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 prevent clutter in your Newcastle home

Step 1 of 2

MM slash DD slash YYYY

There probably isn’t a person out there that wouldn’t like to live in a clutter-free apartment. However, wanting something and doing it are two completely different things. At PortaBox Storage, we know how much people dread the entire decluttering process. Whether you have just moved and are starting with a clean canvas or have been living in your home for quite some time, there are some rules you want to follow if you wish to prevent clutter in your Newcastle home. Remember – consistency is key to success!

Prevent clutter in your Newcastle home by having a place for everything

Kitchen with shelves that help prevent clutter in your Newcastle home.
Maximize the space you have in your home by adding some smart storage solutions.

Establishing a certain order is the best and only way to keep your home free of any clutter. After all, how are you supposed to put away items if they don’t have a place of their own? Now, we know that it will be easy to find the right space for some of your items. But an average household has too many small items that are constantly being tossed from one table to another. That’s where additional storage space enters the scene. In general, you have two options that you can explore:

Bear in mind that if you opt for in-house storage, you are going to need to create an aesthetically appealing solution. For example,  you can add shelves or a storage ottoman and introduce some extra decor while also solving your problem related to the lack of space.

Put something back as soon as you use it

What’s the point of having a place for everything if you don’t put your items away? You probably already know how little it takes for clutter to find its way to every room of the house. And you most likely know how tedious it is to sort it out once it happens. That’s why you need to work bit by bit if you want to permanently prevent clutter in your Newcastle home. As soon as you are done with an item, you ought to put it back in its designated area of the house. And if you have taken an item out of your Seattle mini storage unit for the time being, then store it as soon as you are done with it. This method will prevent you from holding onto more items than you need.

Get rid of the paper trail

A calculator, a pen, and a pile of documents.
Scanning your documents might take up a lot of time, but it will be time put to good use.

It’s absolutely necessary to hold onto important documents, receipts, and warranties. However, it’s not necessary for them to be in a tangible form. Scanning all of your documents might seem like an exhausting and never-ending task, but it’s something you have to do if you want to keep your Newcastle home free of any clutter. A lot of papers can end up taking up a lot of space which you could put to a much better purpose. Besides, apps like Evernote allow you to search through your scanned documents for certain words, which will save you time in the future. And we know you have found yourself buried in papers at least once in your life – it doesn’t have to be like that again.

Prevent clutter in your Newcastle home by having a junk drawer

It doesn’t matter how organized you are – some junk is bound to pile up in your home. That’s why it’s good to have a junk drawer for those items that you need at the moment but don’t have a place in your home for the long run. Just be careful – you are allowed to have only a drawer that’s going to be filled with these items. Anything more than that will simply result in more junk and less usable space for those items that you actually do need.

If you are someone whose work implies that you have to bring home plenty of items that don’t have a designated place, then you might want to consider renting portable storage containers Seattle. This will make it easy for you to keep your items nearby without creating a mess in your home and disrupting your daily life.

Be careful about what you buy

The truth is that no matter how much you clean and declutter your home, it’s not going to mean much if you keep bringing in new items. If you know that your shopping habits have gone out of control, then you need to take a step back. The next time you are thinking about buying something, ask yourself whether you really need it. Chances are that you will realize that you don’t need another set of glasses or coffee mugs.

A girl holding shopping bags.
Don’t let your shopping habits clutter up your home.

In fact, our company is all about minimalism. That’s why we don’t think you should hold on to unnecessary items and dozens of spares. That doesn’t mean you can’t go shopping ever again. It just means that you should shop only when you really need something. That’s one of the best ways to prevent any clutter in your household.

Don’t be so hard on yourself

At the end of the day, you should be aware of the fact that you are going to slip up. There are times when you will find your house to be cluttered even though you were careful at all times. That’s when you should remind yourself that you are not a machine – you are only human. It’s completely understandable that you might not always be up for cleaning and decluttering. So if you manage to prevent clutter in your Newcastle home 80 to 90% of the time, you should count it as success. After all, your life shouldn’t be all about cleaning and decluttering.

Latest Posts

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