Category Archives: Moving

Moving

Your Ultimate Summer Moving Checklist

July 6, 2017 stowsimple

If you’re all set to move this summer, then you’re probably either making a packing list or looking for one to use as a guide. Did you make sure you booked a moving company? A cleaning service? Ordered pizza for friends and family who are helping? There are a lot of things to remember when it comes to moving in the summertime, and you need a summer moving checklist.

Moving Checklist Item 1

Gather boxes for packing. You can order boxes online or purchase empty boxes at a home improvement store. If you want a more eco-friendly approach, try renting boxes for your move. If you are in Miami, you can rent boxes by CLICKING HERE.

Moving Checklist Item 2

Clean out each room as you finish packing it up.

Kitchen: wipe out drawers and cabinets; clean the stovetop and oven; clear out and wipe down the fridge, freezer, and microwave; wipe down countertops; shine up the sink; mop the floor.
Living Room and Bedrooms: dust ceiling fans; wipe down baseboards; wipe down doors; clean the walls by removing nails and spackling over holes; wash the windows; mop hard floors and deep clean carpets; vacuum inside HVAC vents; and vacuum upholstered window coverings if leaving behind.
Bathrooms: scrub out the shower, tub, sink, and toilet; wipe down the counters; mop the floor; clean the mirrors; and remove nails in the walls and spackle over holes.
Basement/Garage: vacuum up spider webs; sweep the floor; repair any openings in the floor or walls; clean the windows; and clear out all debris and trash.

Moving Checklist Item 3

Book a moving service or enlist the help of volunteers. Not sure how much a moving service should cost? For a rough guide, remember that movers charge by the hour, so based on average moving costs, hiring 2 laborers and a truck will cost you between $90 and $120 per hour. However, most movers have a 3 hour minimum. Be sure to ask when the clock starts clicking. Typically, movers charge for drive time as well. You can save time by making sure your items are boxes and ready to go. Most likely your movers will bring moving blankets for large items.

Moving Checklist Item 4

Book a carpet cleaning service if your carpets are very stained. If you want to give it a go yourself, try our eco-friendly solution for carpet cleaning. Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup borax and 1/4 cup vinegar to create a cleaning solution (or paste). Apply the paste and let it sit on carpet stains for several hours. After the solution has dried simply vacuum your way to a stain free carpet.

Moving Checklist Item 5

Schedule a pickup for Stow Simple to carry off your storage items. Don’t want to deal with the hassle of schlepping stuff to storage? Book online and Stow Simple will pick up, and store your stuff. They will also drop off heavy-duty bins for you to store your stuff in free of charge. Get hassle-free storage for as little as $25 per month.

Moving Checklist Item 6

Make a detailed plan for what you will do each day leading up to and during moving day. What is it they say, “the devil is in the details.” We all know that moving can be stressful. Some say it’s the even more stressful than divorce. Why put yourself though needles worry. Write it out. Anytime something pops in your head remember to: designate (a date and time in which you will handle), delegate (assign someone else to the task… remember to be specific), or DO IT NOW.

Moving Checklist Item 7

Moving Checklist Item 8

Donate items you don’t need. We recommend making a donate, pack and trash pile when you are collecting your stuff. Once packed, call the Miami Rescue Mission or Salvation Army to pick up any items to be donated. And if you’ve contacted Stow Simple to store items, they will drop of a donation bag for you to fill. They will take it to the Miami Rescue Mission to help someone in need.

Moving

Why Renting Moving Boxes Saved my Sanity

February 24, 2017 stowsimple

Guest Post by: Olga C.

Are you dreading your upcoming move? If you’re like much of the population, even just the thought of having to go through the hassle of packing everything feels like a dark cloud hovering, blocking excitement of a new home or office. Personally, nearly half a year since my most recent Miami move, it still haunts me.

While packing, it felt like we were constantly having to rush back to the store to buy more packing tape and boxes which interrupted our productiveness. Even worse, the expenses kept climbing. Fortunately, I learned that it doesn’t have to be that way. Stow Simple removed the frustration of using moving boxes, all while saving us time and money!

5 reasons you should rent moving boxes for your next move

Stow Simple is cost efficient! Their bins are up to 30% less expensive than traditional cardboard boxes.
It’s so convenient! In as little as 24 hours, your bins will be delivered to your door. You can pack and move at your own pace, then they’ll even come and pick up the empty boxes at your new location when you’re finished.
They’re reusable! Each bin can be used 400 times which dramatically reduces cardboard waste. Plus, they’re made in the USA.
No more box assembly! (This is my personal favorite.) Forget about that packing tape. Just think of how liberating it will be to not have to unfold a box and tape it up a single time throughout your move. Empty bins even stack within themselves to save you space until you fill them.
Your belongings are more secure! Long gone are the days of soggy boxes and bottoms falling out! Stow Simple bins are water-resistant and durable to keep your goodies safe and secure.

The benefits truly outweigh traditional cardboard boxes. Moving is such a big step, now you can stress less and enjoy this new chapter of life, all while supporting a company that is dedicated to the community in Miami.

Moving

Rent Moving Boxes for $0.25 per day

July 25, 2016 stowsimple

This summer, 40 million Americans are expected to move or relocate according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Are you one of them?

To assist Miami locals who are relocating this summer, Stow Simple is renting their incredibly popular plastic bins for moves. Plastic bins offer a bunch of great benefits over cardboard. They are affordable, offer greater protection, easy to obtain, reusable and far more convenient than traditional cardboard boxes. Even better, the bins are stackable saving tons of space as unused bins can be stacked inside of each other.

Stow Simple will drop off these heavy-duty bins to the user’s door and pick them up at their new location. How many bins, and how much time is needed with the bins is up to the user.

StowSimple_Valet_Storage — See How it Works

Pricing is as little as $0.25* per day per moving box. Add the convenience of online ordering and retrieval and one may wonder why anyone would use flimsy cardboard boxes ever again.

*Assumes a 3 week rental (4 Bedroom Plan)

Want to rent bins for a move? Click HERE.

Home Storage, Moving

5 packing tips that’ll make life easier

August 14, 2015 stowsimple

Whether you’re preparing downsize, move or sublet your place, packing can often feel like playing a game of tetris

Stow Simple offers our customers high quality, heavy-duty bins made in the U.S.A. for free while storing with us. They are perfect for our humid Miami weather and a wonderful eco-friendly option. Cardboard boxes are dust mite havens and disintegrate quickly when stacked over time. Packing our bins is easy and they are secured with zip ties by our team.

Many of our customers are often pleasantly surprised to see how big our bins are when they arrive

Tip #1: Distrubute the weight. Mix heavy and light items.

Tip #2: Keep like items together.

Tools Holiday

Also, save those empty toilet paper rolls to gather your cords and keep them tangle-free!

Other bin groups may include:

Kids’ clothes for years x-z
Photo albums, miscellaneous loose photos
DVD’s or videos
Camping gear

Also, group bins by hobby/interests. Some of our customers group sailing/boat items together, motorcycling gear, sewing items for future projects.

When you need anything back, a quick scroll through your custom Lookbook online will make retrieval a lot easier. Unlike traditional self-storage where items often get cluttered quickly in the back of the unit, your items can easily be recalled with a click of a button.

Tip #3: Our bins are terrific for storing clothing and shoes. Add a few of the Container Store’s cedar blocks for freshness. Stow Simple’s warehouse is clean and climate controlled however, so this tip is not crucial.

Tip #4: If items don’t fit into a bin, gather them anyway. We pick up anything one person can carry. We also provide free wardrobe and file boxes in addition to our American made, heavy-duty bins. Bikes, golf clubs, cribs, or strollers are welcome. We store these items securely as well and can redeliver them whenever you need them.

Tip #5: Photo/video catalog items with easy smartphone apps. This may be the last thing anyone wants to do when packing but it could prove useful when trying to remember where specific items are located. Use apps like Vine to log your items easily as in the example below.

They are only 7 seconds long and could prove useful for jogging your memory later. If this is a bother, we also take free overhead shots of your bins to add to your custom Lookbook.

Schedule a free pickup today! CLICK HERE