With today's high costs of moving, you can very often save a considerable amount of money by doing some of your own packing into cartons. In fact, some families look at packing their own goods as a way to have the opportunity of eliminating things that they do not need to move, and in general keeping their items organized in the manner they desire for their eventual arrival in their new destination.
It is important to have the proper packing materials and the right size moving boxes. Books and heavier items should be packed in small cartons to reduce the weight of each filled box. Dishes, pots and pans should be packed in a heavier than normal boxes for extra protection. You can purchase boxes that are especially made to handle dishes and kitchen items, aptly named dish boxes. Linens and light weight articles can be packed in larger cartons, due to the fact that they will not weigh as much and do not need to be packed tightly to protect the items inside the cartons.
When packing books or heavier items, be sure and place the heaviest items at the bottom of the carton so as not to crush the lighter items. It is important to completely fill the carton, even if it is with paper filler, or bubble wrap in order to keep the carton from crushing when stacked with other boxes.
Dishes and glassware should be wrapped in paper, and then placed on their sides not flat. This will help to prevent cracking. In between each piece should be paper filler or bubble wrap stuffed in a manner as to cushion each piece from each other. Pots and pans should be packed in cartons by themselves due to the weight of those pieces. They should be wrapped and then cushioned in the same manner as your dishes.
Mirrors or pictures need to be wrapped in padded paper and put into a mirror carton. If those cartons are not available, you can cut cardboard to fit and after wrapping tape all sides. Lamps and lamp shades need to be packed separately. Be sure and fill the carton for the lamp shades to the top so as not to crush.
With most professional movers you can leave clothing and other non-fragile items in dresser drawers to be moved with the furniture. Desk drawers and loose items need to be packed. However, clothing on hangars needs to be put into wardrobe cartons, (usually available from the mover). At the bottom of the wardrobe carton you can place shoes, purses, or other items in the same manner you have them in your closet.
With a professional mover, all small or breakable items have to be in cartons. Items such as lawn tools, rakes, shovels, etc will be pad wrapped by the mover as your furniture, and do not need to be packed.
Again, it is important to have the right size carton for each item. If you are using a professional mover, they should be able to provide cartons for you to purchase, or often they may keep clean used cartons on hand to supply to you at no charge for self packing. Packing can actually turn out to be a fun activity for a family to do together and with some focused attention significant progress can be made in a relatively short time towards getting your items ready to be moved. Most importantly, you can find yourself saving significantly over the cost of full service packing options from full service moving companies.
