Storage Help in Vancouver
Most storage units are packed to fit the maximum in, and then the owner discovers that reaching one box at the back means unloading the entire unit onto the corridor floor. Packing for access costs a little space and saves that experience repeatedly.
Packing for access, not just volume
Leave a corridor down the centre. It feels wasteful and it is the difference between retrieving one item in five minutes and spending an afternoon emptying and repacking the unit in a hallway.
Put anything you might genuinely need near the front and label every box on the side facing that corridor rather than on the top — you will be reading them stacked, not from above. Long-term items go at the back and up high; seasonal items stay reachable.
Moisture protection in coastal storage
Our climate is the enemy here even in a good facility. Nothing goes in damp — anything with residual moisture will grow mould in a sealed unit, and fabric and upholstery are the usual casualties.
Keep everything off the concrete floor on pallets or battens, since slabs wick moisture and anything sitting directly on them draws it up. Do not seal furniture in plastic sheeting; it traps condensation against the surface and does more damage than leaving it open. Use breathable covers, and consider a climate-controlled unit for anything genuinely valuable.
What should never go into storage
Anything perishable, which includes food you think is sealed. Anything flammable — fuel, propane cylinders, solvents, paint thinners — which facilities prohibit anyway and for good reason. Batteries, which leak. And in practice, anything irreplaceable: documents, photographs and heirlooms belong somewhere you control.
Drain fuel from mowers and power equipment before storing them. Also worth remembering that a storage unit is not secure in the way a safe is, and that facility insurance rarely covers what people assume. Check what your own policy extends to before assuming anything is covered.
Inventory and labelling
Photograph the unit once it is packed, and keep a simple list of what is in which box. It takes twenty minutes and it converts a unit from a mystery into something you can actually use — and it is what an insurer will ask for if anything happens.
Number the boxes and keep the list on your phone rather than on a sheet of paper in the unit. The most common storage regret is not knowing whether the thing you need is in there at all, and paying rent for two more years because of that uncertainty.
What this costs
$190/hr for two movers · three-hour minimum
Labour only — we do not supply a truck. In-home moves, loading and unloading are all charged the same way, with floor and doorway protection included.
Materials are always separate from labour and passed on at cost. Quotes are free and written, and the full rate card is published rather than given out on request.
Common questions
How do I keep items accessible in storage?
Leave a corridor down the centre, even though it costs space — it is the difference between five minutes and an afternoon. Label boxes on the side facing that corridor rather than the top, since you will read them stacked. Anything you might need goes near the front; long-term items go to the back and up high.
Will my furniture get damp?
It can, in this climate. Nothing goes in damp, everything comes off the concrete floor onto pallets or battens since slabs wick moisture, and furniture should not be sealed in plastic — that traps condensation against the surface. Use breathable covers, and consider climate control for anything genuinely valuable.
What items should not be stored?
Anything perishable, anything flammable — fuel, propane, solvents — which facilities prohibit anyway, and batteries, which leak. Drain fuel from mowers first. And realistically, nothing irreplaceable: documents, photographs and heirlooms belong somewhere you control. Check what your insurance actually covers rather than assuming.