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.

How to determine the number of storage boxes you need?

Step 1 of 2

MM slash DD slash YYYY

The decision to store your belongings is always a great idea, no matter the reason behind it. First of all, it will be much easier to ensure that you have enough space in your home for your other belongings. If you are remodeling your home, you will be able to do a much better job if you store away all the belongings that are in your way. However, before you can pack and store everything, you have to make sure you get the right storage boxes. The thing is, it’s not just the quality that will make you think twice, but the quantity as well. How many moving boxes is just enough? What is the best way to determine the number of storage boxes you need for your belongings?

Get the right storage solution

First of all, you need to find and secure the proper storage options. Once you know what type of temporary storage services you need, you will easily find the best option. You want your belongings to be safe while they are stored away, so you can be sure that getting the right solution is really important. It doesn’t matter if you choose portable storage or if you decided to drive to a storage facility – you will still have to pack your belongings in the storage boxes before you store them. Don’t worry, this is not hard to do. Even if you choose to pack your belongings into your garage, you will be much better off if you pack them in the boxes first.

determine the number of storage boxes- storage
Once you find a great storage unit, you will figure everything else in no time

What do you need to know so you can make the right choice?

Deciding what kind of storage boxes and units you need is not easy. But, making sure you have just enough of them is even harder. That is why you should make sure you do your best in this part. There are two things you have to know before you start shopping for storage boxes:

  1. What are the items you will be packing?
  2. How many of these items do you have to pack?

Once you get the answers to these questions, getting the right moving boxes is a piece of cake. There will be no problems with getting just the right amount of moving boxes. If you are not the only person in your house that decided to downsize for whatever reason, help others decide how many boxes they are going to need before you go out shopping for boxes.

This way, you can be sure that nobody is wasting money. Also, you won’t have to go out and get more boxes once you start packing, everyone will have just enough. Once you determine the number of storage boxes you need, make sure you get the best high-quality moving boxes and other packing supplies so you can be sure nothing will get damaged. You won’t have anything to worry about after you supply yourself.

Take a look at the items you want to store and you will make a good decision

Making sure you determine the number of storage boxes in the right way is easier if you know exactly what are the items you are going to pack. The best way to deal with this part is to get all the items you are planning to pack and store in one room or in one place. This way you won’t forget a thing and you will find out what is the types of these belongings much easier. Not all the properties of these items matter, of course.

For example, the color of the items is completely irrelevant, but you have to know what they are made of. So, make sure you get all the items that are fragile in one place, the items that are not fragile but can break by accident on the other spot, and items that you can’t damage in the third.

moving box
Once you know what you need to pack, you will easily determine how many moving boxes you need

Just to help you get the idea, these three groups are :

  1. Fragile items – vases, plates, cups, mirrors, ceramic figurines, flat-screen TV, and many others. Some of these items can be not just fragile, but also valuable, so you need to be extra careful
  2. Regular items that can suffer damage – wooden picture frames, books, toys, some appliances, pots, and others.
  3. Miscellaneous items – books, clothes, stuffed animals and so on.

You get the idea, making sure you know what your items are, will help you make the right choices. You might even consider hiring movers for some of these items. If you do, you won’t have to worry about damaging your belongings at all.

How do you determine the number of storage boxes for fragile items?

Fragile items need to be packed in separate boxes. Small items go in small boxes, and you have to use packing supplies, like packing peanuts. Plates have to be lined with packing paper, mirrors and flat-screen TVs have to be packed in special boxes, or the boxes you got them in. So, as many kinds of fragile items you have, that is how many boxes you will need, but mind the size so everything fits! Too much space is as bad as not enough space inside of a box.

box
You will have to get high-quality boxes for fragile items

Not fragile, but you might damage them

Items that are not fragile can be packed in bulks. But you should still use packing supplies. Make sure you don’t make a mistake and pack so many items in one box that it gets too heavy and you can’t lift it up. Many people make this mistake by packing many books in one big box. Use special, thick boxes that can protect your belongings and not burst as well. Make sure you label the boxes or use color-coding. This way you know what boxes contain fragile items.

Not fragile at all

These items are not going to be damaged, so you can relax and get big moving boxes to pack them. Things like plush toys, clothes, and blankets are not too heavy and if you choose one of the best self-storage Seattle companies, you will be able to move these items in no time. Still, make sure that the boxes are made of high-quality materials and are sturdy enough to ensure maximum protection. 

Once you know what kind of items you are packing and how much is there, you will easily determine the number of storage boxes you need to get. Remember not to overpack. Be careful with the boxes and make sure you get the high-quality ones and there is nothing you will have to worry about.

Latest Posts