Founded in 1890, Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage the parent company of Portabox has successfully weathered many history-changing events including the Great Seattle Fire, WWI, the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Great Depression, WWII, the 2008 recession, and 9/11 among many other public crises. We are taking the current COVID-19 threat very seriously and will promptly adhere to any and all directives from local, state and federal government officials. Hansen Bros. and Portabox have been categorized as an essential industry business (moving & relocation) within the current mandate established by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

As essential services, we will maintain normal operations until such time as either company management determines we must close our offices or we are directed to do so by a governmental authority. We are taking extensive precautionary measures including the adoption of all CDC guidelines and the establishment of our own policies intended to minimize health risks for all customers, employees, contractors, vendors, and community stakeholders. We are proud to be able to support the needs of our customers during this crucial time but are prepared to quickly change course as required.

Stay safe together with Hansen Bros. and Portabox

The COVID-19 crisis is fluid and there are many uncertainties and factors outside of our control that may, with little or no advance notice, impact our delivery of moving & storage services. Please be aware the current crisis could potentially result in small inconveniences such as a delayed project start time or significant inconveniences such as the complete rescheduling of services.

Although there are many unknowns to be navigated, you can be certain that Hansen Bros. and Portabox will be timely and transparent in our communications regarding servicing your moving & storage needs, and our professional relocation consultants will work diligently to offer creative solutions in the event your project is impacted by the current health crisis.

Steps We're Taking:

  • Company-wide Implementation of all precautionary measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
  • Office staff and crews are being monitored daily for symptoms and/or known exposure by management and asked to go home, contact their healthcare provider, and self-quarantine as directed. Staff that experience symptoms and/or aware of exposure when not at work have been directed to stay home and notify their supervisor.
  • Office staff and crews are receiving daily briefings on precautionary measures and have been directed to follow them on and off the job.
  • Office staff and crews are being instructed to maintain appropriate “social distance” of 6 feet minimum between one another, customers, and all other people.
  • Office staff and crews are being provided with appropriate hand sanitizer and surface disinfecting supplies. They have been directed to disinfect truck cabs and moving equipment between each move to the best of their ability. These supplies will continue to be replenished as we are able, based on availability from retailers.
  • We are limiting visitation to our branch offices. If you wish to purchase moving boxes or supplies, please simply call in your order and we will happily deliver to your vehicle outside.

We are all in this together.  The team at Hansen Bros. and Portabox is proud to continue offering our services in accordance with the necessary precautions outlined above. We are here to make the process of storing belongings seamless & safe for you.

5 items you should move from your attic to self storage

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For most people, the attic is the preferred storage space of choice. However, there are some items that really should not find their way to the attic, at least not for long periods of time. Items such as vintage clothing pieces, antique rugs, and similar are much better stored in one of the Bainbridge Island self storage solutions. In this article, we are exploring the five most important item categories of items you should move from your attic to self storage. We will also provide you with some tips and tricks to make storing these items a lot easier.

Five categories of items you should move from your attic to self storage

  • Wooden furniture
  • Rugs and carpets
  • Vintage clothing
  • Albums/photographs
  • Toys

Obviously, each household is unique and items differ. These items are the most common ones from our experience. The fact of the matter is that when you store items in the attic, you are most likely going to all but forget about them. This means that even if something happens to them, you will not realize it until it’s too late.

On the other hand, when you utilize a self storage solution or even portable storage containers for rent nearby, it is much more likely that you will check up on your belongings from time to time. And that enhances their security, in a way. Furthermore, some storage facilities have systems in place that ensure that nothing happens to the items inside. There is nothing like that in your attic, most of the time.

inside of a storage facility
A storage unit might be a much better fit for some of your belongings.

Let’s take a more in-depth look into some of these items, and why exactly might be in your best interest to transfer them to a self storage unit.

Wooden furniture

We change furniture on a somewhat regular basis. But we also get attached to old furniture pieces and want to store them if we ever need them again. The attic seems like a perfect repository for these pieces, and so we store them there. However, there are numerous dangers that are present in most attics, dangers that can damage or render your furniture useless.

Even if you are making sure that your attic is pest-free, it is still better to relocate these pieces to a safer facility. Seattle mini storage, for example, is a much safer place for your wooden items. These facilities are held to a higher standard and are insured to boot. If something happens to your attic, something out of your control, chances are that your coverage is not going to be sufficient. Whereas if you had your items in the storage unit, you get to enjoy the additional valuation coverage that it offers.

Rugs and carpets are some of the items you should move from your attic to self storage

Making sure that your rugs and carpets are pest-free is all but impossible if they are stored in the attic. You will need to take them outside of the house, unroll, and thoroughly check them each time. Needless to say, this can be a lot of work and you might not be inclined to start the process. This means that the carpets and rugs are simply going to remain in the attic while you hope for the best. But if you transfer them to the storage unit, you will have a much easier time. You can also hire additional services from the storage unit provider that will make the entire process much more convenient.

some of the items you should move from your attic to self storage - rugs
Your rugs and carpets will be much safer inside a storage unit.

For example, you can utilize one of the “valet” storage solutions, where you can simply request your items to be picked up and/or delivered to your home. Or you can store your smaller carpets and rugs in portable storage containers, making it all but effortless to ensure that they are pest-free. Furthermore, if you are using plastic bins to store your items, they are much more secure. Pests and small animals will have a much easier time getting into a sealed plastic box, after all.

Vintage clothing

Another item category that really should not be stored in the attic is vintage clothing. These are the items that usually have higher value, monetary or sentimental. The thing is, if you have vintage clothing in great shape, you want them to remain that way. And it is really difficult to ensure their safety when they are in the attic. Therefore, moving them to a temporary storage Seattle solution is the best choice, really. If you want to be extra sure that your belongings have the maximum protection, consider a climate-controlled storage unit. Humidity can wreak havoc on some clothing pieces, after all. If you choose this unit type, it becomes a non-issue.

Albums/photographs

a photo album
Don’t allow your memories to rot away in the attic.

Over time, most families accumulate many photo albums and/or photographs. If you, for any reason, decide that the attic is the best place for them, you might want to reconsider. Even if you don’t have space in your home, there are better places for these items. The thing is, you may consider those albums as “non-essential” and don’t really care where they go. But, trust us on this, there will come a time when you will be really happy that you kept them safe. Thus, move them from the attic and store them somewhere safer.

Toys

Lastly, if you are storing any of your kids’ old toys in the attic, it might be best if you relocate them to a storage unit. Toys are usually “chewy” and attract various pests, even smaller animals. If you are storing the toys, that means that you plan to use them later on or donate to charity at some point. And if that is the case, you need to ensure that it is safe to do so. Therefore, when items you should move from your attic to self storage are concerned, toys are definitely one of them. Besides, it is much more convenient to get a favorite toy from an organized storage unit than it is to rummage through the attic to find it.

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