Packing Like a Pro

Whether you plan on moving yourself or hiring movers, preparing your personal items for a safe transport can be a daunting task. You need everything to arrive just as it was when it left your old home. With the right packing materials and good methods, packing yourself can result in a great cost savings.

Some helpful tips from the pros to help with your packing:

Allow yourself plenty of time, perhaps a few days or more to get packed up. This helps with purging unneeded items as well.

Make sure all your boxes are solid and in good overall condition.

Be sure to label each box on the top and side with your name, the appropriate room and a short description of the contents.

Use packing paper liberally, especially for glass and other breakables.

Packed boxes should not exceed 40 pounds. This ensures the box is manageable for both you and the movers.

Pack small, shoe box size boxes into larger boxes for easier handling.

Pack extremely fragile items such as wine glasses into small boxes, then repack (2) of these small boxes inside a dish barrel.

Make sure nothing “rattles” and fill empty space with paper or blankets so corners do not crush.

Pack heavier items toward the bottom of the carton, with extra paper underneath and between layers.

Be sure the box is appropriate for the item. For example, dishes do best in dish barrel cartons.

Rather than searching for the exact size box for every item, professional movers will often cut and connect other boxes to make a custom corrugated fit around the item.

Do not pack: flammable items, open liquids, matches or ammunition, medicines, high end jewelry or important documents like wills or deeds.

If you are hiring a professional mover, they may want to inspect the cartons prior to moving to be sure they will do well in transit. It is a good idea to leave high-value items such as paintings and artwork to the professionals. For more information, please give us a call for personable suggestions at 518-283-0017.