When you are moving house the last thing you want to find after all the stress and cost is that some of your favourite items have been damaged or broken because they weren’t packed carefully. But this needn’t happen if you spend some time making sure everything is packed in the best way. Follow our top packing tips and all the hassle of a move will be worth it when everything arrives at your new home in perfect condition.

 

Use Sturdy Boxes

 

If you use flimsy boxes items can easily fall out of the bottom or the box becomes damaged and hence the items are not fully protected. There’s a good reason why removal companies and self storage companies sell sturdy boxes and why they are top of the list of packing tips; quite simply they protect your stuff. They won’t get crushed if other boxes are stacked on top of them.

 

So the best thing you can do to protect your possessions is use really sturdy boxes then make sure they are properly taped up with strong packing tape.

 

Use Plenty of Padding

No matter how strong your boxes are your fragile items still need plenty of padding for added protection, and that doesn’t mean just a couple of sheets of newspaper. Items in boxes will shift around if they are not packed properly as they are being transported: out of one home, into the van, during the journey, and then into your new home. So make sure they have no room to move by cushioning them well with plenty of newspaper, or bubble wrap and even your own sheets, towels or cushions if they are awkwardly shaped.

 

 

Label Clearly

It’s only when you have moved house without labelling that you realise how important it is, but take our word for it, you don’t want to arrive at your new home late in the day, tired and stressed and not able to find that particular box that has something in it that you need right now. (BTW you do know that the kettle, tea, mugs, snacks, toiletries and bedding you need for the first night should go in the car with you?) So label everything with large, clear labels on all sides of the boxes so you can always see a label; state the room the box should go in and its contents.

 

If a box contains something particularly fragile then make sure everyone who might handle the box knows that: put FRAGILE in big red letters but also say what’s in the box to make people extra careful, for instance, crystal glasses, best china etc. Don’t label every box with Fragile as then no one will take the label seriously.

 

 

Remember…

If you want to follow our top packing tips, this is what you need of you are to pack your fragile items carefully and give them the best chance of arriving unscathed at your new home:

 

Good quality boxes

Strong packing tape

Plenty of padding: paper, bubble wrap, also make use of towels, sheets, cushions etc

Large stick-on labels

Thick black and red felt pens

 

With care and patience, you can move house with all your precious items unscathed. Happy Packing!