Moving from one home to another is a lot of work. There are so many different things you need to coordinate from listing your home for sale (or making sure you do what you need to get your security deposit back), hiring movers, coordinating transportation for the big move, enrolling your children (if you have any in a new school), and packing all of your belongings.
Packing is certainly no small feat. Whether you live in a one-bedroom apartment or a five-bedroom single family home, organizing all of your items and making sure everything is securely packed is a challenge. Taking care of those fragile items, like china, mirrors, artwork, and other valuable items, to ensure they don’t break during transport is important. We’ve compiled a list of five things you can do to make sure all of your items are packed safely before moving day arrives.
Use a Portable Storage Container
Movers are fast and efficient, but sometimes they work too quickly and carelessly. If you have very fragile or valuable items that you are worried about, consider ordering a portable storage container to be delivered before your move-out date. This way, you can carefully pack and fill the container with all of your items on your own schedule, without feeling rushed. You’ll be able to pack everything in to ensure that the items that are most important to you are well-protected. You still may decide to hire movers for some of your heavier furniture items, or you may decide that ordering a few portable storage containers and filling them with the help of friends and family is the safest and most economical choice for your move.
Use Bubble Wrap and Wrapping Paper to Protect Your Items
Fragile items, such as china or decorative items, should be carefully and individually wrapped. Use bubble wrap or wrapping paper designed for packing to wrap each object and keep it protected. When placing items in your boxes, place additional wrapping paper or bubble wrap between each layer to make sure the items don’t bump into each other during the move.
Use Smaller Boxes and Don’t Overfill Them
It may seem more efficient to buy a few huge moving boxes and stuff them full, but this isn’t a good idea for your more fragile items. Instead, use smaller boxes and don’t try to fit too much in each box. However, you don’t want a lot of empty space in the box where the contents could slide around, bump into each other, and break. To prevent this from happening without overstuffing the box, use extra bubble wrap or wrapping paper to fill any gaps and empty spaces. You want to keep the items in their place.
Make Sure Each Box is Taped Securely
Making sure each box is securely taped is essential. Have the bottom of a box open up when you or someone else is carrying it could cause all of the items to come crashing down and break. Reinforce the bottom of the box with additional tape down the center and around the edges. Once you are done packing the box, use some extra tape to make sure the top is closed securely as well.
Take Care When Packing Your Electronics
If you still have them, use the original boxes and packing materials for electronic items like your TV. These boxes and protective inserts were specifically designed for these items, so take advantage of that. You’ll want to be sure to reinforce the bottom of each box with tape, just to be sure.
If you don’t have the original boxes, be very careful when packing your electronic items. Many moving stores offer boxes designed just specifically for different items, so you may want to look into this. You can also use cardboard, plastic wrap, and bubble wrap to add an additional layer of protection for your items before placing them in a box.