How to pack your portable storage in a day

Are you in a hurry to move? Then, you need to be efficient when it comes to packing and loading. Residential movers Columbus Ohio is available to take care of everything for you, if desired. In addition to efficiency, if you are planning to rent portable storage, then you need to act quickly as availability is frequently a challenge during peak moving season. Most folks don’t want to drag moving out any longer than necessary, so here’s some advice on how to pack your portable storage in a day.

Get ready to pack your portable storage in a day

You should be aware that not all storage containers are the same, or suitable for moving. Zippy Shell Columbus, and it’s competitors all have portable storage-style containers. We believe that Zippy Shell’s traditional steel-framed, mesh container is most suitable for moving, as it literally has 100’s of locations to secure and tie items to prevent shifting, whereas the portable storage-style containers don’t. Your renting company will deliver empty portable storage or street-legal Zippy Shell to your address. They will leave onsite portable storage units on the ground for easier loading and unloading, usually as close to your desired placement area as possible. Your portable storage can stay on your property as long as you chose. However, this might not be the case in every neighborhood. Before renting one, check your local regulations whether they prohibit it or not. Street-legal Zippy Shell trailers can, however, be left anywhere a car can park, and is typically loaded in 3 days or less. However, since you want to pack your portable storage in a day, you do not have to worry about these time regulations. It’s better to focus on packing. Once you have your portable storage loaded, the mobile storage company will move it to your new home, or to their storage facility for safekeeping.

Prepare your items

You cannot possibly load your portable storage in a day without packing your items first. It would not be wise to simply randomly place your items inside the portable storage since they could get damaged. For this reason, you have to follow a proven approach in order to ensure your items remain safe and secure.

• Use the same-sized boxes if possible since you can easily put one on a top of another without worrying they will fall down
• Use the right-sized box ensuring each box is filled, so boxes don’t collapse
• Do not overload the boxes since this may cause boxes to break and your items to get damaged
• Make sure to use sturdy cardboard boxes since they are harder to break under the pressure
• Reinforce the top and the bottom of the box with tape

How to pack your portable storage in a day

There is a certain order that you should follow in order to ensure the safety of your items. Further, it is important to create a solid foundation that will not move during transportation. You achieve this by creating a “wall” as you load your container, starting by placing items on the floor, moving left to right, building your wall taller in layers, all the way to the ceiling.  When you are loading your portable storage, ensure that boxes and items are placed as snugly as possible, in order to prevent shifting. In addition, it is very important to distribute weight properly. This means, put heavy items and furniture on the bottom and in the center of the portable storage. Lighter items can go on top of these heavy items.

Fill and maximize space

It is very important to fill any open space with boxes or other smaller items, to provide stability. One example would be the space between boxes and the portable storage’s ceiling. You can put soft items on the top of the boxes, such as bags of linens, pillows, blankets or clothing. Depending on items size and weight, you may consider placing odd-shaped items higher in the container, or near the doors. Consider hanging your bicycle from the Zippy Shell container ceiling, as nothing can be stacked on top of these odd-shaped items.  If you are planning to put large furniture as well, then make sure to remove legs from those pieces. Couches should go on the end of the portable storage in order to maximize the space. Mattresses should be loaded immediately following all your other “square” items, bookending them so that they don’t fall over onto the “odd-shaped” items.

Important items

Even though you would like to pack your portable storage in a day, you should consider not placing everything in your unit. If you’re moving, you may likely need legal documents, important papers, jewelry, medications, and heirlooms. While storage portable storage units are generally safe, you never know what might happen. For this reason, better to have your valuable things close to you. Precaution is always the best approach to a safe move, as some items are simply irreplaceable.

Packing fragile items for your portable storage

Since you probably have fragile items you want to move as well, they have to be packed and secured properly. For this reason, you can use pieces of your clothing, newspaper, and pillows to stabilize and buffer the load filling those empty gaps. You should bubble wrap items made of glass, electronic devices, and china to ensure that they will not get broken during transportation. In addition, you have to protect wooden pieces as well. Place furniture padding overall wooden surfaces. Lastly, cover household appliances and furniture with moving blankets.

Additional tips when you want to pack your portable storage in a day

Here are some additional important tips to follow.

• Protect your items from light exposure – use a layer of cardboard to protect from light and heat exposure, especially if you plan to leave your portable storage out in the open.
• Keep your items from shifting – use loading straps for this purpose; you can choose either ratchet straps or tie-down rope.
• Protect against mold and mildew – no one wants their favorite pieces ruined by mold and mildew. For this reason, place inside moisture absorbers to prevent this unpleasant situation.
• Lock up – lastly, do not forget to lock your portable storage when you are finished loading. Make sure to check twice, just to be sure. Some containers are lockable, while others require the purchase or renting of a lock.

Loading your portable storage

Since you now know all the steps to surely load your portable storage quickly, it is also important to get a good nights rest before you start. If you are loading your portable storage while tired or stressed, you could easily injure yourself or damage something. Alternatively, you may ask Zippy Shell to provide load labor, so that you can rest up during this final phase of moving out.

How to pack your portable storage in a day

Hopefully, this information has helped make your pack and load job easier, less complicated, and should enable you to load your portable storage in a day. Success is always derived from a well made and executed plan.