Storage bins are wonderful! You can use them to store just about anything. From books to clothes to other household possessions, these bins are great for practically everything. However, once they're full, they can get awfully heavy, making them difficult to move. Ideally, you wouldn't fill the bin until it was in its permanent location, but if that's not possible or you're moving, there are some easy tips for transporting storage bins safely.

Rely on Professionals Movers

If you're moving more than just storage bins, it might be worth it to hire professional movers. Yes, movers can be somewhat expensive, but they are also skilled and properly trained in transporting your goods and in heavy lifting.

If you are going to have movers picking up your loaded storage bins, it's a good idea to carefully and clearly mark what's inside and whether or not it's fragile. That way, the movers can use extra care with items that might break if the bin was dropped or handled too roughly.

Rent a Chassis or Dolly

Even if you don't want to hire professional movers to help you, you can still rely on their tools! Most rental companies will gladly rent out chassis or dolly carts, perhaps made by a place like Garland's Inc., that can make transporting your loaded bins so much easier. Rental fees tend to be very reasonable too.

The only hard part will be getting the bins up on the cart or chassis. However, some of these tools are designed to slide right under bins or boxes to make that part easy too. Either way, after the bin is loaded you can simply wheel them around as needed.

Draw Strength from Your Legs

If you do insist on lifting and transporting your bins yourself, it's very important to exercise proper, safe lifting techniques.

To avoid injuring your back, use your legs when you lift a heavy item. Squat as you reach down to get the bin and then use the force of your legs to come back up, lifting the bin. If you need to take a break, put the bin down gently and then repeat.

In order to further protect your back, you may also want to consider wearing a protective back brace.

Finally, if a bin is ever too heavy, it's okay to admit that you can't lift it on your own. Have a friend help you; if you each lift just one side of the bin, it should be a lot easier.

No matter which of these lifting tips you end up using, as long as you put safety first and exercise good common sense, you should be able to lift and transport your bins with ease!

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