Helpful things to know before renting out a Portable Storage unit in Vancouver

With the housing prices in Metro Vancouver soaring, people are moving into smaller and smaller spaces to try to reduce the cost of rent. But sometimes, you just need more space. Usually, it’s not more space to live in, but more space to store your stuff. What is a solution to this problem? Portable storage units! In this article we would like to offer some advice on this topic.

How to prevent damage to fragile items in storage

If what you are storing are small fragile items, it is wise to individually wrap them in bubble wrap before putting them in boxes. If they are not so easily broken, a time-saving way to pack a lot of small lighter items into boxes is to fill the boxes with expanded polystyrene (packing peanuts) or newsprint. You may be tempted to just use old newspaper instead of newsprint. Newsprint is unprinted newspaper. These are relatively inexpensive at stationery stores or stores that provide packing supplies. The risk with using old newspaper is that the ink of the paper may come off and stain your items.

How to maintain efficient access to your stored items

The type of boxes used are important in packing for storage. You may be able to tape of a cardboard box up and stack them up on top of each other easily. However, an advantage plastic storage tubs have over cardboard boxes is that they have a resealable lid. If you will access your items multiple times a year, it is not practical for you to always cut open your cardboard box and find tape to reseal it again. With a plastic storage box, you will always have easy access to what you need throughout the year. plastic storage boxes can also guard against water better than cardboard.

Storing furniture in Vancouver: prevent mould and mildew!

The biggest culprit to furniture damage when storing them away is mould. From our previous article on moving with mould in Vancouver, we know that mould loves moisture. To prevent mould, the first thing to remember is to ensure your furniture is clean and well-treated. For wooden furniture, it is worthwhile to invest some time into polishing it and treating it with linseed oil or furniture polish. This will decrease the chances of mould. With leather furniture, polish and wax the leather to repel moisture from seeping. It is also recommend to prevent your furniture from leaning against a storage room wall. This will allow for maximum air circulation around the furniture. Remember to keep it off the ground by elevating it on wooden pallets! Plastic wrapping your furniture is not recommended, since it is least breathable and will retain moisture. Instead, use a porous light fabric or cloth to cover your furniture.

The best position and composition to store furniture in Vancouver

Because furniture is designed to be stored in their upright position, it is best also to store them in this way. You may be tempted to use your Tetris skills and arrange them in the best possible way to get everything to fit. However, storing furniture in this way may cause damage due to improper weight distribution, and may warp its shape.

Purchase insurance for your valuables in Portable Storage

Do you have home insurance or renter’s insurance already in place? According to our research, a lot of policies (TD, Canadian Direct, Westland) include off-premises property protection for a variety of things. However, depending on the policy, there are restrictions. Aside from deductibles and maximum limitations, there are a list of things that the homeowner’s or renter’s insurance will not cover or will be limited on covering. Take note of various valuables like stamp collections, jewelry and furs, bicycles, and other more expensive items specifically listed on your policy. Other things to take note of is whether the policy will cover loss or damaged due to vandalism, theft, fire, earthquake, and other natural disasters.

After reviewing your home insurance policy, you may feel that it is not enough to cover your valuables in storage. At this point, you have two options. One is to buy insurance provided by the storage facility. The other is to buy storage insurance from a third-party insurer in addition to the insurance provided by your portable storage unit company. There are many different policies out there for storage insurance. It may be helpful to contact a local broker to find the best policy for your needs.

How to Contact Ferguson Moving & Storage

For a trusted Moving Company and portable storage unit solutions, contact  Ferguson Moving & Storage online or call us at 604-922-2212 today!