Table of Contents
While unpacking after moving into your new home, you may discover that a few of your belongings have been damaged in transit. This may seem like a nightmare for anyone after spending a significant amount of time and money to move – especially if you had a DIY move.
But you can avoid such scenarios if you know exactly how to pack your moving boxes appropriately. Another option is to hire moving labor help to get the job done and you wouldn’t have to worry about damaged items.
If you had enlisted the services of a professional moving carrier, you could have made them liable for the damage caused. However, there would be no one to blame and hold accountable for if you have done the packing on your own.
So, what can you do to prevent your personal items from getting damaged while moving?
One of the most effective methods of minimizing this risk is by taking time to pack correctly. We understand that you may not be a professional packer, so we created this simple guide to make your packing easier.
How To Pack Your Moving Boxes Appropriately
The right way to pack a box so that the contents stay safe is quite simple and the actual steps are listed below:
Start with the bottom of the box
The bottom of a box is what holds the entire content of the box. If the bottom is strong enough, the box will be good enough to hold some content. More so, once the bottom of the box is stronger, items wouldn’t fall off easily especially while loading the moving truck or while in transit.
So, how can you make the bottom of your boxes stronger? Tape them with packing tape over and over again. If you have a used box, tape the bottom and the edges too to make it stronger.
Pack heavy items in small boxes
All your heavy items such as books and china etc. should be packed in small boxes. Light items like clothes and other non-heavy items should end up in larger boxes. This makes lifting the boxes and loading the moving truck easier. It also makes unloading and unpacking easier. When the entire move is all over, almost all your items will be in one piece.
Make sure there are no empty spaces in your box
Leaving no empty spaces inside your moving boxes will prevent all the items from juggling, and keep them intact. Once you’re done loading each box, you can fill up empty spaces with towels, clothing, or any other soft fabric.
Other effective options are bubble wraps or butcher paper. Leaving no empty space in your box will keep your entire items safe throughout every phase of the move and you will have one less thing to worry about.
Make your boxes easier to carry
Moving boxes that are too heavy to lift makes moving more stressful and can cause back injuries. Heavier boxes also increase the chances of being dropped. So, make sure your boxes aren’t too heavy.
You can set a 20-kilogram box weight limit for all your moving boxes. This will make them easier to carry and you’ll end up with less damaged items as the bottom of the boxes wouldn’t give in easily.
Here’s a summary of how to pack your moving boxes like a pro:
- Assemble the box. Use a tape to secure the bottom seam. You can add tape perpendicular to the main seam to strap the bottom of the box for added reinforcement.
- Use crumpled paper to form a cushion on the bottom of the box. Ideally, you should not be able to feel the bottom of the box when you press down on the paper.
- Use extra paper to stuff the corners. These are the areas that bear the maximum brunt when the box is accidentally dropped.
- Wrap every item with bubble wrap, or paper before placing them carefully in the box. Make sure that there is enough room on the sides and the top for more padding.
- Do not fill the boxes with less than what they can hold. Overfilling of boxes can cause them to collapse when they are stacked one over the other. You can use paper, towel or clothing to fill in the small gaps in some of the boxes.
- After you have placed everything, tape the box securely and label it with your name or its general content. A good practice is to label each side of the cartons so that they are visible from different angles when the boxes are stacked.
Follow the above-mentioned techniques to ensure that your prized possessions are safe!
