How Businesses Use Portable Storage

Businesses use portable storage units for many reasons. Start-ups often need more space while they set up a permanent location and expand. Some industries have variable or mobile work environments. Whether your business needs a permanent storage solution or a quick fix during a time of flux, portable storage can help. Porta-Stor can work with your schedule and budget to create an affordable, flexible, secure setup for your business. Here are some ways that businesses often use portable storage:

Supply Storage

All offices require a lot of stuff (pens, paper, toner, etc.), and it tends to take up a lot of space. If your office doesn’t have enough storage space on-site for your bulk supplies, consider getting a portable storage container for the job. Free up that space for other uses. This is especially useful for jobs that move around. Take your supply closet with you when the office relocates!

Inventory Storage

Depending on the business, inventory storage takes up a lot of space. However, in modern times, it’s often best to have inventory stock nearby when a customer asks for it. Portable storage allows your business to store its inventory in a secure location and scale the amount of space up or down when needed for the current demand.

Specialized Equipment Storage

Some jobs require a lot of various equipment that changes with the current requirements. A storage container can help reduce the clutter from equipment that’s not currently in use but needs to be readily available. For example, a construction company might want the equipment for different types of jobs in different storage containers, ready to be transported on-location whenever that kind of job arises. This also cuts down on the cost to transport the equipment, since portable storage can be delivered where it needs to go as-is.

Data and Record Storage

Portable storage containers are also great places to store physical copies of your business’s records and data. Some records need to be kept for future use or for legal reasons. Although hard copies and back-ups are sometimes necessary, they take up a lot of space. Keep this vital information safe and secure in a storage container, and clear your office of old files that don’t need to be on-hand.

Moving

Portable storage containers are ideal for most office moves. Make your next move less of a hassle by having a shipping container sent directly to your old location for packing. Then it can be placed in temporary storage or moved directly to your new location, depending on what your business needs. Work within your own schedule. For more tips on office moves, check out Porta-Stor’s other guide here.

If you’re struggling to find space in your office, considering a move, or need a more flexible storage option, consider portable storage containers for your business needs.

How to pack your storage container correctly in these 5 easy steps (an infographic)

How to Pack Your Storage Container

When preparing to put some of your belongings into storage for any amount of time, there are several things to take into consideration. Different types of items need to be packed differently, depending on factors such as fragility, size, and weight. Above is a convenient infographic detailing the most important steps. Below we’ll provide an extended list of guidelines to follow when preparing your storage containers:

Wrapping Tips

• Make an inventory. Write a list of everything you are putting into storage as you pack them.
• Pack as many items as you can into boxes. They protect your belongings more than wraps.
• Reinforce the bottom of boxes with tape.
• Put a lid on it. You don’t want your items falling out or getting dusty while being stored.
• Wrap up your delicates. Use bubble wrap, crumpled paper, foam peanuts, or other fillers to ensure that fragile items don’t shift around and break no matter how far you have to move them.
• Do NOT pack perishables/dried foods. Insects and rodents can hitch a ride to your storage and breed. Spoiled food will cause odors.
• Evenly distribute weight. This makes the containers easier to carry and also reduces the chances of items shifting around in transit.
• Put heavy items in smaller boxes, lighter items in larger boxes. No one wants to lift a huge box of books!
• Pack tightly. Boxes shouldn’t bulge or cave in. You can use crumpled paper or other fillers to get rid of empty space.
• Use special boxes on certain items. Picture frames, mirrors, and flat-screen TVs should be bubble wrapped and placed in specialized boxes.
• Take extra care with lamps. Remove all light bulbs and wrap and box the lampshades separately from the posts.
• Label all boxes.
• Protect your furniture with moving blankets. You can use moving bands (giant rubber bands) or shrink-wrap to stabilize moving blankets. Tape is more difficult to remove.
• Wrap soft furniture with plastic. This includes couches, mattresses, etc. Use mattress covers or stretch wrap.
• Cover appliances. Use cardboard or moving blankets.
• Use moisture absorbers. These can reduce the formation of mold, mildew, and odors.

Truck Packing Tips

• Dollies can save your back while moving around heavy boxes and furniture.
• Put heavy items at the back end of the truck. Our trucks load at an angle, and this prevents heavy items from crushing lighter ones. Other moving trucks may require you to evenly distribute the weight.
• Pack the truck wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling. You can use all available space.
• Place heavier boxes on the bottom. By putting lighter boxes on top, you avoid crushing them.
• Fill spaces with small and large items. You don’t have to put all your boxes in one area and all your furniture in another.
• Tie down your belongings a section at a time. Mattresses and other soft furniture can be used to hold smaller items in place.
• Secure the truck with a lock when unattended.

Feel free to contact us with any further questions you might have about moving your stuff into storage. Keeping your belongings safe is our primary concern.

Winter Moving Tips

The days are getting shorter, the temperature outside is cooling down, and kids are in the middle of a school year. Winter is a difficult time to move a family, but sometimes there’s no choice. Especially if you are moving to or from the north, it’s important to understand how winter affects the moving process. There are actually some great benefits to choosing this time of year to pack up and move. Here are some winter moving tips to help your family get through a tough situation and arrive at your new home safely and comfortably.

Check the Weather

Keep an eye on the weather for your current location, your destination, and the places in between. Make note of any approaching storms that could change your plans. Weather prediction is difficult, so check it regularly to make sure there aren’t any changes.

Check Traffic

Just like weather, you can also check out the traffic along your moving route. See how congested the roads are on the time and day of the week that you plan to move in the weeks beforehand. Roads can be more hazardous in the winter, and by avoiding the busiest routes, you can keep your family and belongings safer.

Keep Winter Supplies Handy

If you’re moving through harsh winter weather, have the right tools prepared and not packed away. Supplies can be crucial for winter travel, such as a shovel, ice scraper, and cat litter or sand to get your car out of a slippery situation. Also keep gloves, hats, coats, and blankets readily available.

Keep Walkways Safe

Make your walkways safer to traverse by adding salt to the pavement to keep ice from forming and shoveling if snow does form. If you’re moving to a cold, icy location, consider hiring someone in the area to prepare the walkways to your new home for you so they are clear and safe when you arrive.

Prepare the Vehicles

You might worry more about the moving truck, but also keep your own vehicles in mind for your journey. Make sure that they can make the trip, especially if you have a long way to go. Check the treads and air pressure in your tires, check the fluids, and take it in for a checkup if it’s been a while. Keep an emergency kit and blankets in the car just in case.

Stay Warm

It might seem like unnecessarily repeated motherly advice, but dressing in layers is very useful. Especially when you’re doing physical work like moving boxes in cold weather, dressing in layers is an amazing way to keep yourself comfortable. You might need to shed some layers as you work and bundle back up when the going gets easier. It can also be nice to have warm drinks available when everyone gets too chilled.

Hire Professionals

It can always be helpful to hire a professional moving company when you have to move, but this is especially true for winter. Good movers will know how to deal with winter conditions. They also may be able to get the job done faster, more efficiently, and safer than you can. Most movers will have more experience safely driving a large moving truck on winter roads. A major benefit of moving in the winter is that you miss the summer moving rush, so it can be much easier to hire and schedule professionals.

Protect the Floors

If it’s snowy and icy outside your current or future home, take steps to protect the floors from damage as people tread in and out. You can place carpet fragments, old rugs, towels, or even broken-down cardboard boxes on the floors to protect them from wet, dirty shoes. Also have a place where people can wipe their feet when they need to walk on unprotected floors.

Protect Your Belongings

Winter weather can be hard on your belongings. Make sure there’s no snow on the boxes when they’re brought inside, because the water left behind when it melts can cause damage. Also keep in mind how extreme temperature changes can affect different materials. Don’t leave items that are very susceptible to cold weather outside for long.

If you have to move to or from harsh winter conditions, keep these tips in mind. Preparation will make the process much easier than you think. If you want more moving tips, check out our other blogs, such as this one that gives tips for moving your clothes.