Moving Packing Tips

All cartons need to have a top on them for safe moving. Closing the carton will help protect your goods as the driver builds your load. Always fold the flaps together from opposite sides of the carton, ending with the last two flaps creating one seam across the carton. Use good quality carton tape to seal your boxes, taping across the seam and 1/2 way up the side of the box. It’s the tape along the side of the box that provides the strength to keep the carton closed and secure for transportation.

Proper marking helps you unpack faster. Mark every carton with your name, your MiniMoves order number and the room name on the top of the carton. Make notes about the contents of the carton on the side of the box. If you do, the delivery crew can get them placed in the right room and you will be able to read the contents-information when the boxes are all stacked up at delivery.

Wrap fragile articles the same way the professionals do. Use two or three layers of unprinted newsprint per glass, dish or figurine. Wrap firmly, but loose enough to provide a cushioning effect. Unprinted newsprint helps to keep you and your china, crystal and figurines clean while packing.

All cartons need to have a top on them for safe moving. Closing the carton will help protect your goods as the driver builds your load. Always fold the flaps together from opposite sides of the carton, ending with the last two flaps creating one seam across the carton. Use good quality carton tape to seal your boxes, taping across the seam and 1/2 way up the side of the box. It’s the tape along the side of the box that provides the strength to keep the carton closed and secure for transportation.

Pack glassware and dishes on end. These items are much stronger and less likely to be damaged when packed on end. Wrap plates into bundles making sure to layer two or three sheets of paper between each plate. Crumpled paper between layers provides cushioning. Bowls, saucers and serving plates are to be packed on their edge too.

Pack heavy items in small cartons and lighter things in big boxes. Books, hand tools, canned goods, and files should be packed into a box no larger than our 1.5 cu. ft. carton (12”X12”X18”). A small box full of books can weigh 50 pounds or more! Pots and pans, shoes and clothing, and many other items in your house can be safely packed in a medium size carton. Pillows, lamp shades, comforters and board games go into large cartons.

When packing for moving, make sure you pack like items together. Gather breakable items to put into a dish pack: a sturdy double wall carton that is designed to protect fragile items. Two or more table lamp bases can be padded and placed in a dish pack too.

Pack an “Open Me First” carton of things you are likely to need on the day you move into your home. Light bulbs, hand tools, paper towels and toilet paper, soap, trash bags and a first aid kit are just some of the things that would be good to have in one place on the day you move in.

Wardrobe cartons save wrinkles. Equipped with a bar for hanging clothes or draperies, this box is the best way to pack items on hangers. You will need one for every 24” of closet space. Wardrobe cartons are great for packing tall or unusually large items like silk plants and sports equipment.