Anyone have any moving tips?

[lmdbww]

and any tips on how to pack breakables? I'm so afraid half of my stuff will get broken when we move. How do you wrap photo frames? Bubble wrap? paper?

We aren't hiring pro movers but have access to all sorts of free boxes and packing tape, free moving vehicles, and manpower.... We are only renting moving blankets for our tv's and certain larger furniture items that we dont want scratched...

I'm trying to not make boxes too heavy, and i'm labeling everything glass or breakable...

[katie4253]

May 16, 2012 10:02:30 GMT -5 lmdbww said:

and any tips on how to pack breakables? I'm so afraid half of my stuff will get broken when we move. How do you wrap photo frames? Bubble wrap? paper?

We aren't hiring pro movers but have access to all sorts of free boxes and packing tape, free moving vehicles, and manpower.... We are only renting moving blankets for our tv's and certain larger furniture items that we dont want scratched...

I'm trying to not make boxes too heavy, and i'm labeling everything glass or breakable...

If you aren't hiring movers, go to a uhaul store and get the corner things and ask them to show you how to wrap it.

For glassware and plates we bought those specialty boxes with dividers and padded sleeves to move our china and crystal. T hey worked great!

Also, it may be cheaper for you to buy moving blankets on ebay than rent them.

[lmdbww]

The rental price for the blankets is something like $10/day (24 hr period) for a dozen (plus the deposit which we would get back).

[peach]

Have a basket or box with packing essentials. Tape, markers, bubble wrap, etc. Then you can carry it around and have a home for them, rather than shouting "Where is the tape?" all day long.

[emoflamingo]

I have packed stuff for shipping with those plastic grocery sacks. My H goes through a LOT of bubble wrap and peanuts, which we save from stuff we get in the mail, but it runs out fast so we improvise. If it makes it with UPS/FedEx/USPS (I have family who work for the two big shippers, I hear horror stories galore lol), it's probably fine to move -- especially if you mark it fragile too.

Would you be willing to pack some fragile stuff in soft stuff? (i.e. "vases in bathroom towels") I don't know that I will do that (just because I then have to label it "kitchen/bathroom" instead of just "bathroom" or "kitchen".

[minniebee]

Keep in mind the weight of items when you choose the size of box - pack heavy items in smaller boxes. Like books for example, boxes of books get heavy really fast, so use smaller boxes for those or they get difficult to move.

I used household items as packing material for fragile things. For example, I used dish cloths and kitchen towels to wrap around plates and glasses. Wall art & photo frames were wrapped with bathroom towels. Vases and other breakables were placed between layers of bedding or sweaters. You're going to have to pack all those items anyway, you might as well use some of your items as packing material. That way you have a lot less to throw away or recycle after unpacking.

I also used some newspaper - at least that's recyclable after the move. Bubble wrap is not.

Make sure you clearly label the contents of each box to make unpacking easier. Label the top and at least one side of each box, that way you can see the label even if the box it at the bottom of a stack of boxes and you can't see the top of the box.

[molldoll71]

Use sheets, towels, etc for padding between layers.

[sierramist03]

Always make sure to label your boxes with at least what room they go in. Last time we moved I bought a bag for our mattress I loved it. It gives you handles and keeps your mattress clean. I also use towels, placemats, etc to wrap items.