

Believe it or not, it is actually illegal to honk your car’s horn in Seattle apart from emergencies. Even if you manage to avoid getting a ticket for it, you will likely receive some nasty stares if you do.

On the upside, you will not have to suffer through a barrage of sound if you pause when the light turns green.

4. Do Not Jaywalk Ever

Jaywalking is not the smartest thing to do anywhere, but you really do not want to jaywalk in Seattle. The ticket is $56 and cops will issue you one. You will also look completely out-of-step with everyone else in town if you jaywalk. People in Seattle are notorious for waiting at the light at all times of the day, even if there is no traffic whatsoever.

5. Use Public Transportation

Traffic in Seattle is really bad. It is the 9th most congested city in the United States, and this situation is not likely to improve. Fortunately, Seattle has pretty decent public transportation, with a large network of streetcars, buses, and light rail.

What’s more, the city is planning on expanding this network in the future.

6. Introduce Yourself to the Magic of Pho

The winters in Seattle can be relatively cold and utterly dreary, with little sun and lots of clouds. People in Seattle compensate for this by drinking lots of terrific coffee and by eating lots of pho.

If you are unfamiliar with pho, it is a slow-cooked and nutritious Vietnamese soup packed with noodles, meat, and fresh vegetables. A bowl of this every day will keep you sane through the entire winter.

7. Consider Breaking Away from the Metro Bustle

The hustle and noise of city life are not for everyone. For some, suburbs and small towns offer relaxing places of refuge. They provide a healthy environment to raise your family away from the pollution and stress surrounding the Seattle metro area. That being said, here are some great places to consider settling down to:

Woodinville: Woodinville is a gorgeous city nestled near the Cascade foothills between Seattle and Everett. The community welcomes people of all ages from all walks of life. There’s also plenty of parks for memorable weekend trips, as well as good performing schools to nurture your kids.

Bellevue: Located just a short 15-minute drive from Downtown Seattle, Bellevue offers plenty of perks, including a strong housing market, great location, and outdoor adventures. Known for its affluence, the city has no shortage of restaurants and shopping opportunities. In addition, you also get to enjoy every season surrounded by colorful sceneries, from the Botanical Gardens to clean parks and well-preserved sanctuaries. If your family loves to explore nature without sacrificing urban amenities, Bellevue might just be the perfect paradise for you.

Mercer Island: A small island on Lake Washington with over 25,000 residents, Mercer Island is a place of beauty and interest. You get to enjoy top-tier school districts, attractive housing options, safe neighborhoods, and a ton of charming amenities. It may seem expensive on paper, but if you search hard enough, it’s not impossible to find a deal that lets you enjoy the quality of life here.

Auburn: As a young family, choosing an area to settle down in has its perks and challenges. Fortunately, Auburn is one place that ticks all the boxes. On top of it being fun, diverse, and beautiful, you also get to enjoy an affordable cost of living compared to Seattle. To make it even better, it’s only half an hour away from Emerald City, so you still get to grab great work opportunities.

Federal Way: Tired of the traffic and expenses in Seattle? Federal Way is the cheap alternative you’re looking for. Just twenty minutes south of downtown, you get to escape the hustle and bustle while still providing a comfortable place for your family. Enjoy affordable homes, excellent schools, and unique attractions to hang out and do picnics too! You can’t miss out on this one.