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 prepare furniture for storage

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People get storage units for their furniture all the time. Some do it because they’re moving away, and some just don’t have enough space anymore in their homes. Everyone needs to prepare furniture for storage. Whatever the reason, there are plenty of self storage Seattle companies that will satisfy your needs. While there are some things you need to do, the process itself is pretty straightforward. With a bit of preparation, which is mostly research, you’ll be ready to rent out a unit in no time. However, there are some different types that will be available to you, but that’s easy, too. As a general rule of thumb, you probably will not need the extra fancy ones, such as climate-controlled storage units. But if that’s something you’d prefer, definitely know that there’s such an option out there.

Choosing the correct unit

As said, there are plenty of different options when choosing a unit. For example, the most important metric is the unit’s size. This one can be tricky to get around. Generally, you’ll want to measure your furniture and see how it’d fit in a specific unit. That can also be tricky since you can potentially stack things on top of each other. When doing that, make sure they will not get damaged over time due to their weight.

But, in the beginning, the most important thing is to measure the size of all of your furniture pieces, and then find a unit based on that. A good unit will also have some space in between, but that’s not a must-have if you can’t afford it. The bigger the unit, the more expensive it is. So keep that in mind.

A man drawing a plan of how to prepare furniture for storage.
Checking and writing down the exact sizes of your furniture is very important when preparing to put it in a storage unit.

What to do and how to prepare furniture for storage

After you’ve chosen the unit, it’s time to prepare your actual furniture for storage. You need to clean it thoroughly and dry it afterward. Also, any potential food crumbs need to get removed. Treat your furniture for whatever you think could’ve happened to it – for example, for pests. Doing things like this is important in order to store it for long-term storage. You can either clean your furniture by yourself or get someone else to do it, by hiring door to door storage Seattle companies.

Some people recommend using normal soap and water to scrub it a little. Just make sure you dry everything completely afterward. It’s a similar thing with any metal, you need to clean it and make sure there’s no oxidation present. As a rule of thumb, you want to get your furniture as close to when they were brand new as possible before storing them.

Disassemble your items to get more space

Lots of the newer furniture pieces can actually get disassembled, so use that to your advantage. The smaller you can make it, the better. That way, you’ll be able to use more space in the unit, which means paying less money down the road. For example, if you’re searching for Newcastle self storage options, then first see if you can disassemble your items and check their sizes only then. Afterward, check the unit’s sizes.

Another thing you can do is put certain pieces into other furniture. For example, there’s usually lots of space underneath a couch. Perhaps you can put foldable chairs in there, as long as they’re not heavy enough to damage the couch itself.

Colorful pieces of furniture.
When you want to prepare furniture for storage, check which ones can be disassembled.

You should also use this opportunity to clean your furniture even more. Clean each individual disassembled piece to make sure you’re getting all the dirt out. This is especially true if you have any metal pieces that could’ve been oxidated. If you’re not sure how to do this correctly, consult any professionals in your area. Another thing that people often search for is ‘portable storage containers for rent near me‘. Before putting your furniture in a storage pod and preparing it for long-term storage, make sure everything is dry, disassembled, cleaned, and ready to go beforehand.

Raise your furniture off the floor or line the storage floor

You definitely don’t want to have your furniture directly lying on the floor without any additional protection. You need to find a way to raise it off the floor, or alternatively to line the floor of the unit itself with something. For example, you can use some wooden palettes, or even make your own, to put something in between the unit floor and your items.

If you have any leftover carpets or fabric, use them to provide an additional layer of protection to your items. Depending on the storage unit, they may already have such things that you can use. You need to ask about these kinds of things beforehand when you’re consulting with a specific storage company and thinking about whether or not to hire them.

A clean brown leather sectional sofa as example of how to prepare furniture for storage
You need to find a way to raise your furniture off the floor, or alternatively line the floor with something.

Preparing your business furniture and equipment for storage

A lot of people actually rent storage units for their business equipment and furniture. There is either a lot less furniture involved, or just similar types of the same kind, for example, lots of office chairs. The idea behind this is similar as before:

  • Disassemble as much as you can, this is especially possible with lots of business furniture so make sure you do it correctly.
  • Prepare furniture for storage by cleaning and drying all the items as much as possible, especially things that can get dirt in them that’s not so obvious.
  • Check what unit size you’re going to need, and book something based on that. Line the floor or raise your furniture up with something.

Enjoy the benefits of storage solutions

As you can see, the same logic applies everywhere if you want to prepare furniture for storage. The only difference is that you probably won’t have such a variety of items, and you’ll be able to stack them more easily onto each other or find other ways to get more space. That’s why your business storage Seattle options can potentially cost less than hiring a normal storage unit for normal purposes.

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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