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 safely pack your cookware for moving

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Are you getting ready to relocate soon and wondering how to safely pack your cookware for moving? No matter if you are moving locally or long distance, packing fragile belongings is always a challenging task. This is even more true when you are packaging items from your kitchen. Also, you might not have enough experience with packing and are not sure how to pack the items properly. That is why we have prepared here a useful guide on how to safely pack your pots and pans for relocation. Likewise, in case you need temporary storage Seattle offers, PortaBox Storage will provide you with different helpful options.

To safely pack your cookware for moving you first need to get organized

In order to safely pack your pots for moving, you need to be careful and patient. This is a demanding task, especially for those who are relocating for the first time. If you want to experience a stress-free move, we suggest making a to-do list and following a couple of steps before you pack your dishes and glassware for relocation. If you are in need of Lynnwood self storage services, PortaBox Storage is at your disposal.

Man taking notes with carton boxes in background
Get organized while you pack your cookware for moving by making a checklist

Go through and declutter your kitchen cabinets

It doesn’t matter if you are relocating for the first time or not, you should still go through all your storage spaces and decide what you will bring to your new home. Think about what you will need in the future and make a list of items. You will probably want to throw away the damaged ones and buy new essential pots and pans for your home. However, we all have items that have sentimental value for us and we will bring them to our new home even if they are a bit damaged. Also, you can donate unused and unwanted items.

To pack your cookware for moving sometimes means dealing with heavy items that actually take up a lot of space in boxes. That’s another reason why you should carefully choose what items you really need in your new home and move less stuff. That way your moving expenses will be less and your relocation will go faster.

Wash and dry your cookware

It is important to clean your pots and pans so that the grease doesn’t damage cardboard boxes and stain other packed stuff. You should also dry the items completely to avoid mold growth, especially if you plan to use storage units. If you are in need of portable storage containers Seattle locals recommend, PortaBox Storage will quickly deliver you what you want.

Prepare enough packing materials

You should get plenty of packing materials and supplies to make sure that your cookware will reach your new home undamaged.  You will need to prepare:

  • Strong, medium-sized boxes
  • Newspapers or packing paper
  • Dish towels, linen, and old clothing
  • Bubble wrap
  • Permanent markers
  • Tape

Wrap up your cookware

Pots and pans are pretty sturdy items, however, they can still be damaged during transport when coming into contact with other objects, especially sharp ones. Even small scratches and dents can affect their performance later on and even totally ruin them. This is the reason why we recommend that you wrap your cookware with dish towels or bubble wrap. That is how you will protect them during transport. PortaBox Storage will provide you with short term storage Seattle residents rely on for all the items that you won’t move to the new home.

red scotch tape inside a box full of polystyrene which are used to safely pack your cookware for moving
Make sure to prepare enough quality packing materials

This is how you should pack your cookware for moving

We need to warn you that packing heavy and large cardboard boxes can end in disaster if they fall somewhere. Therefore, it is much better to prepare medium-sized sturdy boxes for your cookware. As mentioned, you can use packing paper or newspapers for protection. You will seal the boxes with tape and label them with a permanent marker. Here are some useful tips for packing cookware:

  1. As cookware is extremely heavy, you will need to reinforce cardboard boxes to avoid collapses. You can strengthen your boxes with tape.
  2. Put sufficient padding like bubble wrap or scrunched-up newspapers on the bottoms of containers to work as cushioning and keep items from moving during transport.
  3.  Stack cookware together so you can save a lot of space. For instance, you can put a smaller pan inside a bigger one with a dish towel in between. Do that with other cookware, as well. This way you can avoid scratches on the items and keep the level of their handles. Lastly, you should put the lid on the smallest cooking container, placed upside down.
  4. Next, put your stacked items into containers with enough cushioning. You can put inside some sponges, dish towels, cloths, etc. to fill in the space. All those things will prevent shifting during transport. Also, put the lids in the same cardboard containers as the cooking containers they belong to. Just be careful with glass lids as they could easily break. You can wrap them with bubble wrap or thick towels and again with paper.
  5. If you notice some extra space in your packed boxes, you can add some small, light items between to make the most of the available space and keep the items safe during the move.
  6.  Make sure not to overpack your cardboard boxes as they might collapse. Cookware is already heavy enough, therefore, add only lightweight items to fill in the gaps.
  7. Lastly, seal the cardboard carefully, mark the content on the labels, and write what side should be up. You should be very specific with content labels on the cardboard. It is important to leave a note for fragile content, with necessary instructions.
A woman writing fragile on a cardboard box with a marker
Mark the boxes with fragile content clearly on different sides

You are good to go!

We hope our guide will help you safely pack your cookware for moving to your new home. Moving is certainly not an easy undertaking but we believe we have made it easier for you. You just need to organize yourself in advance and follow the steps and everything will go smoothly.

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