Whether you’re preparing for a cross-country move or you’ve just bought a home in the next town over, you should always use caution with how you pack. Even a short trip could lead to items getting damaged if they weren’t properly prepared for the moving truck. You need the right tools for a successful move.
What’s the Best Way to Pack for a Move?
First things first, you’ll need to choose between sturdy cardboard boxes, reusable moving totes, or a combination of them for your move.
The benefit of cardboard boxes is that you might be able to get most of the boxes that you’ll need for free. You probably already have plenty of boxes handy in the house, and it’s also easy to ask friends and neighbors to save some of their own boxes for you. Even local retailers might be willing to give you old boxes too. Just be careful that you’re only packing with high-quality packing tape and boxes that are still solid. Anything flimsy just puts your belongings at risk during the move.
Renting totes for moving can be nice because they’re built to last. They also stack easily, and if you get them delivered, then you won’t need to deal with the trouble of collecting cardboard boxes and then building them.
No matter what you’re using, though, it’s still important to have the right packing material inside. You don’t want to over-spend and pay for packing materials you don’t need. On the other hand, you still need everything to make it to your new place safe and sound.
Pros and Cons of Bubble Wrap
One of the great things about bubble wrap is its versatility. You can use it for wrapping up just about anything, and it provides a lot of protection for moving fragile objects. The downside, though, is that buying bubble wrap can be expensive. That’s why you should wait to use it only for specific scenarios.
For example, you’ll rarely need to fill up an entire boxes with bubble wrap. Adding just one layer of bubble wrap to the top of the box can be enough to help keep those items cushioned. Then you can bundle up the super-fragile items with bubble wrap and fill in the gaps with packing paper. Label the box “fragile,” and then make sure there isn’t too much jostling when you set it aside. The more you can rely on packing paper, the better!
Make Your Packing Paper Go Even Further
Packing paper is affordable, eco-friendly, and low hassle. Whereas with bubble wrap you might need to keep packing tape and scissors nearby, with packing paper, you don’t really need anything else to get to work. You just tear off the pieces you need from a roll, or grab sheets one at a time from a stack. It’s the best packing material for most any job.
What’s more, packing paper can also be the base layer for any items that you ultimately want to wrap in bubble wrap. Rather than use two layers of bubble wrap, just split the difference and use both types of packing material.
Need a Hand? The Colt Movers Can Help You Pack!
Colt Moving is proud to serve Central Indiana. Whenever you’re looking to make a move in the area, we can help. Let our local movers do the heavy lifting on moving day, or call us out ahead of time to have our professional packers get all of your boxes securely packed. We even offer moving tote rentals. Send us a message to learn more!