Packing and Moving Tips

Packing

First let’s talk about moving boxes. Now you can go to your local grocery store or liquor store and get cardboard boxes, but you will be asking for boxes just like a hundred other people. They only have so many. If you are lucky enough to find some there, they may not be very big, or they may be too big. If you are not careful, the boxes from the grocery store may have food substance that leaked into the box. To avoid all of these problems it is better to just go buy moving boxes. You can go to places like Home Depot, Lowes, UPS stores or U-Haul, but they will be quite expensive, not to mention they have a limited amount on hand or a limited amount of sizes available. Of course, Ultimate Moving Supplies has an unlimited quantity available, and we carry the three most useful sizes. Do you think we would write these tips without mentioning our name at least once?

It is best to start in one room. If you move from room to room, then one, you lose your focus, and two you will have a harder time remembering exactly what and where you packed your items. It goes without saying that when you have packed your box, label it. Invest in some marking pens, they are worth it.

Now that you have a plan of attack, let’s talk about how to pack. The bedrooms will be the easiest, because there aren’t as many items as say the kitchen. You might want to knock these out first. This way it will seem like you are making good progress. The one drawback to the bedrooms is the closets. Some people pack their closets with as much as will fit in there. It is best to pack large moving boxes with the bulky stuff, like blankets, extra pillows and such. The medium moving boxes are excellent for flat objects, such as games, stereo equipment, and some dishes; platters, serving trays and regular plates to name a few. Small moving boxes are great for your smaller but heavier items, like appliances, books, and magazines. They don’t hold as much so you won’t have a tendency to overload them. You don’t want to go to all the trouble to pack your boxes, and then have all the contents fall out when you pick up the box.

Here is a brief note on getting the boxes ready to use. Purchase a few rolls of quality packing tape and a dispenser. It is worth it. You might want to get several packing boxes ready to go ahead of time. This way you won’t have to stop and put together a box each time you fill one up. Here’s how to do it. Fold the boxes with the end flaps on the inside. Run a piece of tape from one end along the bottom and back up the other end. You will want about 4- 6 inches on each end. Take another piece of tape that is a couple of inches shorter than the width of the box, and run it along the bottom of each end perpendicular to the other piece of tape. Do this on each end. You now have a box ready to go. If you use just one piece you won’t have the strength you need. Boxes are usually longer than they are wide, so it saves tape to put one piece on each end rather than running three strips along the length of the bottom.

Now you have a plan of attack and you have your boxes. Fill ‘em up. As you fill up each box put it to one side, then start stacking them up. Try not to have open boxes. You won’t be able to stack them if things are sticking out the top. The top of the boxes only need one piece of tape. Remember, mark your moving boxes, and mark them on at least two sides, for example; Master Bedroom-Closet-Games. If you have all your boxes stacked, when moving day comes, you can take your hand truck, and pick up the whole stack.

When you are packing your moving boxes a little common sense is required. If you are packing breakables, you may want some bubble wrap or at least some paper. Newspaper works fine, but sometimes the print may bleed on to your items. Think before you pack. One thing I didn’t mention above about going to the liquor store for boxes is, the divided boxes that wine and liquor come in are great for packing glasses. Some liquor store may want to sell them to you, only because their suppliers buy them back from the stores. Figure out how many glasses you have and get as many boxes you need. Wine and liquor boxes are not very big so they won’t hold much, but they will hold 12 glasses in each box safely.

Let’s talk about clothes now. If you are just moving across town, you can pack your clothes in the back seat of your car. You will more than likely have several people helping you move, so that gives you several cars to load up with clothes. If you are moving long distance, then you may want to get some wardrobe boxes. Unfortunately, Ultimate Moving Supplies doesn’t carry wardrobe boxes. Here is a freebie tip. Go to a moving company like Mayflower and see if they have any used wardrobe boxes in the back. They probably will, and they may just give them to you. If you are using a moving company to move you long distance, then I’m pretty sure they will give them to you.

When packing items that stick out of the moving boxes, it is best to pack as many of these type items in one box as possible. Even though you won’t be able to stack these, they can be carried out individually. We don’t recommend putting them on top of a stack of boxes, only because it makes the stack top heavy, and this will cause problems. Trust us on this, been there, done that!

Moving

OK, it’s now moving day. If you are using a moving company, most of this won’t apply to you. They do the actual moving for you. That’s what you pay them the big bucks for. If you are doing the moving yourself, with the help of your friends of course, then listen up. Here is a list of items you may want to have on hand. These tools will make the moving so much easier.

A hand truck or even 2 hand trucks. Buying a hand truck is an excellent investment. There are lots of uses for a hand truck. An appliance dolly. Appliance dollies have straps that hold the appliances to the dolly, this is almost a must. If you try to use a hand truck, it will be a major hassle. A furniture dolly. These are great for dressers, chests of drawers, or china cabinets, and big screen TVs. Shoulder dollies, forearm forklift moving straps, and mattress carriers, all make moving those bulky items a whole lot easier. Having Cargo control straps keeps your load from shifting. Most moving trucks don’t have the power to make your stuff fall on takeoff, but when you turn, things will fall. Driving over curbs is another way things will fall. If you aren’t used to driving a truck, you will more than likely drive over a curb. Remember, swing wide.

When you go to get the moving truck, that is if you are going to rent a moving truck, get one bigger than you think you will need. Almost always, you have more stuff than you think you have. Again, trust us on this.

Most rental trucks have automatic transmissions, so they are easy to drive. If you are not used to driving a truck, here are a few suggestions about driving the rental truck. Make sure you have someone spotting you when you back up. It is very hard to judge distance when you are using the mirrors, and you will be using mirrors; that is the only way to see where you are going. Here is another tip; watch you’re your overhead clearance. Don’t try to take the truck through the drive-thru at McDonalds. You will be responsible for any damage to the truck. When backing into the spot where you want to be, the hand signal for the driver is; hands apart to let him know how much distance there is. Say there is 3 feet to go; you hold your hands 3 feet apart, as he/she backs up, and is getting closer, you, the spotter move your hands together. When he/she is where you think the back of the truck should be, hold both of your hands up for the STOP signal. Most rental trucks have ramps that pull out. You will definitely want to use this. Pull the ramp all the way out, and then lift it up so you can hang the two lips in the appropriate slots. This keeps you from having to lift or step up each time you go into the truck. One more thing, remember to leave enough room for the ramp. If you are a good enough driver and have enough room, make it so you can drop the ramp right on the threshold of the door. This isn’t always possible, and probably very often, is not possible, but if you can, do it.

Packing the truck

This may be the most important part. If you don’t pack it right from the beginning, you will not have enough room, no matter how big a truck you get. With that said; if the truck has an overhanging compartment, start with your boxes up there. If not, then start with your biggest items first, appliances, dressers, entertainment centers, bookshelves, and china cabinets. The spaces in between can be filled with boxes or other items that fit there. The object is to NOT have any gaps. Gaps allow your stuff to fall or shift. Once you have the big items in, fill up the space above them with bulky, but light items, like bed frames, or dvd racks. Between you mattresses it is a good idea to put mirrors, headboards, or pictures. You may want to get some moving blankets or furniture covers to protect your furniture and appliances. Now, as you work your way from the front of the truck to the back, check and see how much stuff you have left. Outdoor furniture, barbecues, and bicycles can be saved for last. Do make sure you remember them. Out of sight, out of mind. If you find you have more than enough room, then start to lower the level of each row of stuff. It will look like a wedge, the highest part in front and the lowest part at the end of the truck. If by chance you do have too much room left, then you can tell us, you were wrong dudes!

Good luck!