Packing Tips

You can pack yourself or hire the movers to pack for you. Packing yourself saves money and you know how, what and where everything has been packed.

Start packing early. This gives you the chance to decide which of your belongings you can dispose of by having a garage sale or donating to charity.

The key to a successful move is organization. Pack each room in its on set of boxes. Label the boxes with color-coded dots. This will help everybody know where things go in your new home. By placing a dot on the door to each room, the movers know where each box goes.

Equipment

If you are going to move yourself, you will need some essential items.

• Color-coded stickers
• Boxes of all sizes
• Nylon tape
• Bubble-wrap

Packing

The best thing is to have the original boxes and packing material. Nice thought! Most of us don’t have the extra room needed to keep all this stuff. O.K. Below are the alternative packing instructions.

First, never use newspaper to wrap items. Newspaper ink can rub off and leave stains. Always use clean, white paper for packing. You can use newspaper as an extra layer of padding over the clean, white paper.

• Place extra cushioning material in the bottom of the box.
• Wrap plates individually.
• Stack plates and secure them every so often by wrapping them together with one long sheet of paper.
• Since plates are particularly fragile, many stores sell foam kits specially molded to fit the plates' shape.
• Place cups and glasses one inside the other, no more three or four high.
• Wrap these stacked glasses and cups in packing paper.
• Wrap and pack goblets and stemware separately. Do not stack them.
• Use additional packing paper, bubble wrap or peanuts to fill excess space. Towels work also work well.

• Items such as blenders and toasters should be packed together.
• Wrap each item separately and fill in the empty space with packing paper or cushion foam.

• Anything that can leak and ruin other items will. Seal tightly with tape and place in separate plastic bags: perfume, medicine, cleaning materials, etc.
• Better yet, get rid of most of these items.

• This is no place to skimp on packing material.
• Be aware that some packing material could generate static electricity that could damage circuit boards.
• If possible, place even large items (TVs, microwaves, etc.) in boxes and use plenty of cushioning.

• Remove lamp shades and bulbs prior to move. Be sure to stack the boxes containing these items on top of everything else.
• Wrap cord around the base of the lamp.
• Cushion lamps with foam bubbles or packing paper.

• Secure spring-mounted motors by bracing the tub.
• Disconnect the machine's hoses from the wall. Use a rubber band to seal a plastic bag around each hose end so that leftover water won't leak out.

• Defrost, dry and load refrigerator in an upright position, using the inside for bulky, lightweight goods (stuffed toys, pillows).
• Never lay the refrigerator on its side as this can damage the unit.

• Purchase special mirror/picture boxes and pack accordingly.
• Stand boxes up, preferably sandwiched between mattresses or box springs.

• Use a wardrobe box and transfer clothes on hanger from closet to the box. Hint: use safety pins to attach clothes to the hangers. Otherwise, they will surely slip off. Murphy’s law!
• Leave clothes in dressers, but make sure the drawers are not too heavy. If a drawer is too heavy, it may be damaged along the way.

• Pack drawers full, but make sure that breakable items are well padded.
• Prevent drawers from opening by placing the unit up against a wall of the moving truck or against a flat surface such as a mattress.

• Wrap mattresses and box springs in special mattress bags.

• Use small boxes.
• Pack books flat to prevent the spines from breaking.
• Never pack fragile items with books.

• Remove all legs from tables and load the flat surfaces on edge.
• If legs cannot be removed, load tables on their top surface--legs up--taking care to protect the finish with cushioning.

• Tie or tape shovels, rakes and hoes together.
• Drain hoses, then coil them with the ends connected and tie them up.
• Take apart any items that are put together with screws or bolts. Place parts in a sandwich bag taped to item.
• Empty all gasoline engines, fuel-burning camping equipment, etc.

• Consult a veterinarian.
• Ask about mild sedatives to keep your pet relaxed.
• Often, pet carriers are best for cats and dogs. If your pet is too big, be sure to keep it leashed at all times.

• Water plants before you move.
• Wrap in plastic, punch airholes and lay them in cartons.
• Transport house plants in the family car or they probably will die. Also, some states prohibit entry of certain plants. If you’re moving out of state, check.
• Better yet, give them away to friends or donate them to a hospital, especially if you’re moving a long distance.

Things Not to Ship

• Do not ship your valuables: jewelry, furs, silver, irreplaceable photos, legal and medical records, coin and stamp collections are best transported by yourself.
• Do not ship anything that could possibly leak, explode or be a fire hazard. Discard all aerosol cans, old cans of paint, bleach, alcohol and cleaning fluids.
• Do not ship ammunition, fireworks, matches or chemistry sets. Think twice about carrying these things in your own cars.
• Do not ship perishable food.