Moving house is not something that happens instantaneously. There’s a lot of pre-planning and packing that goes on behind the scenes ahead of moving day. From gathering packaging materials to filling up boxes carefully and strategically to prevent breakages, there are many tips and tricks the professionals use to get it right.
If this is your first time moving house, or you’d like some extra tips on how to pack up your belongings in the safest and most effective way, be sure to read our packing tips below.
Choosing Your Moving Boxes
Using the right boxes to move your belongings is everything when it comes to protecting your belongings. When moving heavy or valuable items, it’s best to invest in purpose-made double-walled corrugated moving boxes rather than recycling old boxes or sourcing them from the grocery store.
Dedicated moving boxes are specifically designed to be strong and secure enough to withstand stacking while protecting and keeping your items safely in place during your move. This is in contrast to using an old box which may be damaged or less sturdy – making it less than ideal for protecting your belongings.
If you absolutely must use an old box, be sure to only pack light non-valuable items inside.
Reinforce Your Moving Box
Be sure to tape up the bottom of your box with strong packing tape (before you start packing) to prevent it from giving way under the weight of your belongings. It might seem like an extra, unnecessary step but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Place several strips of packing tape vertically and horizontally along the base of the box and add a strip across both edges of the box flaps to tape it shut. Be sure to also add packing tape to the box corners on the inside of the box for added protection and durability.
Pack Heavier Items At The Bottom
Firstly, group similar sized items together before you start to pack. When Filling up Boxes, be sure to place the heaviest items at the very bottom. By filling your moving boxes with heavy items first, you can prevent the heavier items from crushing lighter objects underneath. At the same time, having lighter items at the top of your moving boxes will ensure your boxes aren’t top-heavy and much easier to carry.
What Should I Pack Into Bigger Boxes vs Smaller Boxes?
When it comes to packing larger boxes, be sure to fill them with lighter items. The last thing you need on moving day is to have a large moving box packed to the brim full of heavy objects that can’t be shifted due to the sheer weight of its contents.
Pack heavier objects into smaller boxes to keep the weight manageable and if possible, spread the heavy items across several boxes.
Wrap Fragile & Expensive Items
Use bubble wrap, packing peanuts, old towels, blankets and newspapers to protect your most valuable and treasured items. Be sure to wrap your possessions tightly and carefully to prevent damage.
The key to ensuring your items make it to their destination in one piece is to prevent movement during transit. The best way to do this is to use the correct sized packing box where there is just enough room to hold your pre-wrapped object. Gently fill the corners and gaps with your loose packing materials to ensure there is little to no wiggle room.
Don’t Overfill
Overfilling your moving boxes is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. Prevent potential breakages by moving onto a new packing box when your other one is mostly full.
Seal And Label Boxes
For an easier move, be sure to label your boxes with their contents and then securely seal your moving boxes shut. This will help with identifying where your items are at a glance once they’ve arrived at the new place.
Stacking Boxes
If you’ve gone ahead and done the step above of sealing your moving boxes, stacking boxes in the truck or moving vehicle should be relatively easy at this point. Correctly packed and sealed boxes will have a flat top and bottom (and not be overfilled and bulging), making it easier to stack them in the truck.
When positioning your boxes in the truck, be sure to place the heaviest moving boxes at the bottom of the stack. This will prevent you from having to do a lot of heavy lifting while stacking boxes on top of one another.
Hate Packing Boxes? Let Us Do The Heavy Work
Giffen Furniture Removals are Brisbane’s leading furniture removalist team. With almost 30 years in the industry, we’re the go-to experts when it comes to home and office removals.
We’re here to take the hard work out of carefully packing, labelling and relocating your precious items and furniture to your new address, so you won’t have to lift a finger.
Call us today on (07) 3162 6783 for a free quote on any of our furniture removal services and to discuss your local or interstate moving needs.
