How to Correctly Pack Your Belongings for Storage or Removal

One of the main factors of moving house is transporting your belongings from one home to another. When it comes to your belongings, you want to keep them as safe as possible, especially when you’re moving house, transporting them or keeping them in storage. If you’re engaging a company to do this for you do talk to them about their process, or indeed you may be able to pass the whole thing over to them. But if you’re thinking of doing it yourself, here are our top tips for removal packing.

Each item is different, some items, like cupboards, can be stored or transported in a van as is, but some items, like teacups and other delicates, need an extra level of protection to avoid any unwanted damage. So, what do you need to do to prepare?

Whether you’re preparing for a move or looking to store your belongings for a period of time, the first step is to plan ahead of time; the longer you give yourself, the more organised you will be, and you will be less likely to forget something. You should hire your moving or storage company a few weeks in advance to ensure they are available and can be ready for you.

Collect material in advance – Getting half way through packing and finding you’re out of boxes can be a frustrating experience, so make sure to order plenty of packing material in  advance. You may find local supermarkets or shops that are willing to give you old delivery boxes, and you can purchase strong packing boxes online if needed. Make sure you have lots of padding material, whether that is cardboard sheets, tissue paper or bubble wrap, so you can pack plenty before re-assessing how many more boxes you might need to finish the job.

Label your boxes – one of the easiest and most simple ways to organise your belongings is to label everything. If you have labels on everything, you can also be sure to treat them with the right level of care when stacking and loading/unloading. For example boxes containing strong, solid items can go under other boxes, whereas delicate items should be placed on top with nothing heavy above them.

Use items efficiently – If you’re happy to spread out your towels, socks, tea-towels and things like dressing gowns that are padded and can be used to protect items in boxes, use these to save money on some of your packing materials. But bear in mind that you might be slow to unpack at the other end, so make sure to leave some socks available for when you arrive!

Protect your belongings – placing your belongings in boxes might seem easy, but they may not be well protected. You should look for suitable wrappings, coverings and packing materials that can be placed on your items. Objects like sofas and chairs can be wrapped in dust sheets, and smaller, more delicate items like teacups, glasses and mirrors can be wrapped in bubble wrap to keep them from potential damage. When transporting larger items such as cupboards you will want to attach at least one layer of cushioning (such as a dust sheet), tie drawers shut and also use foam to cushion corners.

Dismantle larger items – some items, like cupboards, bed frames, and sets of drawers, may be too large to fit in removal vans, so taking the components apart where possible will help fit everything in and use the best of the space provided. Once you have each component, you should wrap them up accordingly to protect them from any damage.

Be careful with smaller items – smaller items can be easily misplaced, especially when they are just chucked in anyhow. Make use of any tubs you might have and place these smaller items in there so you know where they are and they don’t get lost. Other items like jewellery can also become tangled together or misplaced, so look for a designated jewellery box or container where these can be kept safe. You may benefit from packing delicate items first, since you will be able to take your time – rushing to pack delicate items at the last minute can be dangerous!

Pack/Store in the correct order – you may not think it, but when it comes to storing your items or packing them into a removal van you should start with bigger/bulky items first and fill in the gaps with the smaller items, layer by layer. This allows you to get the best use out of the space you have and ensures you can fit everything in.

Taking note of these tips will help you have a stress-free move and ensure all of your belongings are kept safe.

Here at Bradbeers Removals and Storage, we can help make your moving day as easy as possible for you and work out the best solution for you. Contact our team today and receive your free, no-obligation quote.