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Making a Big Move?

Here Are Some Tips for Packing

In some ways, every move is a big move. Short moves with few items still present many opportunities for disaster and costly loss of property. Some moves are big because of the difficulty of the items to be moved. If you are only moving one item that happens to be a grand piano, it is a big move.

Other moves are big because of the distance. A move across country is bigger than a move across the street. You will not necessarily get a dedicated truck for your treasures. You will be sharing that truck with several other families. And it will need to stop off at other places before getting to the final destination. Things can go wrong.

This is why it is important to select the right moving firm. You need a company with experience and professionalism. This is not the job for a couple of well-meaning guys who happened to acquire a truck. You need a moving professional in the same way you need a professional contractor, doctor, or attorney. It takes more than a strong back. It takes a real understanding of the business.

In fact, it may take more than one mover if you have specialty items. The first rule of packing is to make sure you get the right kind of transport for what you are moving.

Specialist Movers

Don’t hire box movers to move a recording studio or bio lab. The same is true for vehicles, especially rare, vintage, and valuable vehicles. You don’t drive a 67 Mustang cross country. You hire experts to move it. Ship A Car Direct is an example of a company that specializes in moving vehicles. You want to make sure you are dealing with licensed and bonded professionals that can guarantee damage-free delivery from door to door.

Piano movers are specialists who deal with relocating large and heavy instruments without cause damage to either the piano or the property. A mistake can cost you a priceless piece of equipment. Fine art would also fit into the category of something that needs a specialty mover. So when you pack for moving, be sure to set aside specialty items and give them the attention they deserve. Don’t let box movers handle your specialty treasures.

Purchase Boxes

There are some very good places to find moving boxes. They mostly involve paying for boxes or getting them from people who previously paid for them. Boxes that have been used many times, or that have been sitting around for a long time are usually either compromised in some way or can be easily compromised.

You need thick-walled boxes with lids that fit. Never overpack a box so that the lid does not fit squarely. Packing a box should not be like packing a suitcase. You are not trying to see how much you can pack into a single box. Rather, you are trying to optimize the box so that it can still be easily lifted and transported without doing damage to either the contents or the box.

Purchasing boxes can be expensive. So shop wisely. But it should be figured into the cost of the move. The worse shape your boxes are in, the greater the chance of things getting lost or damaged. It makes no sense to spend the money on professional movers and risk it all on unreliable boxes.

Start Early

You should never leave packing to the last minute, or even the last week. It is always best to err on the side of packing too early. By starting early, you have time to determine if you have specialty items that need a little extra attention. You can ask the movers if they have provisions for things like computer equipment and large TVs. You will also have time to acquire all of the packaging you need. If you find that some things just don’t fit into boxes, ask the movers about their policies for those items.

Finishing too soon is a good problem to have. By starting early, you minimize most of the other problems associated with the move. Getting your items across the country is the easy part. Packing is what makes the real difference in a trouble-free move and one that is more problematic.