We know how precious your belongings are. Here are some helpful tips that can make your portable storage job go smoother.
Maintaining a detailed inventory ensures that every item is accounted for, preventing loss and allowing you to instantly verify that all your belongings have arrived safely at your new home. Furthermore, a comprehensive list serves as vital proof of ownership and condition for insurance claims, saving you significant stress and money if anything is damaged or goes missing in transit.
Keeping high-value items and essential documents with you personally, rather than on the moving truck, eliminates the risk of theft or loss and ensures your most irreplaceable possessions remain under your direct supervision at all times. Additionally, this practice guarantees you have immediate access to critical necessities like medications, chargers, and identification without the stress of rummaging through packed boxes during the transition.
Clearly labeling every box with its contents and destination room dramatically speeds up the unpacking process, enabling movers to place items exactly where they belong so you aren't left hauling heavy boxes from room to room later. Additionally, marking specific boxes as "Fragile" or "Open First" alerts handlers to use extra caution and ensures you can locate your bed sheets, coffee maker, and toiletries immediately upon arrival.
Packing heavy items like books or canned goods into small boxes prevents them from becoming dangerously overweight and ensures the boxes won't break through the bottom during transport. Conversely, placing light, bulky items like pillows and linens in large boxes maximizes your space efficiency without making the load impossible to lift or carry comfortably.
Underesimating your packing needs is one of the most common moving mistakes, often leading to stressful, last-minute trips to the store when you should be finishing up. Having an abundance of extra boxes on hand allows you to pack at your own pace and ensures you never have to overstuff a single container just to make everything fit.
Standard cardboard boxes often lack the structural integrity required to protect delicate items, but specialty containers like dish barrels and wardrobe boxes are engineered with reinforced walls for maximum security. Investing in these purpose-built solutions, alongside cell dividers for glassware and electronics boxes for screens, significantly reduces the risk of expensive or sentimental items breaking during the jostle of transit.
Proper packing is important to ensure that your items arrive at your new home in the same condition they left. Additionally, we cannot move small items that have not been packed. Items often overlooked at packing time are table lamps, décor, wreaths, small pictures and mirrors, electronics, and small miscellaneous items. A good general rule of thumb is ”If it fits in a box, it should be in a box”. The crew cannot secure small, loose items on the truck, so having them packed ahead of time will ensure they are able to be moved. Please be aware that our insurance does not cover items packed in boxes by the customer, so it is important to pack as well as possible.
Here are a few more packing tips to make your moving day go more smoothly!
Start with out-of-season items and things that are not frequently used. Leave until last the things you’ll need until moving day.
Pack similar items together. Do not pack a delicate china figurine in the same carton with cast-iron frying pans, for example.
Keep all parts or pairs of things together. For example, curtain rod hangers, mirror bolts and other small hardware items should be placed in plastic or cloth bags and taped or tied securely to the article to which they belong.
Wind electrical cords, fastening them so they do not dangle.
Wrap items individually in clean paper; use tissue paper, paper towels or even facial tissue for fine china, crystal and delicate items. Colored wrapping draws attention to very small things. Use a double layer of newspaper for a good outer wrapping.
Place a two- or three-inch layer of crushed paper in the bottom of a box for cushioning.
Build up in layers, with heaviest things on the bottom, medium weight next and lightest on top.
As each layer is completed, fill in empty spaces firmly with crushed paper and add more crushed paper to make a level base for the next layer, or use sheets or cardboard as dividers.
Cushion well with crushed paper; towels and lightweight blankets also may be used for padding and cushioning. The more fragile the item, the more cushioning needed. Be sure no sharp points, edges or rims are left uncovered.
Pack small, fragile, individually wrapped items separately or a few together in small boxes, cushioning with crushed or shredded paper.
Place small boxes in a single large box, filling in spaces with crushed paper.
Avoid overloading boxes, but strive for a firm pack that will prevent items from shifting; the cover should close easily without force, but should not bend inward.
Seal boxes tightly with tape.
As you finish with each box, list the contents on the side of the box (for easy viewing while cartons are stacked) and in a special notebook. You might want to number and/or code the cartons as well.
Put a special mark on boxes you want to unpack first at destination.
