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 free up room in your self storage container

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People rent storage containers to free up room in their homes. But a storage container is only so big. Even if you’re renting several mobile storage containers Seattleyou will eventually run out of spaceSo what happens when even your extra space becomes filled to the brim with your belongings? When that happens, the time comes to free up room in your self storage container. Whether you do this by decluttering or reorganizing is up to you. But with our tips, you will certainly learn how to make the most of your storage space.

Free up room in your self storage container by decluttering

Woman getting rid of clutter.
Decluttering is one of the best ways to free up room in your self storage container.

You will probably already declutter your home before renting PortaBox Storage, precisely for the purpose of saving space. But it’s been a while since then and decluttering isn’t really a one-and-done deal. You need to do it regularly to ensure you aren’t accumulating unnecessary stuff. So why not declutter your storage container as well? 

Check your belongings for damage

Even if you packed all your items perfectly and did everything you could to protect them, unpredictable things happen. It’s possible that something got damaged somewhere along the way. So, this is the perfect opportunity to check. Go through the boxes in your storage container. Check any of them for bumps, creases, or stains; if you find any, open the box and check the belongings inside for damage. Pay special attention to the most fragile belongings – they are the most likely to be damaged. If you find anything that’s suffered irreparable damage, you can get rid of it and free up space for other things.

Get rid of things you’ve replaced or upgraded

If you’ve been using storage units Lynnwood WA for a while now, it’s possible you’ve neglected or simply forgotten some of the things you put away in there. Maybe you some old but functional appliances in there, thinking you’ll use them again someday. But you’ve bought new and better models in the meantime so there’s really no need to keep the old ones. Or maybe you stored some clothes that have gone out of fashion or you’ve outgrown. This is your chance to get rid of those things since you’re unlikely to use them again. Sell them for extra cash or donate to someone in need.

Take some things out of storage and back home

A living area after you free up room in your self storage container by taking some of your belongings home.
Your home may benefit from some of the things in your storage.

For most people, storage is a temporary solution to a lack of space. We put away things we don’t need at the moment with every intention of taking them out of storage at a later time. Now could be a good time for that. So, if you need more room in your storage container, check if there’s anything you can take out of it and use again now. There must be some seasonal clothing, decorations, even furniture that will do you good in your home now.

Free up room in your self storage container by reorganizing

If there’s absolutely nothing you can take out of self storage West Seattle but you still need to find a way to make room for more things, reorganizing can make a surprisingly big difference. And if you’ve packed your storage container in a hurry, it’s possible you didn’t take advantage of all the space in the best way. Now is the time to correct that mistake.

Start by taking everything out of the container

It’s going to be impossible to reorganize your storage container when you can barely move inside it. So start over from scratch instead. Take the time to take everything out of the container first. This is the perfect opportunity to go through your belongings and clear out anything you no longer need. Then you can start arranging things in the best way possible.

Play a bit of Tetris with your boxes, especially if you don’t visit your storage often

This is the trickiest part of reorganizing your storage. You need to put all your boxes and belongings inside in a way that takes up the least amount of space. If you’ve ever played Tetris before, you’ll know that this requires aligning the shapes and sizes so they fit perfectly. Ideally, you want all the boxes to be of roughly the same size – that way you can simply stack them on top of each other without wasting any space. If that’s not possible, then try stacking several smaller boxes on top of bigger ones. The idea is to combine everything so the outer edges align and no space is wasted.

Person taking inventory in front of a stack of boxes.
Stack boxes of equal size on top of each other to save space.

But you’ll have to pay attention to weight as well. You shouldn’t stack heavier boxes on top of lighter ones. And if you have irregularly shaped belongings wrapped or packed outside of boxes, you’ll need to find ways to fit them in with the rest of your items. This will all be easier if you don’t visit your storage frequently. But if you do, you’ll also need to think about which items you use most commonly. You’ll need those at the front of the container for easy access.

Use the space creatively

Once you’ve stacked everything into the container, you might notice some empty nooks and crannies. This usually happens if you have a lot of irregularly shaped items in storage or if you used many boxes of different sizes. You can actually use this space for small items! Things like rolled-up posters, individually packed clothing items, small electronics, and more will fit in such spaces. You just need to find a way to pack them properly.

When is the right time to free up room in your self storage container?

It might seem intuitive and logical to just free up room in your self storage container whenever you need it. But it’s actually a good idea to declutter and reorganize your storage space periodically. That way, you won’t have to worry so much about not having enough space. Instead, you will regularly clean out the things you don’t need and organize the remaining items in the best possible way. So when you need to add something to the container, it won’t have to be so difficult.

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Locations Served

LYNNWOOD PORTABOX

2902B Lincoln Way Lynnwood, WA, 98087

SEATTLE PORTABOX

10750 Aurora Ave N Suite B Seattle, WA 98133

NEWCASTLE PORTABOX

6868 Coal Creek Pkwy SE Newcastle, WA 98059

BOISE PORTABOX

103 N Curtis Road Boise, ID, 83706