Packing Supplies from a Professional Packing Service Company
The right packing materials, combined with proper packing and loading techniques, will protect your items during transport and speed up the process of settling into your new home or office. Every move will go smoother when you have the right supplies.
But what supplies do you need? How much do you need? And where do you get them (without spending a fortune)? We’re here to answer those questions so you can protect your stuff, your sanity, and your savings on your moving journey.
Common Packing Supplies
Before purchasing supplies, talk with a company that provides packing and moving services. Hiring out some or all of your home or business packing may be less expensive than you think. Certainly, it is faster and allows experts to use their training and experience to care for your belongings properly.
Because these services will often include boxes and other packing materials, you’ll want to determine your plan for moving before you start spending money on supplies. As you discuss your move with packing and moving companies, inquire about whether materials are included in the estimate they provide.
If you’ve decided to handle some or all of the packing yourself, you will need supplies. In addition to grabbing all your patience and some pain reliever for your sore back, gather the items on our packing supplies checklist:
Boxes
We will start with the most obvious item on the list: boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. However, just going out and purchasing many boxes is a mistake. You should be strategic about the sizes you gather for your project.
Weight considerations
You will want some smaller boxes. To understand why, look no further than your bookshelf. Unless you’ve gone to all digital reading, those books are heavy. Sure, you could fit all of them in two or three large boxes and be done packing them. But someone has to lift those boxes, load them on the truck, unload them, and then carry them to the correct place in your new home or office. Whether you are doing that yourself or outsourcing to trained moving professionals, you are making the job significantly more difficult.
If you make boxes too heavy to be lifted by even strong, experienced movers, you will regret it. When dealing with heavy items, smaller boxes are better. Look for boxes that are about one cubic foot. Use these for heavy items.
If you must use larger boxes, fill them only about halfway with books, then add towels, clothing, or other light items to the rest of the box. However, we don’t recommend this. Mixing books from your office with towels from your bathroom makes unpacking more difficult. It is better to use a smaller box and remain organized. Remember to buy plenty of smaller boxes to ensure you can do that.
Shape Compatibility
You can often track down free boxes by asking at local stores, which can be a great money-saving approach. However, remember that packing a moving truck is like a giant game of Tetris. While the video game had pieces of different shapes and sizes, they were all compatible with one another.
A motley collection of free boxes in different shapes and sizes will stack less precisely and evenly into your moving truck. That could lead to wasted space, requiring a larger truck. If you have boxes sold from the same source, they should be compatible with one another, which will make packing easier. When deciding how to source your boxes, consider the balance of space efficiency and easy packing versus saving money on free materials.
Larger boxes are great for items like linens, pillows, or clothing. You can fill them up, and they will still be a manageable weight.
Wardrobe Boxes
These specialty boxes have a metal bar that fits across the top. You can transfer items from your closet to a wardrobe box, leaving them hanging. This approach can make packing and unpacking more efficient and prevent your items from wrinkling. However, there are more efficient uses of space.
If you are dealing with a small truck or trying to minimize the space you need, wardrobe boxes may not be the best option. If you have expensive or easily damaged clothing items, consider putting those in wardrobe boxes and using regular boxes for everything else.
Original Boxes
Use the box your television or coffee maker came in if you saved it. These boxes are made to withstand shipping and provide sufficient protection for the rough handling items may experience on the long route from factory to consumer.
Other Specialty Boxes
You will also need custom boxes for items like mattresses, mirrors, or framed art. It can be challenging to know exactly how many boxes of each size you will need, and what specialty boxes your move will require.
You may save time and stress by outsourcing to a packing and moving company. They will have the expertise to evaluate your belongings and come up with a very accurate estimate of what boxes, in what quantities, will be needed. They can also bring extra boxes. If you supply your own boxes, you run the risk of running out of supplies before you finish. You also risk paying for more (or different) boxes than you need.
Custom Storage Solutions
Many retailers sell items made specifically for packing away and protecting fragile items. Everything from Christmas ornaments to dinnerware has inspired these cushioned storage containers. These items can be great for your move if you already have them. Packing and organizing your items is easy when the mugs from your dinnerware set go in the divided mug container and the holiday wreath nestles into its round, hardshell case.
However, don’t let these storage systems lull you into a false sense of security. Remember that they are often made with storage in mind rather than moving. If they don’t have sufficient cushioning, or will allow items to shift around inside their custom compartments, you may need to add additional packing materials. If these specialized containers don’t have hard shells, you should put them inside boxes and secure them with paper or cushioning around them.
Professional movers know how to pack fragile items properly without needing these customized items. Consider items like this if you are handling your packing. They can be a helpful first step but are not a substitute for careful handling and battle-tested packing experience. If you have precious or difficult-to-replace items, strongly consider leaving those to be packed by the professionals.
Tape
However much tape you think you’ll need, it’s probably not enough. Tape for every box on the top and bottom adds up quickly. Additionally, you may use tape to secure packing paper around fragile items.
Don’t scrimp on tape dispensers, either. Having to constantly halt your progress while you hunt for the end of the tape that has blended into the rest of the roll is frustrating. It makes the long process of packing even longer and more annoying. A dispenser keeps the end from getting lost and lets you quickly cut the tape when you know how much you need.
Resist the urge to fold the box flaps to secure them instead of taping them. That makes them far less secure. You want to avoid picking up a box and having the contents dump onto your feet. If you are working with professional movers, they may not handle boxes you’ve folded shut instead of taped. Do the job properly; tape both the top and bottom of the box.
For boxes that will hold heavier items, put one or two strips of tape perpendicular to the opening and partly up the side of the box, in addition to taping the seam. This reinforcement helps strengthen the box so it can withstand the weight of heavy items.
Plastic Wrap
You can purchase large rolls of plastic or stretch wrap. This material is similar to the wrap you use in the kitchen but on a much larger scale and somewhat more durable.
Use the wrap to protect upholstered items from dirt and friction. Wrap your sofa in a thick protective coating of plastic. These rolls of shrink wrap also come in handy for helping to secure moving blankets.
If you are DIY-ing your move, look for plastic wrap rolls with dispensing handles. Because the film adheres to itself, it can easily become twisted and unusable. The handles help you control the roll while dispensing and prevent twists and tangles.
Packing Paper, Bubble Wrap, and Other Packing Material
Packing paper and bubble wrap are the workhorses of your moving day supplies. They will protect fragile items and fill voids in boxes to prevent shifting.
When packing items that need protection, start by laying several layers of packing paper on a flat surface. Begin at one corner, wrapping diagonally and tucking in overlapping edges as you go. Secure the finished bundle with tape before placing it in a box.
As you load items into boxes, you will notice voids where the items don’t fit together cleanly. Wad up a few sheets of paper and put them in these areas. That prevents your items from shifting around in the box. If there is any open space at the top of a box, fill that with crumpled paper as well. You want each box to be tightly packed so nothing can move once taped shut.
Consider using clothes or linens as wrapping material. Those items need to be moved anyway. If you can use them as cushioning for fragile items, you’ll save on bubble wrap or packing paper costs. Wrap framed art in sheets. Cushion a lamp with your bathroom towels. Use t-shirts to protect serving dishes. You can even press socks into service to cradle and contain small, fragile collectibles.
Of course, this will mean that you aren’t as organized when you unpack. Your sweaters may end up in the dining room with your fine china instead of your closet. But many people find it worthwhile to use items they already have instead of paper or bubble wrap. It saves space and money and helps make your move more eco-friendly.
Labels
No packing supplies checklist would be complete without labels. The more detailed you can be with your labeling when packing and organizing, the easier you will make your life on unloading day. “Clothes” may be better than no label at all, but it still isn’t especially helpful. Is that box full of your daughter’s soccer uniforms or your wife’s cocktail dresses?
Careful labeling does more than help determine which room to put the box in. You’ll want to know exactly what is in those clothing boxes when you aren’t unpacked yet and must get dressed for work on Monday morning. If a box says, “Primary Bedroom, Bob’s closet, work pants and shirts,” you can face your first day of work appropriately outfitted without having to frantically cut open two dozen boxes in four different rooms. Be as specific as possible when labeling items.
Consider assigning each room in your home a specific label color. That way, you will immediately know which room the boxes go to as you unload them. This color system can also help when working with professional moving companies. That way, you won’t need to stand at the door to tell them where each box goes.
We also recommend labeling one or two boxes as “open first.” Adorn these with brightly colored tape or something that makes them impossible to miss as they come off the truck. These boxes should contain the items you need to survive your first few days in the home when most of your possessions are still packed. You will be thankful for quick access to sheets, towels, a trashcan, and, if you have children, a few toys to keep young hands busy while you unpack.
Remember to have a marker handy for filling out the labels.
Trash Bags
Yes, your moving will generate empty tape rolls and torn packing paper, but that’s not why we consider trash bags a moving supply. For your hanging clothing, whether you put it in a wardrobe box or lay it in a smaller, flat box, consider first grouping it in trash bags.
Group 15-20 hangers together. Open a trash bag and pull it over the clothes from the bottom while they are still hanging in your closet. Close the bag’s drawstring over the neck of the hangers and loop the handles over the hanger’s hooks. You can then transfer the bundle to your wardrobe or flat box. This method helps keep clothes on the hangers and keeps out dust or dirt during the moving process. It also allows you to transfer one bundle in and out of the closet instead of moving each article of clothing.
Use smaller bags to contain loose items. If you put all the items from your kitchen’s junk drawer into a bag, they will all stay together. You can empty the bag into the proper drawer in your new home. Easy!
Grouping items in bags also prevents small items from getting lost in the bottom of a box or a pile of packing paper. And beyond that, don’t forget to save a few bags for all the trash your move will generate.
Moving Blankets
Also called furniture pads, moving blankets will be a vital part of your moving day supplies. These are used to protect vulnerable corners of your furniture when it is loaded on the truck. They also prevent scratches or dents caused by friction.
Your desk and dining room buffet will have boxes stacked on them to help utilize every inch of truck space. Or they may be packed upside down, in which case they would be pressed against the truck floor. As the truck moves, the surfaces will rub against each other. Moving blankets prevent damage from that friction.
Place moving pads over your object. Use more than one blanket if necessary. Then, secure the padding using tape or plastic wrap.
If you use packing and moving services, they will almost certainly provide moving blankets. If not, you can rent blankets from a moving truck rental company. Be sure to ask about fees for returning rented items to a different location if you are doing a long-distance move.
Old bedding is an excellent alternative to moving blankets. If you have a comforter that has seen better days or a blanket you use as a pet bed or rag, press it into service to protect the corners of your dining room table or the top of your dresser.
Tie-Downs
Tie-downs are straps designed to secure items in a moving truck or van. They keep your furniture, boxes, and other items secure during transport.
You will have damage if an entire column of items falls over when the moving truck rounds a corner or changes lanes. At that point, it won’t matter how well you packed your boxes or how many moving blankets you wrapped around your coffee table. Additionally, a sudden load shift could cause you to lose control of your vehicle, especially if you are attempting to move yourself when you aren’t familiar with operating large, heavy vehicles.
The solution to this is tie-downs. These heavy-duty straps will hook onto secure points in the moving vehicle. Think of them like seatbelts for your belongings.
One option is ratchet straps. You tighten these by cranking a ratchet that pulls one end of the strap through, a small bit at a time, until you reach the desired tension. They are easy to control.
Another possibility is cam straps or cam buckle straps. You tighten these straps by hand rather than using mechanical assistance like a ratchet. This method makes them easy to operate. Pull the strap through to the desired length, then release the cam buckle. The buckle clips onto the strap, securing it in place.
Regardless of what type of strap you select, use caution when tightening them. The items intended to protect your furniture could damage it if over-tightened. Wood can easily crack if a strap puts too much pressure on it. Professional movers know you have to get enough tension to prevent movement while keeping straps loose enough to prevent damage.
A Dolly
You will need a dolly if you plan to load and unload the truck yourself. These can be purchased at home improvement stores or rented from most companies that supply moving trucks. As far as moving day supplies go, your dolly is vital. It helps you safely move heavy items. Additionally, it can speed up the load process because it allows you to transport multiple boxes simultaneously.
Box Cutters
You’ll want several box cutters with fresh, sharp blades available for move-in day.
An Apron
Huh? An apron may seem like a strange item to have on a packing and organizing list, but hear us out. You’ve got tape, pens, labels, and a box cutter. You use one of those items, then move on to the next box. A few minutes later, it’s time to cut open another box or write on another label. And the box cutter or marker is nowhere to be found among the piles of packing paper, boxes, and items needing to be packed or put away.
An apron helps contain all the small tools of the packing trade, so you always have them when you need them. An apron isn’t necessary for a successful move, but it makes your life easier.
When in Doubt, Leave It to the Pros
Remember that professional movers have experience with packing. If you work with a company that prioritizes having a reliable, knowledgeable workforce, their movers will be trained to protect your items. They can do that while minimizing the space required to transport your household or office goods.
Not only will professional moving companies get the job done much more efficiently, but they will also have the skills required to minimize damage and the expense of replacing destroyed items. Additionally, they will supply most or all the items on this packing supplies checklist, reducing or eliminating that expense. Whether a simple, everyday item or an irreplaceable treasure, they have the know-how to pack it securely and safely.
We understand budget constraints. However, it doesn’t make sense to save on moving costs only to spend hundreds of dollars on moving supplies and thousands more to undo the damage wrought by inexperienced packing. You may spend more on a DIY move than on one with some professional assistance.
If you have a big move coming up, seek out free quotes from several local moving companies. Local movers are usually cheaper than big, national companies and often have dedicated, well-trained crews.
Ask about a la carte services so you don’t end up paying for services you don’t need. You may pack your linen closet and stuffed animal collection yourself to save a little money and leave the unwieldy furniture and fragile dishes to the expert packing and moving companies.