Packing and Moving Tips: Securing Your Possessions in MI-BOX Portable Containers

April 5, 2013February 14, 2017Articles

MI-BOX portable storage containers can be loaded front-to-back, floor-to-sealing. But how do you secure your items if your container is not fully loaded?

Shrink-Wrap for Packing and Moving

One “secret weapon” that professional movers use is shrink-wrap. Group items closely together and then wrap shrink-wrap around them several times so that if they do shift a little, they will shift as a unit.

D-rings and Tie-downs for Packing and Moving

Another method is to use tie-downs to keep your items from shifting. Many of our locations, including your Dallas MI-BOX dealership, are installing D-rings in our portable storage containers so that you can use straps or rope to secure your belongings. Unlike some of our competitors, our D-rings are installed to the steel frame, not to the walls. Why does this matter? D-rings installed in the walls of the container have to be anchored by puncturing the wall, which creates a possible entry- point for rain-water. Additionally, the stress of securing items to a D-ring on the wall can actually pull the rivits out of wall panels, exposing your valuable possessions to the elements.

Questions About Packing and Moving Using Portable Storage? Give Us a Call!

All MI-BOX Moving & Mobile Storage dealerships are locally owned-and-operated, so you can talk to the people who know the business, not a call center. In the greater Dallas – Fort Worth dealership, call 214-377-6016. If you need help outside of our service area, call our toll-free number 866-642-6999.

Compare MI-BOX and PODS® portable storage containers in these two case studies.

September 29, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

The Dallas – Ft. Worth metroplex was hit hard by hail storms during the month of August 2012, and we’d like to share two case studies from those storms.

Case Study #1: PODS® plastic roof vs. hail storm

As you may know, we had a number of strong tornadoes hit the DFW area in April of 2012. We ended up serving a number of customers in the storm recovery in Forney, east of Dallas, and just lately, one in Lancaster, south of Dallas. The Lancaster customer originally ordered two portable storage units from PODS®, and they sat out on her yard for about five months, holding all the salvaged possessions from her devastated home while it was being rebuilt.

Unfortunately, PODS® containers have plastic roofs, and after a full summer in the Texas sun, a major hail storm seems to have cracked the roof on one of the PODS® containers (it may have already suffered previous damage as the PODS®container showed evidence of repair). Her possessions were soaked by the rain and many things she was saving were ruined. She called MI-BOX, and we told her about our aluminum roofs. Our new customer now has consolidated her remaining belongings from her PODS®containers into a MI-BOX mobile storage container and is telling all her friends and neighbors the story. Update: Our customer tried for several weeks to get PODS® to take her claim, but they would not return her calls. In exasperation, she told her story to local news stations — you can see her story at NBC5 and FOX4. Unfortunately, the nice things she said about us and her good friends at NAPO-DFW ended up on the cutting-room floor, but rest assured that at MI-BOX, you deal with the people who know and run the business, so there’s never any call-center run-around.

Case Study #2: MI-BOX aluminum roof vs. hail storm

MI-BOX portable container that came through severe hail storm with no leaks

We had one portable storage container sitting outdoors that was hit by hail during a storm that was so severe that the apartment complex where it sat had its brand-new roof utterly destroyed, with daylight visible from holes all the way through the shingles and decking. What happened to the MI-BOX? It had dimples in the aluminum roof and no other damage at all. It needs no repair and is continuing in service. All MI-BOX portable storage containers in Texas have one-piece aluminum roofs which provide much, much greater protection against hail and other falling perils, and there’s no risk of sun-fade damage from the intense sun in the southern states. Also, the interior stays cooler since the aluminum reflects most of the sun’s radiant heat. If you are storing outdoors in Texas, MI-BOX reflective aluminum roofs can make all the difference.We believe that MI-BOX mobile storage containers are the best in the industry — compare us to PODS® and Pack-Rat and decide for yourself!

Commercial Customers Needing a Mobile Storage Container

May 29, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

Getting Your Mobile Storage Container to Your Customer When Emergencies Happen

One thing we have learned serving commercial customers at MI-BOX is that quality service from your mobile storage container vendor on your schedule matters. Business is built by keeping commitments with customers and being there when they need you. If you are not there when you are needed, then you may not be needed at all. At MI-BOX, we understand how important it is to serve our commercial customers in the same way they serve their customers. Many of our trips are serving restoration contractors who need a high quality mobile storage container on their customer’s site and need it quickly. Fires and floods do not happen on a schedule or just when it is convenient (when would that be?), so if it means we work long days to meet the need, then that is what we do.

Customer Service to Match the High-Quality MI-BOX Mobile Storage Container

We have earned the business of many mobile storage container customers by helping them solve emergency delivery situations. Many companies tell customers that they must wait days for delivery or pickup of their mobile storage container, and in some cases this may be OK, but in many cases it is not.

When You’re Done with your Mobile Storage Container …

MI-BOX truck leaving the warehouse, on its way to deliver a portable storage container

Another important factor is pickup schedule for the mobile storage container. Sometimes our customers have limitations on the amount of time they can have a mobile storage container in their retail lot, and when they are finished using it, we need to get it out quickly, so that is what we do. MI-BOX is your local mobile storage container company that is built on customer service, so emergencies are our specialty. When you need help and are tired of hearing “no” from other companies, give MI-BOX a call and let us bring you a mobile storage container fast.

Portable Storage Container – Design

March 7, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

Look “Underneath the Hood” of Your Portable Storage Container and Compare

Most people who need to move or store their goods give no thought to the quality of their portable storage container, shopping on price alone. Price is important, and the Dallas MI-BOX dealership will always match our major competitors with your quote, but it is important to consider the quality of your portable storage container when picking the right storage container for your goods. Often overlooked is what’s underneath your portable storage container. If you could see under your container (hint: you can when they are on the delivery truck), you would see some kind of a sub-frame that supports the interior floor and gives room for a fork lift to pick up your container in a warehouse or storage yard. If that sub-frame is made of wood, it will wick up water if it sits out in rain, much like a wooden fence around your yard.

Steel Sub-frame Won’t Wick Water into Your Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container

MI-BOX portable storage container being extended off the back of the truck; shows steel sub-frame that won't wick-up water from the ground

Wicking up water from under your portable storage container and bringing moisture inside your container contributes to mold or a generally musty smell to your goods. Severe water infiltration can be a more serious problem. All Dallas MI-BOX portable storage containers have an all-steel sub-frame that does not wick up water even if it is sitting in a low spot of standing water. This protection keeps your goods dry and fresh smelling, two important considerations when storing in a portable storage container.

Sealing Your Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container

Beyond keeping water from wicking up from below, all of our Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container panels are seam-sealed, and where the panels contact the steel frames, our containers have a compressed neoprene-type gasket seal to keep even blowing rains out. Add to that the three weather-seal gaskets on the door of all Dallas MI-BOX portable storage containers (one on the bottom and one each on the interior and exterior tracks of our roll-up doors), and you have a container that gives your goods the protection they need. You might say, “My portable storage container is going to be stored in the MI-BOX warehouse, so why should I care? Well, consider the Texas weather. What if the rain comes while you are loading or as we are carrying your container between locations? You need a box that will keep your goods dry. There are a lot of reasons that a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container will protect your furniture, household, and business goods, but the best reason always comes back to service. Call us and let us show you how it feels to deal with people who care about you, your family, your business, and your portable storage container.

Portable Storage Containers – Construction

February 22, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

Safety of Your Possessions Depends on the Construction of Your Portable Storage Containers

How portable storage containers are constructed can make all the difference in the world to your valuable possessions stored inside. It’s easy to look at a portable storage container and conclude that it’s just a box to put your stuff in, but when you consider the value of what you are usually storing, there are a few attributes that are really important to consider when looking to use portable storage containers.

MI-BOX Portable Storage Containers Keep Your Valuables Safe from Weather

First, are your portable storage containers weather-tight? You may be planning to do your loading and unloading on nice, sunny days, but what happens if you see rain clouds on the horizon while your portable storage containers are sitting out on your street, driveway, or lot? A hard blowing rain can get in a lot of places. At MI-BOX Moving and Mobile Storage, our containers have rubber weather gaskets around the doors at the sides, and on the bottom. They also have a rain-shedding brush at the top of the door opening. Finally, they are sealed with a special neoprene gasket between all mating surfaces, and the roof is resealed, a second time, after the single aluminum sheet is affixed to the frame, insuring a weather-tight container that will keep your possessions dry in a storm. Your possessions are protected from the rain in a MI-BOX Mobile storage container

Your possessions are protected from the rain in a MI-BOX Mobile storage container

Also worth considering is the floor construction of your portable storage containers. If they are made of wood or metal planks, they may leak water from the underside, especially if they have to be transported by truck during a rain-storm. What is under the floor? Is it wood, or metal? MI-BOX portable storage containers have an all-steel sub-frame that means that they will not “wick up” water into the container, and the floor panels are sealed so that they will not leak from the under-side, even if they are carried in a downpour, throwing water up against the under-side of the portable storage containers

Steel Makes MI-BOX Portable Storage Containers Strong

Next, consider the strength of your portable storage containers. Are the walls made of plastic or steel? Ours are made of DuraPlate™, a product made from two layers of steel with a composite core and a baked on finish. Panel joinery is by sealed lap seams insuring a water-tight connection. There are containers on the market where the whole box is made from corrugated metal, and others made of blow-molded plastic. Next time you see one in a parking lot, walk over and take a look – you can see the quality difference. At MI-BOX, we take pride in having the quality of our containers. When it is holding your family’s possessions, why take a chance with anything less than the best portable storage containers in the industry?

Dallas MI-BOX Mobile Storage Containers – Safety of Your Possessions

January 30, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

What Do You Need to Consider in Order to Protect Your Possessions in Mobile Storage Containers?

Have you given much thought to the safety of your goods in Dallas MI-BOX Moving & Mobile Storage containers when in storage? It is something we get a lot of questions on so I thought it would be useful to write a quick post to talk about some of the important things we do, and some you can do, to secure your possessions when you are moving with a mobile storage container in Dallas whether it is a MI-BOX, a PODS® container, or any other mobile storage provider.The key to success with your contents is in packing your mobile storage containers well and storing things that are OK to store for long periods of time. The odds of a truck having a wreck with your goods on board or a tornado, flood, or warehouse fire during storage are really very small. The greatest dangers come from poor packing and storing things that should not be stored for long periods.

Packing for Moving and Storing in Mobile Storage Containers

Mobile storage containers must be packed tightly, not allowing the contents to shift when the container is moving down the bumpy road. Pack it just like a rental moving truck, because when it’s on the back of the MI-BOX delivery truck, that’s just what your Dallas MI-BOX mobile storage container is. You can find packing help on our site and many others. I would also recommend going to YouTube and searching for videos on “how to pack a moving truck.” I have done this search, and there are many good videos with great info that costs you nothing but your time. The best single piece of advice is to pack the mobile storage containers full, going from low to high. Never pack the front half to the ceiling and leave the back half empty.

Use Quality Mobile Storage Containers in our Dallas Warehouse

MI-BOX portable storage containers at our secure warehouse

Next, be sure that your mobile storage containers are weather-tight. I have heard many stories where someone had a container out in the rain but the container was one of poor quality, and it leaked, damaging their goods. Like anything that is to be packed for a long period of time, the contents of your mobile storage containers must be packed dry. All Dallas MI-BOX mobile storage containers have solid aluminum sheet roofs that reflect the heat and are sealed against rain. They can live outdoors 365 days a year safely. We also store in a secure warehouse where the air is not allowed to sit and get stale nor is it allowed to freeze and thaw promoting condensation. The more humid the climate, the more this matters. Please feel free to give us a call if you have any more questions about the safety of your possessions in a Dallas MI-BOX mobile storage containers.

Mobile Storage Container or Self-Storage?

January 23, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

How Do You Know Whether a Mobile Storage Container or a Self-Storage Unit is the Right Fit for Your Needs?

I often am asked if a Mobile Storage Container makes sense for someone or if they should use a mini-warehouse self-storage facility. That is a great question, and there are times when each makes sense, so I thought I would point out a few things to consider when deciding between a Mobile Storage Container and a fixed self-storage facility. The main factors to consider are: Where do you need the storage? How often will you access it? And finally, what is your time worth?

A Mobile Storage Container Can Be at Your Location or at a Secure Warehouse

First and foremost in determining the fit of a Mobile Storage Container for your need is how you are going to use it. If you need the storage at your home, say, for a project where you will be continually moving things in and out of your house or garage, then a Mobile Storage Container is a good fit. If you are simply going to deposit a bunch of stuff on one trip and not touch it again for some time, then a self-storage facility or an Mobile Storage Container stored remotely may work. In that case, deciding between the two may be driven by how easily you can load it. If you have a big truck and trailer and can make one or two trips, then a self-storage facility may work fine. If you don’t have these and would have to make many trips, then a Mobile Storage Container may be right for you as it means you don’t need a truck. If you are going to access the Mobile Storage Container or self-storage daily, then a Mobile Storage Container on your property or a nearby self-storage facility may work well for you. Consider, though, how frequent trips to the self-storage facility may add up to more time than you think. If you are not going to access the storage once it’s loaded, then an Mobile Storage Container is ideal as it can be taken to the warehouse and returned when you are ready for it. This is often the case with real estate staging projects, long travel periods, or home building projects where a large part of someone’s possessions need to be secured but not accessed for a lengthy period.

Consider Your Time When Deciding Whether to Use a Mobile Storage Container

Picture of sprockets showing relationship between time and money -- an important factor in deciding between mobile storage and self-storage

Finally, consider the value of your own time (and perhaps that of your friends if they are helping you pack, store, or move). Before I was in the Mobile Storage Container business, we got a 10×10 storage room for my mother to help her stage her townhouse for sale. I was very happy to do the work, but the fact is that I needed to drive down, load stuff, and take it to her self-storage facility multiple times. This meant more of her time and mine as well. Now of course I am not charging my mother! But consider the value of your own and your friends’ time (and gasoline at nearly $4/gallon today) and you may find that an Mobile Storage Container pays for itself very quickly. If you are a relatively poor college student (as I was for many years of my life), then it probably makes sense to lean on your friends, borrow some pickup trucks, and do the work yourself. If not, then Mobile Storage Container may give you a better solution with a lot less headaches and cost, and in the end, a lot more friends. Generally it comes down to these concerns when deciding between a mobile storage container and a self-storage facility. Both can make sense, and answering these questions beforehand can help you decide whether a mobile storage container is right for your needs.

Portable Storage Container – Growing Dallas Businesses

January 9, 2012February 14, 2017Articles

Growing or Remodeling Your Business? A Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container Can Help!

Here at MI-BOX, we are getting rolling in the new year providing portable storage containers to our Dallas – Ft. Worth customers. We hope that your business is growing as well. Here is one of the business categories we see a lot of: businesses that are growing are opening new spaces and remodeling the facilities that they are leasing for their new businesses. Some projects for which businesses need more space are those that require emptying out a large part of the building such as refinishing floors in a restaurant. When you refinish floors, you often need to take out all of the tables and chairs and other furnishings.

Use a MI-BOX Portable Storage Container from your Dallas MI-BOX Dealer to Keep Your Customers Coming While You Remodel

MI-BOX portable storage container shown in a single parking space between two cars -- cars were there when container was delivered

Sometimes you can do a large job in stages so that you don’t have to render the whole business unusable by having all of your fixtures stacked in one part of the establishment. How many times have you looked at a business undergoing a major remodel and thought it was closed down. Have you considered whether customers that make that mistake conclude you are out of business and move their business elsewhere for good? With a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container, you can take part of your furnishings out while doing the remodel of one area, thereby keeping your business operating during your remodeling project.

Save Money by Keeping Your Inventory Clean Using a Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container

Another advantage of moving part of your business furnishings out to a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container is that they are kept clean during the remodel. Many remodeling jobs generate lots of dust or overspray. Sanding or grinding floors is a classic example. Using a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container gives you a safe and clean place to keep things that need to be kept clean, dry, and secure while your project is going on. Simply not having to do a detailed dusting — paying hourly workers to clean your furniture — can easily save enough money to pay for the container rental even while keeping your business open and attractive during the project keeps the revenue flowing. A Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container is very inexpensive compared to a disruption in your business. MI-BOX can put one of our secure and weather-tight containers in a single parking space at your business. They are clean and attractive and do not make an eye-sore in your parking lot. Let us help you with a MI-BOX on your site while you make the changes needed to grow your business. Just call, and we will be there to help with a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container!

Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Containers and Post-Holiday Organization

December 28, 2011February 14, 2017Articles

After the Holidays with a Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container

Everyone loves to get a present, but we often end up getting a lot of them and needing a place to store them when they pile up. Sometimes it’s better to be disciplined and force yourself to do a little cleaning and organizing after the holidays. That should mean getting rid of some stuff to make room for the new. If it doesn’t, you might end up buried alive in things you’ve received as gifts over the years.

Use a Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container to Help You Get Organized after the Holidays

Picture of a workbench -- MI-BOX portable storage gives you a way re-organize your garage while keeping your tools secure at your location

For many years I’ve had the holiday tradition of cleaning out my garage and getting it back to a state of sanity. Before I owned my own business, I had vacation time and could just pick the best day to do the work, but now I just don’t have the time, and it has to be done on a particular day, rain or shine! That’s where a Dallas MI-BOX portable storage container comes in. With a portable storage container, I can clean out my garage a bit at a time, putting enough stuff in the box to make a little maneuvering room in the space I’m cleaning out. Then I can leave the stuff I want to get rid of in the back of the portable storage container and use the front part of the container for the stuff I’m sorting and organizing currently.

Time & Space to Plan with a Dallas MI-BOX Portable Storage Container

When your house or garage is just too full, it’s hard to organize because you don’t have the space to spread out and sort. A portable storage container from your Dallas MI-BOX dealership gives you that space! When your mind is uncluttered, it’s easier to get your house uncluttered and see what you’ve got so you can make better decisions about what to get rid of and what to keep. You can also see the picture come together in your mind when you are not overwhelmed by what you see before your eyes. I used to pull everything out of my garage to see this picture, but that meant I absolutely had to finish I a single day. With a portable storage container from your Dallas MI-BOX dealership, you don’t have to worry about getting it done before the sun sets!

Portable Storage Containers Uses – Moving

December 9, 2011February 14, 2017Articles

MI-BOX Portable Storage Containers Are the Easy Way to Move

MI-BOX portable storage containers take the stress out of moving by adding time to your moving process so that you can move on your own schedule, not on the schedule of your moving company or the company renting you a moving truck. For the do-it-yourself mover, traditional practice has been to pack all you can and then call your friends on a Saturday, starting early and working all day to get a truck loaded, moved to your new home, and unloaded. There are a few problems with this model.

Take Your Time and Keep Your Friends by Using Portable Storage Containers

First, if you’ve done a move this way very many times, you probably don’t have any friends left, and if you’re much over 25, your friends may not have much back left after you worked them over in your last few moves. MI-BOX portable storage containers can help you keep the friends you have. We deliver your MI-BOX on your schedule and let you take all the time you need to pack. You can call a friend to help you with a few heavy pieces, or we can arrange professional help for you. If your friends do it, now they don’t have to load everything – just the pieces where you really need help. Maybe you have to move out before your new place is ready to move in. With MI-BOX, that’s no problem. After your portable storage containers are loaded, then we can take them away to our secure storage center and store them for you as long as you like. Call us, and we’ll bring your portable storage containers to your new home. Again, we deliver on your schedule. With a rental truck you just can’t solve that problem without adding in an extra unload and repack by going into a mini-warehouse or someone’s garage. That doubles your work in the move, and now you have to bug your friends again.

Make Moving Easier with Portable Storage Containers

Single-width driveway with one MI-BOX mobile storage container already delivered and a second container being delivered -- both without running over lawn as would happen with PODS®PODzilla

When you move to your new home, there’s no stress because you aren’t driving and you aren’t rushed. MI-BOX delivers your portable storage containers to your new home on your schedule, leaving them there as long as you like so you can unload in an organized way on your own schedule. How many times have you unpacked into a new home in a single rushed day only to have to totally reorganize and rearrange your home because you were so rushed when you first unpacked. MI-BOX makes your move easy and keeps your friends happy. Do it the simple, pain-free way this time with MI-BOX portable storage containers.

How can we help?