How to Label Moving Totes for a Fast Unpack in Kelowna
Updated: 2 days ago
The fastest way to unpack after a Kelowna move is to put a label card in the clear plastic label sleeve on the side of every moving tote, with the destination room, a tote number and a one-line contents list, then keep a simple master list on your phone. With rental plastic moving boxes that all look the same, a clear labelling system is what turns a pile of 40 black totes into a house you can live in by the first night. This guide walks through the system we recommend to customers from Glenmore to West Kelowna, Lake Country and Penticton.
Bin Ready Tote Rentals drops off clean 102L moving totes with yellow snap lids and a free dolly, then picks up the empties when you're done. Packages start at $99 for 14 days, which works out to about 35¢ a tote per day, so you have two full weeks to pack, move and unpack properly.
Why labelling matters more with moving totes
Cardboard boxes come in different sizes, so you can sometimes guess what's inside. Moving totes are all the same size and colour, which is great for stacking in a truck but means a stack of black totes tells you nothing. Every tote is 102L, black with a yellow lid, so the label is the only thing that tells your helpers where it goes.
A good system saves time three ways: helpers drop totes in the right room without asking you, you can find the kettle and the kids' pyjamas on the first night, and you can unpack in order instead of opening ten totes to find one thing.
The 4-part tote label system
Every tote gets a label with the same four parts. Keep it short enough to read from across a garage.
Room: use the room in your new home, not the old one. "Primary bedroom", "Kitchen", "Kids room 1".
Tote number: number every tote 1, 2, 3 and so on across the whole move. Numbers make it easy to see if anything is missing.
Contents: one line, like "Pots, pans, baking sheets". Skip the full inventory on the label itself.
Priority: mark the totes you need first with "OPEN FIRST" in big letters.
What to label with
Every tote has a clear plastic label sleeve on the side. Write the label on a card with a thick marker and slide it into the sleeve. If a tote changes rooms, just swap the card. Never write on the totes or put tape on them. Our totes are sanitized and reused, and we ask that they come back clean.
Where to put the label
The label sleeve sits on the side of the tote, so you can read it even when totes are stacked on the dolly or in a truck. Face the sleeves out as you stack and you'll never need to lift a lid to find something.
Colour-code rooms with label cards
If you want to go one step further, use a different colour of label card for each room. Kitchen is blue, primary bedroom is green, kids' rooms are orange, and so on. Then put a matching coloured card on the door frame of each room in your new place.
On move day, helpers don't need to read anything. They match the colour on the tote to the colour on the door. This is especially handy for strata and condo moves in Kelowna where you have a booked elevator window and need to move quickly. See our condo and apartment move guide for more on elevator bookings.
Keep a master list on your phone
Your label says what's in the tote in one line. Your phone list says everything. Make a simple note or spreadsheet with three columns: tote number, room, and full contents. When you're looking for the passports or the HDMI cables, search the list and go straight to tote 23.
For a Home package of 40 totes, the master list usually takes about 20 minutes total if you fill it in as you pack each tote. It's much harder to do at the end.
Build an "Open First" tote for each person
The most useful label in any move is "OPEN FIRST". Pack one tote per person, plus one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom, with everything you need for the first 24 hours:
Phone chargers, medications, glasses and important documents.
Two days of clothes, pyjamas and toiletries.
Kettle, coffee, a pot, a few plates, cutlery and dish soap.
Toilet paper, a shower curtain, towels and bedding for the first night.
A box cutter, scissors, a screwdriver and the TV remote.
Load these totes into the vehicle last so they come off first. Our 14-day packing plan shows when to pack each room so the open-first totes are ready the night before.
Unpack in the right order
With every tote labelled and numbered, unpacking becomes a checklist instead of a scavenger hunt. A simple order that works for most Okanagan homes:
Day 1: open-first totes, beds, bathroom and kitchen basics.
Days 2 to 3: the rest of the kitchen, clothes and kids' rooms.
Days 4 to 7: living room, office, books and decor.
Last: garage, shed and seasonal gear.
As each tote is emptied, slide the card out of the sleeve, nest the empty tote inside another and stack them by the door. When you're done, text us and we pick up the empties. No flattening, no taping, no recycling run.
How many totes and which package?
Most customers need 8 to 10 totes per room. Here's how our packages line up:
Start: 20 totes, $99 for 14 days. Studios and small moves.
Apartment: 30 totes, $149 for 14 days. One to two bedroom apartments and condos.
Home: 40 totes, $189 for 14 days. Two to three bedroom homes.
Family: 65 totes, $249 for 14 days. Larger family homes.
Every package includes a free dolly, free drop-off and free pickup of the empty totes. Need longer? It's $2 a tote per extra week.
We deliver across Kelowna, including Glenmore, Dilworth, Upper and Lower Mission and Rutland, plus West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country, Vernon and Penticton. Bin Ready is a moving tote rental service, not a moving company: you pack and move, and we pick up the empty totes. Learn more on How It Works.
Frequently asked questions
Can I write on the rental totes?
Please don't write on the totes or put tape on them. Write on a label card and slide it into the clear plastic label sleeve on the side of the tote. It keeps the totes clean for the next family.
How should I number moving totes?
Number them in one sequence across the whole move, not per room. That way your phone list shows every tote and you can spot a missing one straight away.
What goes in an open-first tote?
Everything you need for the first 24 hours: chargers, medications, documents, clothes, toiletries, bedding, basic kitchen items and a few tools. Load it last so it comes off first.
Do you move or store my belongings?
No. We rent moving totes and a dolly. You pack and move your own things, and we pick up the empty totes afterward. We don't haul full totes and we don't store belongings.
Have another question? Check our FAQ, browse more moving tips or the Bin Ready blog. Ready to pack? Book your totes online or contact us.
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