Category: Packing

Moving can be a daunting task, but the process of unpacking becomes significantly easier when you approach it strategically from the packing stage. One effective way to streamline the unpacking process is to go through your home before the move, leaving notes indicating where items will be placed in the new layout.

When packing, conduct a thorough walkthrough of your current home to determine how to label boxes based on their intended locations in the new space. For instance, if your office is currently situated on the main floor but will be relocated to the basement in the new home, pack the office belongings and label them for the basement.

Detailed Labeling and Seamless Organization

Providing detailed labeling during packing is crucial for a smooth unpacking experience.

Many areas of the house can present their challenges during unpacking: sometimes we lose storage space in one area, or we miss a built-in cupboard we had in the old house. We recommend while visiting the new home, to take pictures of storage places- cupboards and closets.

Linen closet? Under the stairs storage area? New walk-in? These are useful references you can use as you pack. That will help with labeling for the accurate spot in the new home. From our experience, at Vancouver In the Box, there is one area that most likely will be challenging due to a different layout. This is the kitchen, that tends to be particularly tricky.

The best way to start unpacking the kitchen

To navigate the complexities of unpacking the kitchen, start by associating items with large, immobile kitchen appliances like the fridge, dishwasher, and stove. Consider the proximity to the stove when placing items like spices, utensils, pots, and pans for easy access during cooking.

For added convenience in the kitchen, take into account your dominant hand when deciding where to place utensils or whether to keep them on the counter. Drawing from our experience of unpacking thousands of kitchens with varying layouts, we’ve compiled five essential tips to make the process smoother:

• Countertop Organization: Identify outlets on the countertop and strategically place frequently used appliances such as the toaster and coffee machine.
• Shelf Placement: Arrange the most useful dishes on the most accessible shelves, even if they were initially meant for a different purpose. For instance, keep mugs close to the coffee machine.
• Utensils and Spices: Store utensils and spices near the stove for convenient access during cooking.
• Glassware Organization: Divide wine glasses into upright layers instead of horizontal, applying a similar principle to other dishes.
• Avoid Clutter: Refrain from placing many frequently used items in the same spot, especially around your preparation area. For example, keep cutlery away from the drawer under the cutting board to minimize interruptions during food preparation.

By incorporating these practical tips, you can transform the often challenging task of unpacking into a well-organized and efficient process, creating a seamless transition to your new home.

Don’t want to deal with the unpacking? Contact us today! Our experienced professional team will pack and unpack your home, so you can relax.

As experts in packing and unpacking services for 15 years, we have been collaborating with numerous moving companies throughout the Metro Vancouver area, gaining valuable insights into the common pitfalls that can turn a move into a nightmare.

Six Essential Moving Tips

Here are six essential tips to ensure a seamless and stress-free moving experience:

1. Balancing Cost and Quality: The pitfalls of choosing a moving company solely based on price can often lead to unexpected expenses and a chaotic moving experience. Prioritizing service quality over price is crucial to avoid the domino effect of mishaps during your move.

2. There is no such thing as an ‘average’ two-bedroom apartment when it comes to determining your moving needs. The number of boxes and items can vary significantly from one apartment to another. To ensure an accurate estimate and a smooth moving process, it’s essential to have the moving company conduct either a video tour or an in-home survey. This way, they can assess your home, plan for the required number of movers, select an appropriately sized truck, and determine the necessary supplies for your specific situation.

3. Two men and a truck? Always choose to have more people and finish the move in less time. It’s important to remember that even two movers are human, and their energy levels can wane after seven hours of labor. As a result, the ninth hour of work can easily stretch into double the time, increasing the risk of accidents when fatigue sets in.

4. The elevator disaster: If you move from or to an apartment building, you are most likely having to book the elevator. In areas like Yale Town or Olympic Village in Vancouver, you typically have a limited window of time, usually around 2-4 hours, to use the elevator exclusively for your move. Now, imagine if the movers underestimate the loading time, causing delays. The consequence? You’ll either face penalties for exceeding the allotted elevator time or, even worse, share the elevator with others, resulting in a more prolonged and challenging move.

5. Incurring Additional Costs Due to Traffic Delays: Consider a scenario where you’re relocating from Richmond, BC, to West Vancouver. Your movers need to traverse two bridges, and it’s crucial for them to arrive before the rush-hour traffic begins. This ensures a smoother and more efficient move, as well as potential cost savings.

6. Insurance Considerations: Many moving companies base their insurance coverage on the weight of your belongings. If you happen to possess a high-value item that is also lightweight, you may not receive adequate compensation in the event of an accident. It’s essential to inform your movers about any valuable items and secure proper insurance coverage for them. Our top recommendation to clients is this: Maintain your home insurance on moving day. Inform your insurance broker of your relocation plans and ensure that your possessions are covered for their actual value during the moving process.

Packing Services by Vancouver in the Box

In one sentence: A planned move is a smooth move. For a stress-free move, trust us to make it a smooth journey. We pack – you relax.

What to consider when your moving requires ferry travel?

From 2020 to today, we have packed and moved three times as many clients to Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Sunshine Coast.

The number of clients moving from Metro Vancouver to Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and to the Sunshine Coast, has increased steadily in the past 3 years. During 2022, 9% of the clients we have packed moved to the islands and to the sunshine coast. The year before in 2021 there were 6.5% and in 2020 3.5%.

We always say: a planned move is a smooth move; this is even more critical when your move requires ferry travel. So, what to consider when your move is a ferry move?

Even though you are staying within the boundaries of BC when moving to one of the Islands, not everything you have at home is allowed to be in a box on a truck on a ferry.

Packing Tips for Ferry Travel

Cleaning supplies: Household cleaning supplies, sprays, liquids, or powder present hazards in a truck on a ferry. A leak in one of the products can cause a reaction with another product or due to a change in the temperature. If they are placed in a closed box in a truck, it will be hard to find the problem during the travel time. The safest way to transport household cleaners will be in your personal car. We can still pack those items while all bottles upright and well-sealed. We will leave the box open and ask our clients to transport this box in their personal car where they can monitor any change.

Flammable items: propane tank, fire extinguisher, portable fuel tank (full), and compressed air tank can be transported on the ferry. However, these are all flammable and can start a fire, especially when they are placed in the truck. In this case, just like we do with chemical cleaners, we advise our clients to place those items in their personal cars where they can monitor any changes.

Food: If you are moving directly to a new home, you can transfer all food items with you. But if you transfer your belongings to a storage locker for a few weeks or months you can’t store food at all because food attracts rats. Even when the food items are well-sealed the smell attracts critters and bugs.

Our Packing Services will Make Your Move Smoother

How can you remember what goes where? You don’t have to. As we do our first packing consultation, we let our clients know about the requirements. Our packers are well-trained to spot those items and will advise you how to handle them on packing day as well. Contact us today for a free estimate.

More about ferry dangerous goods can be found here https://www.bcferries.com/travel-boarding/dangerous-goods/list-of-common-items.

Post-pandemic mobility trends

More moves to Alberta and to Vancouver Island, and some are coming back to Vancouver.

Comparing mobility trends for the past 3 years, we see similarities between 2020 and 2022 compared to the “Core of the pandemic year” 2021. Does it mean that we are back to routine? Look at our numbers.

The numbers are taken from our database of hundreds of clients we have packed in the past 3 years 2020-2022. Since we work with most of the movers in the lower mainland, they have seen a similar trend.

Moving away from the city

During 2021, what we call the “Core” year of the pandemic, about 11% of clients we have packed moved out of Vancouver to the suburbs and the Okanagan (2%). These are mainly families, where the parents moved their office into the house or apartment and needed more outdoor space for the kids and working space for themselves. This number shrank in 2022 to 9%; closer to what it was in 2020 – 8%.

Moves within the city of Vancouver

We see a change in the pattern regarding clients we have packed and moved within the city of Vancouver. 51% of those we have packed moved internally within the city of Vancouver, competing with 36% that moved within the city of Vancouver in 2020, and this year in 2022, 31%.

Coming back to Vancouver in 2022

While 2020 and 2021 are very similar, in each year only 0.5% of the clients we packed moved from the suburbs to Vancouver, in 2022, this number increased to 2%.

Moving within the Suburbs

Our clients in other cities in Metro Vancouver usually move within the same area. This includes about 15%-17% of our overall clients every year. Especially clients we packed in Richmond (3% each year) move into another house but stay in Richmond. As well as on the North Shore (North Vancouver and West Vancouver). In 2020 and 2022 6% of the clients we packed moved within North and West Vancouver, while in 2021 this number increased to 8%.

Moving to the Islands and sunshine coast

This year, 9% of the clients who used our residential packing services, moved to Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, and the Gulf Islands. This is close to 3 times the number of clients who moved to the Islands in 2021 (3.5%) and third more of clients who moved there in 2020 (6.5%).

Out of the province and overseas

Since we also pack boxes for long-distance and international moves, we saw a change there as well. Of those who moved from BC to other provinces in 2022 (10%), about 50% moved to Alberta. This Is 3 times more than the previous year. In 2020, 6.5% moved out to other provinces and among them, 1.5% to Alberta. During the core year of the pandemic in 2021, only 1.5% moved to other provinces, and a third of them to Alberta. Regarding international moves, in 2022 when international transportation started getting back to normal, we packed 4% of our clients for international moves, mainly to the USA. This number is similar to 2020 when 5% of our clients moved to the USA. During the core year of the pandemic, only 0.5% of the clients shipped their belongings overseas.

Moving to storage

Every year there is a solid percentage of clients who move their belongings to storage. In 2022 and 2020, Vancouver in the Box packed 20% of our client’s belongings into a temporary storage solution. However, in 2021 this number dropped down to 14%. Overall, there weren’t any fewer moves during 2021, but there were more domestic moves.

Overall, we see similarities between the numbers in 2020 and 2022. This means that moving trends are back to normal compared to the situation in 2021. But some trends are getting stronger, this includes moves to the Islands and from those who are moving out of the province, Alberta is the most popular for young families.

 

Limor Friedman, Director Vancouver In The Box

You may be moving a few blocks away just in Metro Vancouver or all the way from Vancouver to the Island or even to Kelowna. Everything can happen on the way and we want to save you another stressful factor during your moving process.

“The suitcase”

Prior to our residential packing day, we always ask clients to have a “moving day suitcase” ready. In this suitcase, you should pack essential items like medication, MSP card, some clothes and toiletries, a towel, important documents and yes -passports! This bag will go with you. Never send it in the moving truck. No matter the distance of the move everything can happen! (We have a full list here below)

Major weather event like the one we experienced in BC in November 2021 when major roads washed away and metro Vancouver disconnected from the entire country, can happen on a small scale and if it impacts you it doesn’t matter how many others are in the same boat, you want to be ready.

In fact, it is a major event if it happened to you and impacts you.

• We have had clients that couldn’t unload their belonging because the house flooded overnight in Victoria BC.
• We have had clients that last-minute city permits or toxic hazards prevented them from entering their new home.
• We have had clients that couldn’t reach their new homes because of wildfires in the Okanagan during the summer.
• We have had clients that left for the Okanagan In November 2021 and were waiting for the truck to arrive, but the roads were washed and that delayed their move by 3 weeks.

Always have an essential belonging in a suitcase – thinking what will you need if you are going for a few nights somewhere?

Here is a list of essential items you should carry with you in the car on moving day:

• Car keys
• Passport
• Toiletries
• Clothes for 2 days
• Towels
• Medication
• Baby’s food and diapers
• Important documents (related to the house, contract etc.)
• Cash
• Credit cards
• Chargers!
• Back up for your computer files.
• Snacks and
• Cutlery/ plates for the first 2 days after the move.

“The plan B”

Now when you have a suitcase ready you can be separated from your belonging and still be stress–free.

Another thing we recommend especially when moving over to the Island and taking a ferry or moving to the interior. We always have a plan B for clients in case they will have to store their belonging for a few days or a few weeks. Imagine if they had to open packed boxes to find essential items they need for a few days? Or how expansive it can be to go and buy new clothes?

When our team arrives on packing day, the team leader will always do a walkthrough with you, to find out what essentials you wish to carry with you. If we find a passport or a charger, we will point it out and ask in case you just forgot. Most moves end up smoothly, but even then, after a long day, you shouldn’t be looking for your toothbrush in a box. You should just open a suitcase find everything you need and get a good sleep in your new home.

We pack – You relax

1. Before you start packing:

The biggest mistake people do when their house is sold and they have a closing day is to buy boxes and start packing. Yes, residential packing takes a lot of time but, a long time before you start boxing your belonging, your best step is to de-clutter and get rid of items you don’t need.

2. “I don’t have a lot of stuff”:

It’s very common to underestimate how much stuff we have. When everything we have is inside cupboards and drawers it is hard to imagine how many boxes, we need to move our belongings. Most people will look around and think, “I don’t have a lot of stuff “. Packing a small kitchen in a 1-2-bedroom apartment takes about 10-15 boxes. An Ikea bookcase with 5 shelves needs to be cleared into 8-10 boxes. Instead of assuming, try to walk inside your house like a stranger and write down room by room how many boxes you think you have. To be safe, always overestimate and add 15% extra.

3. “Free boxes”:

As much as you like to reuse and recycle, before picking up free used boxes from friends or a back alley of a store, make sure you know where these boxes were used before. Insects like bedbugs and silverfish live inside cardboard boxes. If your friend has a cat and you are allergic to cats, your packing task will turn into a nightmare. Few companies in metro Vancouver will rent out plastic boxes that will always arrive clean to your home and will be picked up after you are done unpacking.

4. Where to start:

Start with seasonal items and things you don’t use frequently. A day before the move: pack important documents, passports, and MSP cards with toiletries and clothes you will need for the next 2 days in a suitcase and place them in your car before the movers arrive.

5. What not to pack:

Finally, leave all the keys to your old house (storage, garage, shed…) and all appliances’ manuals in one spot for the new owner.

The hazardous items:

There are a few items that can put everyone in a big danger and can’t get packed into a box and sent in the moving truck; first is the propene tank – big or small, please carry it in your car and make sure you can see and control it during the move even if it’s a 5-minute drive. Second is the cylinder tank that the household used for the soda stream maker (or any other oxygen tank like a divers tank). The third is the fire extinguisher. These items can explode while in the box inside the truck.

Our client & employee safety precautions

None of our team members have traveled outside of Canada for the last two weeks, nor are they showing any symptoms of illness. Anyone that does not meet these criteria will not be allowed to work.

For your protection and ours, all packers are required to wear masks and gloves. Masks may be taken off if the packer judges it necessary.

Preparation for packing day

Please designate one person to interact with our staff on moving day. Avoid bringing “helpers” and make sure children are in a separate area while we are working.

We will confirm the following on our 24-hour confirmation call

Please do not provide our packers with food or drinks. We will bring our own.

Before our arrival, please make sure all windows are opened and there is airflow in the space.

Please keep in mind your home is our workspace

We will do our best to work while keeping our distance – we ask that you do the same, and avoid staying in the same room as our workers.

Please designate a washroom for our team to use. Each one of our packers has a personal towel and personal hand soap.

If our team finds the job site environment to be too dirty, too crowded or if anyone is showing symptoms or not cooperating, we may choose to stop the work and reschedule. We ask that you respect this decision.

Please have your own pen ready to sign documents at the end of the day.

Our boxes and supplies

We never transfer boxes from house to house. Not only because of the coronavirus but also because we want to avoid bringing bugs or pet hair to a new home.

When using reusable boxes we work with suppliers who always ensure to bring us clean and sanitized boxes.

We only use new wrapping paper and never reuse paper between jobs. This way we can avoid bringing unwanted debris, dust or residue into your new home.

A planned move is a safe and smooth move. 

Our Packing Standards

Coronavirus hasn’t changed how we work, but it has emphasized the standards we have upheld at “Vancouver In The Box” for a decade.

1. Packing with cardboard boxes

Since our first day in the packing business, it’s been our role to bring new cardboard boxes to our clients.

We never transfer boxes from house to house. Not only because of the coronavirus –  but also to avoid bringing bugs or pet hair into a new home. Bugs can live inside cardboard boxes and they can be difficult to discover.

2. Packing with reusable plastic boxes

When using reusable boxes we work with suppliers to make sure that every box is clean and sanitized.

Our suppliers remove any trash left in boxes, spray them with compressed air to get rid of dust, and wipe them down with biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner and sanitizer, both inside and out.

3. Wrapping paper

Even before the coronavirus outbreak, we’ve never reused paper between jobs. We don’t think it’s right to re-use paper and potentially spread germs or dust from one house to another.

4. Personal protection

Our professional packers are all provided with disposable gloves for their own protection. These days, it’s mandatory to use disposable gloves. Our packers replace their gloves frequently throughout the workday.

Only healthy employees will enter your home. Because we work in people’s most personal spaces such as bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, we make sure all of our employees stay home even if they have a simple cold. All sick employees are told to stay home and rest.

We pack – you relax.

Vancouver is full of free and green resources that can help you declutter before you start packing. 

We always recommend that our clients make sure they take only what they want to a new home. In other words – it’s time to get rid of “stuff”.  

One great thing about Vancouver is that the city has many eco-friendly resources to help you de-clutter for free, or almost free. With many of these services, you don’t even have to leave the house.

Here are our best green resources…

1. Throw a party

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Start with a giveaway VIP party! Invite friends and family to pick through items you no longer need. Designate the day and time, and make it a fun event. Whatever is left can be donated or sold at a yard sale. 

2. Donate without leaving the house

Get rid of clothing you haven’t worn for the last two years, extra toys and unwanted furniture. Once you have finished, call the Recycling BC hotline. They can tell you which organization will pick up donations from your door.
RCBC hotline: 604-7329253 

3. Recycle

Have you ever wondered what to do with old electronics such as cell phones, printers, DVDs, batteries or other items you can’t leave in the “Blue Box”? Click here to learn where to recycle different materials.

4. Where to dispose of a mattress

Most organizations do not accept mattresses as a donation – either because of limited storage space or because they are afraid of bedbugs. 

Burnaby will pick up large appliances and mattresses for free, you just need to let them know. Click here to learn more

If you are in another city you can arrange an affordable pick up with a non-profit organization. Click here for more details

5. Consign, auction, or sell online

There are some great consignment stores in Vancouver! Before you show up call to find out what they accept. Some stores only accept seasonal items or have an item minimum. Others may not be accepting new items. The good news is, if you manage to get in, you will get some money back. 

If you choose to sell through an online platform remember to be patient. You will have to invest time talking to people and meeting with them.

Get rid of unwanted items, and make room for new things in your new home! 

We pack – you relax.