Professional Packing Tips for Moving: How to Pack a Box Like a Pro

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Watch this video – a picture tells a million words. I packed a box full of glassware and stemware and then dropped it from 2.4 meters and unpacked it……see the amazing results!

If you like it, please give it the thumbs up so others can find it!

 

 

Need basic moving packing tips to get started? In order to pack you will need the following:

  • Boxes – big and small (proper furniture removal boxes preferred)
  • Packing paper – also known as Butchers paper. (don’t use newspaper as the ink comes off)
  • Packing tape – (don’t use any other type of tape as it will not stick properly)
  • Texta – write on the sides of your boxes, not the top.

 

Do not pack the following:

Paints

Fuels

Gases

Flammables – look for the red symbol

Aerosol cans

Unsealed liquid containers

 

Moving house packing tips – a Few Removalist Terms you should know

“Scrunch “ is used to describe packing paper scrunched up to use as filler or shock absorber within the box.

“Fragile” is easily defined by considering, “if I press on this item hard, will it break?” If the answer is “yes”, it is fragile and needs more attention and more scrunch! If the answer is maybe, use the same approach.

“Telescope” is defined as placing items inside other items to save on space. E.g plastic cups telescope into one another or sit inside one another.

Our packing tips for moving house are useful and will save you a tonne of time and money if done correctly.

Packing tips for moving glassware – Kitchen and Dining

The Fundamental Rules of Professionally Packing Glassware – moving house packing tips

  • Build horizontal, even/flat layers in the box – 3-4 per box as shown in the image.
  • Pack the heaviest layers in the bottom, lighter layers in the top.
  • Fit the items into their best gaps, like the game of Tetris. Less gaps means less movement. Less movement means no damage!
  • Position fragile items away from heavy items. E.g. don’t pack a wine glass next to a mortar and pestle or heavy appliance. Separate these types of items with scrunch or more neutral items.
  • As you pack, fill ALL gaps with scrunch. Use plenty of paper, it’s your friend.
  • Everything you pack or fill should be done “firmly”, not tight and not loose!
  • Every fully packed box should be light enough to pick up without straining.
  • Build up paper about 3 inches above the top of the box when it’s full, then FIRMLY close the lids/flaps of the box to make it firm inside. This stops any internal movement which is the true culprit of damage. See the video for how it’s done.

 

 

Step-by step packing tips for moving house where glassware is involved:

  1. Tape up your box, cross tape both ways for extra strength.
  2. Make a layer of scrunch in the bottom of the box, 3-4 inches thick.
  3. Start with heaviest items first. Large and small plates, big thick glass bowls or platter dishes.
  4. To wrap plates or bowls or any other item where there are multiples of the same size:
    • Place the first item in the middle of the packing paper
    • Fold one piece of paper over it and then place another identical item on top of the first
    • Each item will be separated by one sheet of paper – Only do this for 4 items at a time
    • Once you have a group of 4 items, wrap the group in a few more pieces of packing paper as shown in the video.
  5. Carefully place the group vertically, against the wall of the box. If you have used a thick enough layer of scrunch on the bottom, the items will not fall over.
  6. Note: If you have wrapped a big platter, glass chopping board or similar item, make sure this item sits against the wall of the box.
  7. Fit items in their best positions to complete the first horizontal layer. Fill all small gaps with scrunch as shown in the video.
  8. Once your first horizontal layer is full, build another layer of scrunch 3-4 inches thick over it. Make the layer flat to build your next horizontal layer of items.
  9. Repeat this process for about 3 – 4 horizontal layers or until you reach the top of the box.
  10. As described in the key tips, close your box firmly. Ensuring that it’s not so tight that you will break things inside. One way to tell your box is too tight is to ensure your box is square on top, if it’s slightly mounded on top, it’s too full and probably too tight!
  11. Mark which room the box belongs to, also mark it “fragile”, with an arrow pointing to the top.
  12. Follow our moving packing tips to ensure nothing is broken when you move hous.

Moving House Packing Tips – Stemware (Wine and Champagne Glasses)

Packing tips for moving house – The Fundamental Rules to Professionally Packing Stemware

  • Watch my moving house packing tips video to see how this is done safely.
  • Use plenty of paper and wrap each item loosely, not tightly, but still pack it firmly in the box.
  • Handle each item extra carefully and slowly.
  • Stemware must absolutely be packed as the top layer(s) of a box.
  • Plug any gaps around packed stemware with scrunch to make sure there is no movement around these very fragile items.

Step-by-step procedure – packing tips for moving stemware:

  1. Place the glass in one corner of a piece of packing paper, then roll the glass to the opposite diagonal corner. As you roll the glass, poke the corners in, which will start to build up a thick border of padding around the top and bottom of the glass. Be sure to wrap it loosely, and allow a lot of air to be left inside the package. This air will act as a shock absorber within the box. Wrap each glass once, and then wrap it in a second and even third time too.
  2. You can pack glasses together from top to bottom, separated by a piece of paper. This is a highly advanced form of packing and should be done with great care. Place one glass near the corner of the paper, and then fold it over to completely cover the glass. Then grab another glass and place it in the opposite way, the first, fold over another 2 or 3 pieces of paper. Then slowly and loosely roll to the other side as a “2 glass package”. Wrap the item a second time the other way. This means you are wrapping in both directions for this package, this will give it extra strong, protective corners that act as shock absorbers. If our moving packing tips don’t make sense, watch the video.

Packing tips for moving miscellaneous Items – Bedrooms, Entertaining Areas, Study, Bathrooms, Laundry……

Moving house packing tips – The Fundamental Rules to Professionally Packing Miscellaneous Items

  • Use Manchester, linen and even clothes as padding instead of paper.
  • Build horizontal, even/flat layers where possible. 2-3 inches per layer unless there’s glass or something fragile in the layer.
  • Pack one room at a time, using items only from that room. Choose items that fit best together e.g. hard toys with soft toys, a stereo with soft light items, shapes that fit with one another to make a square.
  • Keep boxes to a medium weight by selecting a mix of heavy and light items for every box.
  • Tall items like picture frames, vases or ornaments should be packed against the wall of the box.
  • Buttons and dials for electrical equipment should also be kept facing the wall.
  • Use packing paper to fill any gaps you cannot plug with items.
  • Close every box firmly using the methods described above. If followed correctly, our moving packing tips will ensure your miscellaneous items will be transported safel.

Miscellaneous Items in the KITCHEN – method for packing tips for moving house

Appliances

Wrap in paper as best as possible and place in the BOTTOM of the box with a 3-4 inch layer of scrunch under it to protect against any shock, protect dials and fragile protrusions by facing them into the wall or corner of the box

Canned foods, beverages, heavy pantry food stuffs

Use small boxes, pack upright and push tightly together in an orderly fashion. Wrap wine, glass jars or glass bottles with packing paper. Use scrunch to build flat layers and plug any gaps

Microwave

Remove the dish and roller! Wrap and pack them separately in the same box. Build a 3-4 inch layer of scrunch on the bottom of the box and place the microwave vertically in the box against the wall. Cover the microwave with paper once packed. Alternatively you can leave the microwave out of a box and allow us furniture removalists to take care of it with felt padding. Sometimes the best packing tips for moving house means depending on the services of us, and not doing it yourself.

Tupperware

These items are great for making heavy boxes lighter and they don’t need wrapping with paper. Simply place them in the box, shuffle them around so the sit firmly and telescope items together that small containers fit inside big containers. Use scrunch to make a flat layer to build on or to firmly close a box full of Tupperware.

Utensils (Kitchen)

Wrap knives, forks and spoons in their groups. Use 3 – 4 sheets of paper and place in the box. Similarly, wrap other utensils like egg flips, tongs, basting brushes etc…. in groups of about 5 – 6. Ensure sharp objects like knives don’t poke out of the paper as they can cut you, or scratch other items in the box. If you have one knife that keeps poking through, just keep wrapping it in more paper until it is concealed and safe. Paper will make you victorious eventually.

Pots and pans

Start by wrapping each item individually, placing them on their base and wrapping the paper around and stuffing down into the middle of the item. Then place your biggest frypans and cooking plates against the wall of the box. A great way to reduce the number of kitchen boxes you pack is by telescoping small pots into big pots separated by layers of paper. Build layers to minimise movement and maximise the number of items packed in each box.

Packing tips for moving miscellaneous Items

Moving house packing tips – The Fundamental Rules to Professionally Packing Miscellaneous Items in the LIVING ROOM

Computer

The best moving house packing tip is to BACK UP your data first before packing. A standard computer with a flat screen can fit in one large box. Build a 3 -4 inch layer of scrunch on the bottom of the box, place the Hard Drive in first without paper, then wrap the exposed sides once packed. Place your flat screen face down, diagonally on your packing paper, fold the paper around as best as possible and carefully place in the box vertically, facing the Hard Drive or the other wall of the box. Carefully wrap the key board and the mouse separately and pack them next to the flat screen or Hard Drive. Small speakers and the camera will fit too. Build a layer of scrunch around the packed items and firmly plug any gaps. Fill the rest of the box with a pillow or any other light and or soft items

DVD players, Stereo and electrical equipment

Build a layer of scrunch on the bottom of the box, 3 -4 inches thick as if you were packing glass (see previous packing tips for moving glassware). Place the item on a piece of packing paper and place it carefully in the box horizontally if possible, you can place it vertically against the wall of the box if it won’t fit horizontally. Chances are you will not be able to wrap it, if this is the case just wrap it once the item is in the box. As above, dials and buttons should face the wall, fragile tops like paper feed trays for printers, needs to be covered by a layer of scrunch and then light items on top. If you follow these moving house packing tips correctly, your valuable equipment will not break during the transfer.

DVD’s, Video’s, Discs etc.

These items don’t need to be separated by paper unless you have an expensive collection that is highly valuable. Keep in mind if there is dust and movement in your box, you may get scratches. Place these items vertically and then horizontally if you need to keep everything square and tight. Use scrunch to keep layers level and fill gaps.

Flat Screen TV’s

If you are concerned about our packing tips for moving your flat screen, Complete Removals can provide an extra service. Use a special Flat screen TV box which can be purchased from Complete Removals or just use a soft cotton bed sheet to wrap around. Once wrapped, tape it on so it won’t fall off. Then allow our furniture removalists to take care of the rest with our thick felt padding and professional truck packing techniques.

Lamps, Large vases or similar items

Wrap them in paper, bed sheets or blankets and place them in a box if they fit. You must make a layer of scrunch in the bottom of the box and pack the rest of the box firmly to minimise internal movement. Our moving packing tips need to be followed correctly so as to ensure that your delicate items will not break during the shipping.

Lampshades

There is a specific box called a “Lampshade box” that you can purchase from Complete Removals if you give us enough notice. If they fit in a standard large box, telescope them together (one inside the other to add strength) and pack them in a box lightly packed box. If they don’t fit, you can either leave them for our furniture removalists to take care of it or make your own box. If you follow our packing tips for moving lampshades, your item will be safe. Cut up two boxes with a box cutter, then make them into one large box. Tape it together to make it strong – that’s our secret professional moving house packing tip for customised storing.

Books

Use small boxes, pack vertically and then horizontally to keep square and maximise how many you can fit in any one box. Pack the gaps with scrunch. The most common mistake people make when packing books is not filling the box right to the top. Doing this will result in the boxes collapsing when stacked, so ensure you follow our moving packing tips carefully.

Packing tips for moving miscellaneous Items

Moving house packing tips – The Fundamental Rules to Professionally Packing Miscellaneous Items in the BEDROOM and OUTSIDE

Bedding, linen

Fold Manchester, pillows, towels and tea towels. Squeeze any air out and place in a box. These items are great to use as padding or as filler for heavy boxes to make them lighter.

Clothing

Most conveniently use Port-a-robes, or clothes flat packs and keep hang able clothes flat. This way they will not get creased. Call our team for more information. If you would rather save on costs, leave them on their hangers, fold them in half and carefully place them in the box, you can do this in groups of up to 5 clothes at a time to speed up the process. For non-hanging clothes, place them in an orderly fashion trying to keep the layers square, level and gap free.

Tools and shed equipment

Use small boxes with heavy items and large boxes for the bigger, lighter items. There is no need to be really strict on separating items with paper or building layers with shed items. Just stick to the fundamental principles when dealing with weight and fragile items. Be sure not to pack flammables and keep liquids containers upright and mark the box with an arrow pointing to the top. See our previous moving packing tips above for what not to pack.

Final packing tips for moving house

If our aforementioned moving house packing tips are useful, share it with your friends that are moving soon. On the other hand, if our moving packing tips seem a little too difficult, relax. Just call us for a fast quote on our professional packing service or click on the button to get a call back.

Why not put your feet up and enjoy your move? The low costs may surprise you. Act now!

 

Video created by Bliss Images

Leave a Reply

8 comments

  1. This is a perfect packing list! It includes everything I need to know how appropriately to pack for my moving. I am so happy to read it! Greetings

  2. This is a perfect packing list! It includes everything I need to know how appropriately to pack for my moving. I am so happy to read it! Greetings

  3. I used these tips when we last moved – and it was great advice! Not one thing broken. So glad I found the link again for a refresher for our next move!

  4. I used these tips when we last moved – and it was great advice! Not one thing broken. So glad I found the link again for a refresher for our next move!

  5. Great tips. I have done most of them. My sister has taken my ‘treasurer’ that I do not want lost or broken to her home for safe storage which has been a relief and helpful to me.

  6. Great tips. I have done most of them. My sister has taken my ‘treasurer’ that I do not want lost or broken to her home for safe storage which has been a relief and helpful to me.

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