Published on Tuesday, 08 May 2012
Packing for moving is not an easy process, but there are a few ways to minimize the damage risk. First you need to get proper boxes of different sizes. Try to put only items of one room in a box and not mix belongings. The more efficient your packing is, the easier your unpacking will be. This also makes labeling easier and following your list of items for packing. Use only sturdy boxes and cartons, which you can seal. Place heavy items on the bottoms of the boxes and limit the boxes to 50 pounds to avoid breakage. Overloading cartons causes bending and makes them harder to carry. Think about all the small items, things you usually store in drawers and cupboards. They should be wrapped individually, or at least pack similar items in bundles of three or four. Put them in boxes as a second layer, if they aren't too heavy and secure them with enough padding. Any shifting inside the boxes can cause damage, so the closer the items are the better. Put towels or crushed paper around the edges to prevent moving. When you disassemble furniture or appliances, keep their screws, bolts and other items in a packet in the same box. Label packets and bags with the furniture they belong to. When you pack electronics like DVD players, computers, flat screen TVs and others, it's best to put them in their original packing box, if it is available. Put all their manuals and guarantee cards in one box or folder. If you don't have the original packing, ask in retail stores for any free boxes. Make sure you have enough bubble wrap, especially for expensive electronics. Packing fragile items is a hard task, so don't let many people help with wrapping china and glassware. If you don't have special boxes for cups and glasses, wrap each individually and put towels or tissue paper inside. The more paper you put, the more safety you guarantee to your fragile items. If you have limited time to pack, the moving company can do all the proper packing for you. Once your dishes boxes are ready, you have to put them in the right place inside the truck. Remember to never put boxes with fragile items along the edges of the truck, in the middle or next to any heavy furniture. Label properly the boxes and tie them together for more safety. Purchasing proper dishes boxes is a reasonable investment, since you can keep them for future moving or sell them online. A damage-free moving means a damage-free transport. If you have hired a truck to drive yourself, you will be under constant pressure thinking about the fragile and expensive items inside. You have to understand the way items break - not enough padding, voids between items, space between boxes and heavy boxes on top of lighter ones causes damage. Once you start driving you have to drive slower than usual and be ready for cars passing you by fast. Make regular stops to check the boxes and to rest. Any sudden accelerating or braking can make something break. If you don't think you can manage, simply trust a trained driver from the moving company. Save yourself some stress and think of ways to minimize the risk of damage. You may end up spending more on professional help, but this is better than buying new sets of china, electronic appliances and other expensive items. After all, once you move in at your new place you simply want to unpack and have everything intact.
