You’ve got questions, we have answers! Here is a full list of all of your FAQs by category, so go on and take a peak!
Cardboard vs. Totes
Recycling Cardboard is only done about 25% of the time by Canadians (surprising isn’t it?). And for the 25% that we recycle, that cardboard could be rejected if too much tape is on it. Plus all the tape is thrown away too, which creates excess waste. All of that tape and the cardboard that were not recycled will need to be incinerated or go to the landfill.
Recycling cardboard also uses a lot of energy, fuel, and water. It also deteriorates the environment since trees have to be cut down to manufacture them, only to be discarded. Cardboard makes up to 10% of urban landfills and recycling cardboard takes 75% of the energy needed to make new cardboard!
For each cardboard that is recycled, 40% is used to make a new one, and 60% is non useable sludge. This sludge is then burned and releasing C02 emissions into the environment, or dumped in a landfill. So no, cardboard is NOT good for the environment!
We strongly encourage you to rent our Moving Totes vs. using cardboard boxes.
It’s true that finding free cardboard boxes is a more affordable solution than renting our Totes. But price is the only positive thing about it! If the cost is your only deciding factor, then yes, go dumpster diving and find yourself some used, soggy, dirty cardboard for free. Then go home and tape it up, and fit a couple of things in it. Then go find another dumpster for a couple more boxes. Or you can get classy by skipping the dumpster and grabbing some from the LCBO. Have you seen the size of those boxes? You can barely fit anything in there and many don’t have lids! By re-taping all the boxes, you are wasting time and adding to landfills for no good reason with all that additional tape. Seems like a lot of unnecessary work for not a very good result.
Instead, we recommend opting for convenience and helping the environment. Consider our totes that are durable, water resistant, clean, sanitized, roomy, bacteria, mold and bug free, AND are better for the environment! They can come right to your door so that you don’t have to waste time driving from store to store, or dumpster to dumpster, looking for a couple of boxes at a time. And you don’t have to waste time taping all those free cardboard boxes. Do you really want to put your linens, clothes and kitchen items in a box that had chemicals, bed bugs, pen dander or bacteria? Gross! Instead, ours come right to you, pre-assembled, ready to go!
Some people ask us, “How can you say that your totes are environmentally friendly when they are made of plastic?” This is a great question! Our totes are made from 100% recycled plastic and can be used up to 400 times before needing to be recycled. We found a way to repurpose plastic.
Cardboard is good for 1-3 times and then needs to be discarded. Sure, you can recycle some cardboard, but 75% of it ends in a landfill. Our totes are super eco friendly and have a much longer shelf life. And they are made from existing plastic. You will not find our totes in a landfill because we recycle our Plastic Totes 100% of the time.
We give new purpose to our damaged totes! Since they are made out of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), we can take them to a recycling plant and make them into new HDPE items. We can recycle plastic totes and successfully create zero waste! Unlike cardboard boxes where most of them end up in a landfill, we are doing our part in helping the environment by repurposing plastic that already exists.
Questions Before Booking
Sure thing! As long as we are able to accommodate your request, it is not a problem to change rental dates. We understand that things happen, so just give us a call / text / email and ask for the change. If you require a longer than the original Rental Period, you can click here to extend your rental. If you haven’t received your order yet and you want to decrease the Rental Period, we will give you a refund for the difference. If you already received your order, we can still change the date to a earlier pick up date, but there will be no refunds. If we are not able to accommodate your request, please see the section called Cancellations. Just make sure to inform us at least 48 hours prior to your Delivery.
Dragon Totes is a small family run business, not a big franchised store making millions. We are different than other Tote Rental Companies because we run on a smaller scale, making it easier to accommodate your individual needs. We aim for not only profits but excellent customer service and to provide a reliable packing solution. We personally like to give our business to local companies so we hope that you like to do the same! Our prices are super competitive so why contribute to the millionaires when you can help a local family in your community? 🙂
Nope! We are not a moving company or a packing company so we cannot pack and move your belongings for you. We are a Tote rental company that provides you with rental totes so you can pack and move on your own more efficiently! After we deliver your empty totes to your existing home, you can get packing.
We encourage you to hire a Moving Company to do all the lifting for you. Movers will be excited that you have decided to use our totes as it makes their job a lot easier. Our totes stack nicely in the truck which means they won’t need to play Tetris to figure out the best way to load them. Once you have unpacked, give us a call and we will come pick up the totes!
The Moving Tote Dimensions are 27″ length x 17″ width x 13″ height (680mm x 430mm x 320mm). They can hold 75 litres of stuff! Some other companies have Totes that are much smaller but we wanted to provide you with a decent size that is not too large. The bigger they are, the heavier they get! We find that this size is perfect for your moving needs. For more info, please CLICK HERE.
You betcha! First, we vacuum each tote thoroughly to remove any debris. Next, we clean and sanitize them, ensuring that we reach all the nooks and crannies of the totes. This includes the outside of the totes and the lids. We meticulously clean with our eco-friendly cleaner before you receive them.
We use a homemade cleaner so that we know exactly what we are spraying into our totes. You can rest assured that this cleaner is eco-friendly with zero harmful chemicals or perfumes. Here is our secret recipe:
- 1/2 cup distilled vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- squirt of natural dish soap
- 3 tbsp of isopropyl alcohol
Don’t think that just because it is not bleach that it will not be as powerful. We have not found a better method to clean and sanitize our totes You don’t need harsh chemicals to kill germs! Feel free to use this same solution in your home!
We also remove any old labels and ensure that the lids are working properly. Bedbugs can be an issue with cardboard boxes as they are soft and retain moisture.. With our totes, you can be rest assured that they are bug free, dirt free, stinky free, clean, and sanitized just for you, just prior to delivery.
We offer refunds if cancelled more than 48 hours in advance of your rental period. Please read our Rental Agreement for the full policy.
Unfortunately you are not able to buy totes as they are for rental. We cannot purchase a couple additional totes since the minimum order to purchase is a few hundred totes. They are also quite expensive so it does not make sense to sell commercial totes for residential use. That is what Home Depot is for!
Of course we cannot make any guarantee that items will be safe during transit – we are not the ones packing it up nor are we moving it! If you drop your fine china off a balcony that was packed in a cardboard box, will it break? Most definitely. If you drop your fine china off a balcony in a Dragon Tote, will it break? Maybe, but there is a less chance in a tote for sure.
We recommend that you wrap all of your delicates with towels or wrapping paper. Don’t toss your items around or stack them sideways, and remember to wrap up your dishware, and you should be golden.
Cleaning & Sanitizing
We have always cleaned and sanitized our totes after each use. That process has not changed. We use a eco-friendly, natural cleaning solution that will get rid of most germs, mold and dirt. So you can be assured that your totes will be clean and sanitized upon their arrival.
Delivery Protocol
Once your totes have been sanitized, a new pair of gloves will be used to load them into our vehicle. A new pair will be worn to carry them to your front door.
Delivery personnel will always maintain 2 metre distance from you. You will not be required to sign anything.
You can choose to either have the totes delivered to your porch, inside your front door (no further than 2 metres from the door), or inside your garage.
Pick up Protocol
Instead of us retrieving the totes from the inside of your home, you can leave them on your porch for us to pick up. You will know exactly when we are coming so that you can put them outside just before we arrive. Alternatively, leaving them in your garage with the door open will work. We will always maintain a 2 metre distance from you.
How to Place an Order
Great question! You don’t want to wait too long as we might be out of stock, so knowing when to place an order is vital. Booking as far in advance as possible is good! You can always change the date if there are delays with your closing date. We only have a limited amount totes in our inventory so securing yours is smart.
As soon as you know your moving date, book your totes with us! Here is a good tip to knowing how long to book your totes for. If you need to change your date at some point, that is no problem at all, as long as we are able to accommodate the change. If you are a last minute type of person, we ask for at least 24 hours notice to try to squeeze in a delivery, however please call us first to see if we can do the delivery before booking online.
Here is what we suggest: once you know your moving date, count backwards on how many weeks you might need to use the totes for packing. Most people tend to need our totes for 1-2 weeks to pack prior to their moving date. Now, count how many weeks after your moving date that you think it will take to unpack. Most people also take 1-2 weeks to unpack. We suggest that you book a Rental now based on what you think will happen, and then you can always add on some extra days if required. We have a ton in stock so all should be fine!
When you are booking a rental, we will help guide you to choose the appropriate amount of totes.
Some people are pack rats and have lots of stuff and knick-knacks around the house. Or some of you might have babies and young children which will require more totes. Our Totes page will help you estimate so that you do not have to guess!
Rental charges are due in full at the time of rental. We accept MasterCard, Visa, AMEX, Discover, and E-Transfer. When you place your order and have chosen Credit as your method of payment, we put a hold on your credit card while we confirm your order. We want to make sure that we can accommodate your request before charging your card. Once we confirm the order, the credit card charge will go through. With E-Transfer, the charge goes through right away.
Yes our minimum package to be ordered is 15 totes, and you can do so by visiting our Rental page.
Delivery Service
Delivery charge and pick up charge are 2 separate charges, as they typically involve 2 different addresses.
Delivery and pick up charges are calculated based on distance from our shop in Milton. Within 20 km from our shop your Delivery and Pick up charges are FREE! For each additional km there is a charge of $1/km.
Delivery and pick up charges will be calculated for you when you book a Rental.
Yes! You can pick up and drop off from our Shop if you prefer to save money on delivery and pick up fees. Please contact us to make sure your vehicle can fit your rental. Our totes don’t take up much room in your home but you’ll be surprised at the number of totes you can fit into your car. Not many! Our delivery rates are very reasonable and in most cases FREE. You may thank us when you see how convenient our Delivery Service is!
You can stack up as many as 10 empty totes into each other, which is about 4-5 feet tall. You actually can stack up to 25 empty totes without causing any damage but this is close to ceiling height! Let’s stick with 10 for our example – if you ordered 50 totes, you will have 5 stacks of totes on your floor. Each stack will take up about 4 feet x 3 feet of floor space. So for 50 totes, plan to clear a floor space 12 feet long by 3 feet wide. Or you can put more into each stack by using a step ladder to stack them higher.
All we ask is that someone over the age of 18 is present for the Delivery. The person that booked with us does NOT need to be present, but somebody over 18 must be there to sign on your behalf. Make sure the person signing knows exactly what was ordered so they can sign confirming that everything is received in perfect condition.
When you place your order online, you will be prompted to select your Delivery Date. Within 10 days of your Delivery Date, you can Schedule your Delivery, where you choose a one hour window to receive delivery. We typically deliver every day of the week from morning till night.
A missed delivery appointment rarely happens since we send many reminders.
If for any reason you need to change your time, because we understand that life can get in the way, please reschedule by clicking on this link. When it asks you if this is your first time booking a Delivery appointment, say “No”. Then you can choose in the dropdown menu “I need to Reschedule my Delivery” for you to choose another time. Simple! Once we approve that, we go into the system and manually cancel your initial appointment.
So with all of those reminders in mind, if you still forget about your Delivery time or nobody over the age of 18 is able to greet us and sign the invoice, we will try to call you at the number you provided. If we reach you on the phone, we will see how far away you are. If we are able to wait, we will.
But if we have to leave for our next appointment, or if we can’t reach you by phone, we will have to do a second delivery and charge an extra Delivery Charge. Once you pay for that second delivery, you can Reschedule your Delivery. When it asks you if this is your first time booking a Delivery appointment, say “No”. Then you can choose in the dropdown menu “I need to Reschedule my Delivery” for you to choose another time. Simple!
You placed an order online for what you thought would be a sufficient amount of totes. You received your order and got to work on packing up your house. Soon, you realize that you might have misjudged just how much stuff you have! You simply have to Add to your Order and we will deliver your additional items. We can arrange to get them to you within 48 hours. There will be a Delivery charge for second delivery, which is $1 per km from our shop in Milton. You will not incur a second pick up charge. Once the delivery charge is paid, you can schedule a time and get you back on track for packing! We encourage people to get a few extra totes, so you don’t run out. It is easy to underestimate how much stuff you have.
Within 10 days of your Delivery date, you can Schedule your Delivery Time and you will receive an email confirmation. In the confirmation email you will see a reschedule button, because life happens!
During your Rental
No, we prefer you don’t use tape on totes because of a few reasons: If any tote comes back with tape marks, you will be charged a cleaning fee of $2 per tote. We will be forced to get out our trusty Goo Gone to get the marks off, which takes time and effort. We want our products to be in great shape when we rent them to our customers, so every piece of tape needs to be removed. Good news is that you don’t even need to use tape on our totes! Our lids interlock and close securely. You can also use zipties if you really want extra security.
We strongly advise you to NOT leave the totes outdoors at any time. Please keep them in the garage at the least. They will be exposed to the elements outdoors, which wears down our totes and makse them extra dirty and dusty. There is a deep cleaning fee of $2 per tote charged to your credit card on file if they come back excessively dirty. They are also susceptible to theft if left outdoors. There is a $75 fee for each missing/damaged tote.
If you have completely run out of room inside your home, you could ask us to do a Partial Pick up. There will be a Pick up fee, but it may be worth it for extra space. After paying for the extra Pick up fee, you can go ahead and schedule a time for us to come and get the empty totes.
We recommend that you Request an Extension right away! We will charge you a daily rate, based on the rate you originally paid.
However, if the totes are not available for additional rental days, we will deny the extension request. We understand that this will be stressful for you so we will do our best to accommodate. We encourage you to get in touch with us as soon as you realize you are behind schedule to avoid disappointment. Or just book an extra week from the beginning to give yourself some wiggle room.
You are responsible for keeping the totes in the same condition in which you received them. You are not expected to clean the totes before returning them. No animals are allowed in the totes and totes are to be kept indoors only. Excessive amount of dirt and fur will incur a cleaning fee of $2 per tote, charged to your credit card on file. As long as you return them to us free of items and without dirt or pet dander, you are golden!
You placed an order online for what you thought would be a sufficient amount of totes. You received your order and got to work on packing up your house. Soon, you realize that you might have misjudged just how much stuff you have! You simply have to Add to your Order and we will deliver your additional items. We can arrange to get them to you within 48 hours. There will be a Delivery charge for second delivery, which is $1 per km from our shop in Milton. You will not incur a second pick up charge. Once the delivery charge is paid, you can schedule a time and get you back on track for packing! We encourage people to get a few extra totes, so you don’t run out. It is easy to underestimate how much stuff you have.
Pick up Service
Delivery charge and pick up charge are 2 separate charges, as they typically involve 2 different addresses.
Delivery and pick up charges are calculated based on distance from our shop in Milton. Within 20 km from our shop your Delivery and Pick up charges are FREE! For each additional km there is a charge of $1/km.
Delivery and pick up charges will be calculated for you when you book a Rental.
Yes! You can pick up and drop off from our Shop if you prefer to save money on delivery and pick up fees. Please contact us to make sure your vehicle can fit your rental. Our totes don’t take up much room in your home but you’ll be surprised at the number of totes you can fit into your car. Not many! Our pick up rates are very reasonable and in some cases FREE. You may thank us when you see how convenient our Pick up Service is!
When you place your order online, you will be prompted to select a Pick up Date. Within 10 days of your Pick up Date, you can Schedule your Pick up, where you choose a one hour window to receive a pick up. We typically pick up every day of the week from morning till night.
A missed delivery appointment rarely happens since we send many reminders.
If for any reason you need to change your time, because life happens, just visit this link. When it asks you what type of Pick up this is, choose “I need to Reschedule my Appointment time”, and then choose another time. Simple!
With all of those reminders in mind, if you still forget about your Pick up time or no one over the age of 18 is able to greet us and sign the invoice, we will try to call you at the number you provided. If we reach you on the phone, we will see how far away you are. If we are able to wait, we will.
But if we have to leave for our next appointment, or if we can’t reach you by phone, we will have to do a second pick up and charge an extra Pick up Charge. Once you pay for that second Pick up, you can reschedule your Pick up.
If you would like to make some space in your home, you are welcome to request a partial pick up. You can Click Here to see the delivery rate. We charge $1 per km (with a minimum charge of $10). After paying for that second Pick up Charge, you will receive an email confirmation along with a link to schedule your pick up. Easy peasy!
With that said, the totes nestle within each other nicely when empty. You can stack 10 in each pile so they do not take up too much room. But we get it… Packing and unpacking is stressful and sometimes you just want the clutter gone!
Within 10 days of your Delivery, you are free to Schedule your Pickup Time. In the confirmation email, there is a reschedule button, because life can happen!