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Winter Moving Tips

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Winter Move

Pro Tips for Moving and storing

The trailer or back of the truck typically isn’t the warmest place on a cold day and definitely not ideal for your fragile items or electronics. The transition from a warm to a cold environment can cause things to break. If you are going to move or store anything fragile or any electronics, be sure they are well wrapped in something that is going to keep them from breaking and offer some insulation

Here are some other dos and don’t for moving in the cold:

Do Protect Items from the Cold

Packing with bubble wrap

Protect your stored items with bubble wrap

Extreme temperatures can make certain items more susceptible to damage. Make sure to use extra wrapping, bubble wrap, thick towels or blankets to protect breakable items and electronics. Remember that containers with liquids can freeze so avoid putting them in the back of the moving truck or into a storage unit. Things like electronics are fine being stored cold as long as you let them cool down and warm up gradually. Consider taking these items with you in the cab of the vehicle to ensure they arrive safely. Check out our YouTube video on packing up breakable dishware.

Do Chose Cardboard Boxes Over Plastic Totes

Everyone loves plastic totes, but there are some drawbacks to using them especially during colder months. Plastic becomes slippery and brittle in the cold making it more susceptible to sliding and falling. And when it hits the ground, it breaks. Cardboard on the other hand has insulating properties for your breakables and its surface doesn’t change during cold weather. This makes it a safer choice for stacking and storing your belongings during the winter.

 

Do Seal Your Boxes with Packing Tape Instead of Masking Tape

Some adhesives get brittle and lose their stickiness in the cold and this is especially true of masking tape. Packing tape once applied to the box won’t release when it gets cold so you don’t have to worry about the box breaking open.

Don’t Pack at the Last Minute

Leaving packing and cleaning to the last minute can make the moving day more chaotic for everyone involved. The sooner you can get things organized, the easier and faster it will be on the moving day. A good declutter before packing starts will be a big help to know what you really want to pack and unpack. We have a little video on decluttering a closet on our YouTube channel.

Do Make Sure Walkways are Clear of Ice and Snow

Shoveling snow

Clearing sidewalks before a move

We make sure that our yards and the entry way to all storage units is free and clear of ice and snow for your safety. You should do the same at home before you start removing boxes from your home. It hurts to slip and fall, never mind having a box land on top of you.

Don’t Move in the Dark

Night comes early during the Canadian winter and moving in the dark can be unsafe for you and your belongings. Try to work out your schedule so you are moving earlier in the day while it’s still light outside. Please also keep in mind that while our yards are lit at night the insides of storage units are not.

Have a safe move and make sure to bring something warm to drink. If you need to warm up you are welcome to stop by the office. We have someone onsite during the day Monday to Friday.

Should You Store It?

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Can you store it?

Should You Store It?

Whether your storage is in a basement, an attic, a garage or a storage unit don’t fill it with things you don’t really want or need. While we’re not going to tackle cleaning out your storage here (a topic for another day), ask yourself these questions before packing things away.

1) Do you need it? This sounds like a simple enough question, but how each of us answers this is highly individual. If you are making an effort to cut back on clutter, try to get real about what “need” means. Defining what is important to you is the first step to efficient storage.

2) Does it work? Don’t let your storage space become the place where broken things go to die! Stop telling yourself, “I’ll fix it one of these days”. If you don’t care enough about the item in question to get it fixed right away, it’s probably not worth keeping.

Broken Watch

Broken Watch

3) Is it clean? Storing clothing and other textile items without having them cleaned first can spell trouble. Moths and other critters are attracted to the dirt on textiles. And body oils will cause fabric to break down over time. Your best defense is to put only clean items into storage. Tools and outdoor equipment, including patio furniture, should also be cleaned before storing to avoid deterioration.

4) Is it yours? It’s amazing how much stuff we can accumulate from others. If you are storing the item in question for a relative or child, consider setting a limit and giving the item back rather than continuing to let it take up valuable storage space.

5) Are you saving it for family? When you save things for family like children or grandchildren, making decisions about what to keep can be a challenge. Often a small amount of carefully chosen and properly stored items can be far more meaningful (and welcome) than an attic’s worth of stuff. Tuck a note about where each piece came from or why it is important to help pass along the stories to the next generation.

6) Will it create a problem if stored? Perishables like food, pet food, plants and potting soils shouldn’t be put into storage as they can create problems by attracting bugs, mice and other pests. Ammunition, chemicals, fertilizers, fireworks and fuels also shouldn’t be stored as they will deteriorate, become unstable and create a fire hazard.

7) Is it irreplaceable? One-of-a-kind items, collectables, jewelry, family photos, and documents like birth certificates and passports should be kept in a safety deposit box or a safe in your home. While storage companies take every precaution to keep things safe and secure break-ins and violent weather can still impact these facilities.

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa

Protecting Items In Storage

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Using a Drop Cover for Protection

Protecting Items with Dust Cover

You’ve made the decision to place your items in storage and now that you have everything
ready go, here are some simple tips to protect what you are storing:

Confounded Condensation
Depending on the weather extremes and humidity in your area, it is possible for condensation
to build up on your stored goods which can cause water and mold damage. A good option to
avoid damage from prolonged moisture exposure is to put a plastic drop sheet on the floor of
your storage unit before placing items in the unit. Using pallets to put your belongings on is
even better, especially if you are storing goods for longer periods of time. Also, leave some
‘breathing space’ (about two finger widths) between stacked items so fresh air circulates
between your belongings.

moving furniture

Man with moving boxes

Don’t Over Stack
When placing boxed items in storage, the temptation is to stack as high as you can reach. Boxes
are only designed to take so much weight and over time might give way under the stress of
over stacking. This can result in entire stacks toppling over. If the items in those boxes are
fragile… well, you get the point. You also need to consider your safety. For this reason, stacks
should only go as high as your natural reach…or the natural reach of the shortest adult
accessing the storage.

Dreaded Dust
Nobody wants to open their unit and find that everything inside is now dust covered. All that
cleaning you did to prepare your goods for storage has been potentially wasted – and let’s face
it: dust is inevitable. So why not use a couple of inexpensive plastic drop sheets to help protect
your items? Drop sheets should be draped loosely around items to encourage air flow but offer
protection from fine dust.

By using these three tips, your stored goods should remain intact, dry and dust free. Be sure to
check out the retail items available for purchase
at our locations to assist with your packing needs. We are here to help you through every step
of your rental process.
You can access more information on our blog site such as the importance of cleaning before you store, as well as make use of our handy
storage calculator to determine the correct unit size for your needs.

Extra Help

This YouTube video has a lot of good information on storage for you as well.

Ron Heizelman – Site Manager, MHS

Porch Pirates, Are They Real?

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Porch Pirates

Keep Your Packages Safe
Pirates have always been something that appear in story books. But lately piracy has become
very real for a lot of online holiday shoppers. The name Porch Pirates sounds cute and maybe
you’re thinking of all the kiddies showing up on your doorstep at Halloween, but these are not
your neighbor’s children in costume. Porch Pirates steal packages from door steps and porches.
Sometimes these thieves will even follow a delivery vehicle and scoop the package right after
it’s been dropped on the doorstep.

As of Sept of this year, nearly one quarter of online shoppers have felt the sting of porch piracy.
The average value a stolen package is about $113.

Some shoppers that have fallen victim to Porch Piracy before have taken it upon themselves to
fight back. People are putting out boxes full of glitter, dog poo or the cat litter to “be taken.”
While we admire people’s creativity why even give thieves a chance?

Between 2010 to 2017, there was a 581% rise in reports of packages stolen off doorsteps. With
porch piracy on the rise, we’d like to offer a solution for keeping your packages safe.
Our office is insured to receive your online orders and we offer this service free of charge to
everyone on our community. It’s our way of helping you have a happy holiday season. For other Self Storage ideas and happenings check out our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/lacombestoragecenter/

How Do You Use This Free Service?
Step 1
When you are online shopping use our office address as the shipping address for your package:
Lacombe Storage: 4014 52 Avenue, Lacombe, AB T4L 2J7

Step 2
Call our office and let us know your name, your phone number and when the package is
expected.
Lacombe: 403-782-1455

Step 3
When the package arrives, our office will text you a pic of the package, text back an day and
time when you can pick it up.
Need to keep the package away from prying eyes? No problem, we can hold the package until
you need it. Just let us know how long you need us to hold it. (Please keep in mind our holiday
hours).

If you are looking for other holiday ideas or hacks check out another one of our Blogs

 

Seller’s Remorse

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Kids, grandma is moving in. It will be so great to have her living here.
Jill speaking to husband – John: What are we going to do with all of mom’s belongings? It won’t fit in the house and she has so much.
John speaking to Mother-in-law – Ethel: Why don’t we have a garage sale before you move. Jill and I can help, and of course Read more

What To Do With All That Paperwork

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Does your business have too much paperwork? Is it taking up office space that could be put to better use? With regulations requiring businesses hold on to their records for up to 10 years, that’s a lot of paper! So, where do you put it?

Consider self-storage for your documents. Here are some reasons why storing paperwork can help your business. Read more

How Self Storage can help during a new build or a renovation

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Is it time to add a little sparkle to your home? Are you planning to renovate? Homeowners usually plan to do some sort of renovations in their life time.

Doesn’t everyone dream about giving their home a fresh new look?  When it comes to renovation, we don’t talk about the stress that goes with it. We don’t talk about – the mess, people coming and going. Where are we going to put everything? Read more

Storage Size Guide

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Self-Storage was developed to help people and businesses who are going through a transition. Whether you are moving, downsizing or expanding here is how to pick the right size storage space.

5×10 Unit (50 sq. ft.)

For Residential Use: This size is ideal for storing the contents of a dorm room or bachelor apartment, including a number of boxes, small mattress set, chairs and a bookshelf. This size is also great for storing seasonal sporting equipment, bicycles or even a motorcycle. For Businesses and Community Organizations: this is a good size for storing things you don’t need on a regular basis like older files, spare office furniture or seasonal items. A storage space this size can hold about 80 file boxes and still give you a little room to maneuver.  Read more

The Truth about Your New Year’s Resolution to Get Organized

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It’s hard to keep our New Year’s resolutions. In fact, now that it’s the end of January those New Year’s resolutions may already be in the review mirror. Was one of those resolutions to get organized and stay organized? There’s a lot we pack into each year, and for that reason a nebulous goal of “getting organized and staying organized” may be hard to achieve. Don’t give up! Here are some smaller goals that are easy to achieve that will help you reach that ultimate goal of being organized. Read more

Relocating – How to Make the Move Better!

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The time has come and you have decided to move for your job, your family, or maybe both. Whether you are moving across the province or the country, relocating is a big commitment, and a big job! Here are a 10 tips from an expert to help make the move better:

Read more