And The Winner Is?
Make A Rustic Sawhorse Table For Under $40
I've moved many times, sometimes using professional movers and other times with a little help from my friends (bribing them with pizza works wonders). I love using the pros because it exponentially simplifies one of the more stressful events in life. The cost, however, can be tough to justify.
Ready to start anew? Be sure your stuff makes the trip safely. Photo: Getty Images
The problem is, whenever I pack my own boxes, something always breaks in the move. The last time that I moved, I wondered: How would the pros do it? So I went looking for some answers, and it turns out that it's not only how you pack but what you're packing with.
Invest in the right packing materials.
Frank Sinopoli of Ranger Moving Systems suggests purchasing a lot of small cardboard boxes rather than a few big ones. "Many people will get the biggest box they can find and put all of their stuff in it," he says. "They don't think about the person who is going to have to carry the carton. If you're going to pack a box, don't expect someone else to move it if you can't move it." I'm guilty on this one.
There are also specialty boxes that Frank suggests considering. First, china cartons, which are thicker, reinforced corrugated cardboard boxes, help protect your fragile items. Also, wardrobe boxes are a great investment because they are basically portable closets. These boxes have a rod for hanging items so your clothes never have to leave their hangers. If you've ever had to pack hangers before or unpack bags full of wrinkled clothing then you know what a lifesaver these boxes can be.
You can also purchase mirror and picture boxes, lamp boxes and even mattress bags to protect your bed from the inside of that dirty moving truck or the elements (if you're strapping it to your car's roof).
Don't forget the packing paper!
When it comes to protecting your breakables, Frank recommends going with packing paper rather than bubble wrap. Packing paper, which you can purchase at a moving truck rental facility, is a thin protective paper that when crumpled "becomes springy and soft and absorbs the impact," Frank explains. He uses this paper on all of the valuables he packs, from dishware to vases to figurines. Frank said that you can use newspaper in place of packing paper as an alternative, but warns that black newsprint tends to rub off on items, as well as your hands, so it can be a bit messy.
How to pack a box
When it comes to actually packing your boxes, there is a tried-and-tested method employed by movers that you can also use. Frank explains that you should always pack the heaviest stuff on the bottom, which makes your box sturdy.
There is a proper way to pack moving boxes. Photo: Corbis
Next, wrap your valuables using the packing paper. If you're wrapping glassware, Frank suggests creating a layer of paper around the stem. This will even out the width of the glass, making it sturdier. For figurines, he recommends wrapping the body so that the packing paper is taking the weight, not the figurine.
When it comes to dishes, Frank creates one solid bundle. To do so, lay paper on a table, then place a dish on top. Next, fold the paper over the dish, placing another dish on that and repeat for each plate. Finish it off by wrapping the entire stack together. Then, place it in your box as one solid piece.
So how many items go into a box? Space usage is one of the most problematic packing issues. Frank calls it "balloon packing," or packing a few items in a box and closing it up. There's a better way, he says. "Try to get as many items in the carton as you can because you want it to be a strong, sturdy carton. If that carton is sturdy, it will protect the things inside as well as those that are loaded on top of it." If you can't fit more items in your box but it still has holes, place crumpled packing paper into those crevices to protect the surrounding items. You can also pack soft goods with fragile items.
A final tip that Frank stresses to all of his movers: "Don't look for a fragile sticker on the box. Assume that the box is fragile, and you move it as such."
Do you know what to ask before you move in? Find out!
Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
These are good tips for moving but don't think packing a box like this will keep things in one piece if you're shipping or mailing!
ReplyMy favorite tip: use bath or beach towels to layer with dishes (Plates). Moved many times and nothing ever broke.
ReplyIf you are shipping 1 item, different rules. These tips are to protect several different items, all different shpes, sizes, and weights, in the same box. With 1 item for shipping, utilizing bubble wrap and or foam form is more protective and lighter in weight and also fills empty space for shock absorbancy.
ReplyThis article does not mention that, in order to save your plates from breaking, you should pack them in the box sideways. Each plate should be on end, like books on a shelf. They are much stronger this way. If the plates are stacked like they are in your cupboard, even with packing paper in between, then if one plate cracks, they all crack and you've lost your entire set! Moving companies do have specialty boxes for dishes, glassware, and other specific items. Use them!
ReplyI moved from NJ to Florida two months ago. I bought special dish packing cartons recommended by the mover. My good china arrived with three broken plates. So don't ever spend the money on dish cartons. They come with dividers and special packing materials that didn't do squat.
ReplyFirst, if this was a professional pack where you paid a company, they should be liable for the packing. If you got stuck with .60/lb...that should be for furniture damage and your packing. Next, did you have the dishes up on end? (slam a stack of packed dishes with your fist laying flat and you will break some. Slam it with them up on end packed and you will only break your hand! The dish pack (originally dish barrel....REAL barrel) , is the correct box but PACKING paper is the trick. Also, stemware will "fit" into each other. Wrap one and flip the next one upsidedown "into" it. Then wrap two together. Remember...strength in numbers..dishes...glass(even flat glass). NEVER LAY IT FLAT!!
Packing is the WORST job in moving and I have 38 years to prove it. It's not the lifting that will give you a sore back. It's the BENDING OVER the boxes and loading them all day. My tip is to start packing early. Maybe do a room a day but NOT all in one day or even two.
After working in the moving business, I can tell you with first hand knowledge that what they use to pack your valuables is newspaper and bubble wrap. Yep, its the same paper that you read everyday without the print on it. It would seem that Frank is trying to make some extra money today because "The cost, however, can be tough to justify." They cant make paper that will absorb more shock with out making it thicker. Common sense can tell you that. What he does say about the boxes is true. They make thicker ones for your Fine collectibles and the wardrobes along with one for mirrors and pictures. They used to make one for you bedroom mattress. Dont take my word for it, make friends with the people driving the trucks that haul your possessions from one house to the other. They will tell you the same thing.
ReplyWe have moved 5 times in the past 4 years. So, you would think that I know it all. The truth is with each move I figure out a new and better way. finally sold after 1 year,slowly get my memory back after a stroke, and hospitalized 4 times with no avail to what is wrong with me. Add another blackout to the list,I blacked out, my husband found me in 4 inches of water. Needless to say we have been living with no walls, or floor.They tell me it is coming, I hope they are right. Sorry I totally got off center. Moving tips, Kitchen only in kitchen box, dining room only dining room box only, I think you got the idea. Make the bath work for you-wrap your most valuable use all the towels that you would have to had pack and wrap them around the breakables. Visit liquor stores to get empy sturdy boxes Office max is great for bubble wrap breakables, Home Depot sells boxes-but always go free first. label all boxes what room. you may be tired affter the move, but just think of the morning after with nooooooo coffee and you cannot find the box labeled coffee and it's contents. You maybe paying for movers, but they don't care about the $5 Christmas ornament that your husband gave you when you just met. Happy moving!!!! Karen
ReplyWe will NEVER be moving again, since we are renting this house, and will bepaying it off completely, and then totally own it outright-- DEED & ALL ----so we don't have to worry about packing. But moving is a pain. Always use a reputable moving company, that are fully insured.
ReplyTHANK GOD WE ARE NEVER MOVING EVER AGAIN ......Good Luck to the rest of you.
WHEN I WAS LIVING IN APARTMENTS, I USED TO MOVE ON AVERAGE OF 1 TO TWO TIMES A YEAR. I GOT VERY GOOD AT PACKING BOXES AND LABLEING THEM, A.LSO LOADING CARS TRUCKS ECT. AND ENTICING FRIENDS FOR HELP. THOSE TIPS WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL THEN. NOW PEOPLE ASK ME FOR MY EXPERTISE IN PACKING AND MOVING. I BOUGHT A HOUSE 20yrs AGO. AND I AND MY FRIENDS ARE THANKFUL.
ReplyI have moved several times in my 48 yrs of life, cross country and quite a few in state moves. I've used newspaper, bubblewrap, packing paper...and bubblewrap combined with packing paper is the best! Packing paper alone has it's limits and DOES NOT KEEP BREAKABLES FROM BREAKING! Plus it makes the box weigh more, which causes fatigue when you have 100 plus boxes.
ReplyI do not agree with this tip. Moving as often as I have had to (military, upgrading from apt to duplex, to house, divorce, marriage, and rentals) it pays more to use bubble wrap and paper.
ReplyAdditional Suggestions. Label (and number ie, Box 1 of 26) all four sides and the top of each box, so that no matter how the box is stacked up, you can still identify it. Make either brief or detailed inventory of contents of each numbered box so you know exactly where things are and can unpack the most critical things first. You could also label each box with brief list of contents or color code the box with stickers by the room he box should go to. You can give the movers the color key and each box should end up in the correct room where it needs to be unpacked instead of all in one pile that you need to relocate yourself.