PACKING TIPS
Packing Tips
Most damage in a move happens inside the box rather than to it. A carton that was packed loose, packed heavy, or packed in a supermarket box will fail somewhere between the bedroom and the truck, and no amount of careful carrying prevents it.
None of this is difficult. It is just specific.
The Rules That Prevent Most Damage
- Small boxes for heavy things, large boxes for light things — never the reverse
- Every box packed full: gaps are what let contents move and break
- Nothing over about what you can comfortably lift — roughly 20 kg is plenty
- Weight at the bottom, light and fragile at the top
- Paper or padding in every gap, and a layer top and bottom
- Tape the bottom seam as well as the top — the bottom is what fails
- Purpose-made cartons, not supermarket boxes: they are made to stack
The Kitchen
The kitchen is a full day for most people and the room where the most breakage happens. Work through it cupboard by cupboard rather than by category.
- Plates go on edge, standing vertically, not stacked flat
- Wrap each plate and bowl individually — paper, not newspaper on white china
- Glasses and stemware in a dish pack with cell dividers if you can get one
- Pots and pans nested with paper between them
- Knives wrapped, bundled and clearly marked
- Cupboard contents you never use: this is the moment to decide
- Nothing liquid or perishable — it will leak or spoil
Fragile and Awkward Things
- Framed art and mirrors: cardboard corners, wrapped, and always carried on edge
- Lamps: shade separately, bulb out, base wrapped and boxed upright
- Televisions: upright, in the original box if you have it, never flat
- Books: small boxes only, spines flat, and be honest about the weight
- Electronics: photograph the cabling before you unplug it
- Small valuables and jewellery: not in a box at all — with you
Labelling
Label by destination room and contents, on the top and on one side, so a box in a stack can still be read. "Kitchen" on its own is close to useless when there are eleven of them and the new kitchen is half the size.
Mark fragile boxes clearly, and mark "open first" on the four or five boxes that make the first evening liveable.
The Mistakes We See Most
- Supermarket boxes crushing in the middle of a stacked tier
- A book box so heavy it cannot be lifted safely
- Half-full boxes with contents rattling loose inside
- Plates stacked flat, which is how plates crack
- The bottom seam untaped
- Nothing labelled, discovered at the new address
- A whole garage or shed not packed at all because it "was not really moving"
What You Will Need
- Purpose-made cartons in two or three sizes
- A dish pack or two for the kitchen
- Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes
- Packing paper — a lot more than you think
- Bubble wrap for glass, art and electronics
- Good packing tape and a dispenser
- Two thick markers
- Mattress covers
Ready to Get This Moving?
Tell us what is moving and we will come back with a real plan and a real price — or call and talk it through with someone who does this every day.
Prefer to talk? Call us.
Questions Families Ask Us
How many boxes will I need?
More than you estimate — most people underestimate by roughly a third. Rather than guess, tell us the size of the home when you get a quote and we will give you a realistic figure, or supply the materials as part of the packing service.
Can I use garbage bags for clothes and bedding?
For soft, light, non-precious items on a short move, they are workable and cheap. They do not stack, they tear, and they are easy to mistake for actual rubbish — so label them and never use them for anything you would mind losing.
Is newspaper fine as padding?
It pads perfectly well but the ink transfers, particularly onto white china, glass and fabric. Use plain packing paper for anything you care about and keep newspaper for the garage.
Should I empty the dresser drawers?
Usually yes. A loaded dresser is far heavier, the drawers slide open on stairs, and the frame can rack under the weight. Light clothing in the drawers of a sturdy dresser is sometimes fine — ask us about the specific piece.
Would You Rather Not?
Hand over the whole house or just the kitchen. Both are normal bookings.
Prefer to talk? Call us.