Packing Your Belongings Safely

When moving to new houses or apartments the one thing that most people fear most is the breakage and damage of their stuff in transit to their new homes. This usually is the case whether we decide to move the belongings ourselves or hire the help of professionals. Hence a lot of care is needed during packing, transportation and unpacking of the items.

When Moving Electronics:

- Ensure that the smaller electronics are packed in double layer cardboard china boxes while the larger ones use linen boxes.

- Cushioning is essential in protection of the top and bottom of the box and it should also be used between the electronics. Bubble wrap and packing paper should be used to wrap the devices separately.

- The cords from all electronic devices should be removed and wrapped separately too and make sure the TVs are packed in their original boxes.

- In cases of hiring professional movers, ensure they use moving blankets and special plasma boxes to prevent damage while in transport.

- WHAT TO AVOID: Although some electronics look sturdy, avoid stacking them up on top of each other while inside boxes and also use pillows for cushioning of both the top and bottom of boxes.

When Moving Kitchenware:

-Then china boxes come double layered and they provide a lot of protection and its advisable to utilize them.

- When packing ensure that the heavy items are the bottom such as bowls and plates and light ones should be placed at the top such as wine glasses or small decorations and ensure that they are positioned standing up.

- WHAT TO AVOID: Separate the non-breakables like pots and pans from the brittle items.

When Moving Furniture:

- Make sure that couches are properly wrapped to protect them from dust and that the tall items are carried high and low.

-“Hooking” of chairs around corners to prevent damage.

-Protect the furniture with blankets and plastic.

When Moving Lamps and their Shades:

-Make sure you have removed the shade from the lamp for safer transportation.

-Labeling of the boxes with “FRAGILE” will avoid instances of placement of items on top leading to crushing of the lamp shades.

-WHAT TO AVOID: Do not force a lamp shade in a box which is too small to fit.

When Moving Antiques & Collectibles:

- When wrapping the valuable item use ink free wrapping paper and a large amount of bubble wrap. Also the tape used should not get in contact with the item being wrapped.

When Moving Pictures Frames:

- This is one of the items that most people tend to lose when moving hence it would be a good idea to remove photos from their frames and transporting them separately.

- The frames should be wrapped in bubble wrap.

When Moving Soft Items and Clothing:

- The items such as pillows and linens usually can be simply placed in boxes of correct sizes, should not be over packed and no bubble wrap or print paper is needed.

- For expensive clothing, simply use wardrobe boxes and also does not require any bubble wrap or print paper for wrapping them.

What to Avoid Packing When Moving:

- Flammable items such as gas

- Hazardous materials such as corrosives

- Living plants or animals

- Jewelry

- Perishable items.

The proper packing of a box:

- Group the items of similar weight and size together, this quite essential to note where the non-breakables like the pans and pots are separated from breakables such as picture frames and their photos.

- Proper wrapping of the items would protect them from water damage and also breakage.

- The usage of bubble wrap and the packing peanuts helps filling the spaces inside the boxes preventing the items moving around the empty space inside the boxes.

- Taping of the boxes should be on the bottom and top of the box and also around the entire box ensuring this is done along all the seams.

- The boxes should be labeled on all sides and should also include your name and address to avoid cases of misplaced packages.

Packing and Packing Safely:

You can do this by yourself or with the hired help of professional packers, thus ensure that each item is packed separately with care given to each individual item so that unpacking the goods can be easy.