So, you’ve got a big move coming up? You should be looking forward to your new home, but there’s a lot of stuff to do beforehand. Really, there’s nothing more important for relocation than preparation and planning. If you do this right, the actual moving day will flow like a breeze. Logically, one of the most important things you’ll need to do before the move is packing. Packing isn’t as easy as it sounds, trust us! You should prepare all the necessary moving supplies if you want your things to be moved intact. Luckily for you, we’ve got a neat little guide on the moving supplies you’ll be needing, so scroll down and enjoy! And contact us if you need Florida moving and storage companies.
Boxes – the most basic of moving supplies
Let’s get this started with the most obvious thing – the moving boxes. We don’t need to explain to you how important boxes are for moving. You’ll need these as containers for all of your stuff, and there are no two ways about it. You should take a look at your local liquor store or a friendly neighborhood shop. They should have tons of boxes you can take for free, and shave off some of the expenses off your relocation budget for packing materials. You’ll be spending a ton of money on moving, so it’s always nice to save a few bucks.
Still, make sure to not just take any kinds of boxes just because they’re free! The boxes will need to be the appropriate sizes for your possessions. You’ll want to pack the bigger things in containers that are approximate to their size so they don’t move around a lot. Speaking of which, check how sturdy these boxes are. You don’t need them ripping in the middle of the move, with all of your stuff pouring out! If they seem too shabby, you can always just buy brand new boxes, after all.
Packing protection
While we’re on the subject of boxes and containers, let’s talk about the cushioning. No matter how good the boxes you’re using are, you’ll need some additional cushioning for your things. You don’t want to risk your things getting damaged while moving. So, we’ve rounded up some of the most common ways to protect your possessions with packing materials:
- Newspapers – If we’re talking practical and cheap, there’s no better protection for your packed stuff than newspapers. As you probably get them in the mail every day, just save them for a few weeks before the big moving day. You can wrap your things in crumpled newspapers and then put them in boxes.
- Besides providing children with hours of precious entertainment, it’s also a great way to protect your belongings.
- Foam peanuts – Packing peanuts are also great because they allow you to fill the empty space in boxes. This way your things won’t be crashing and clunking in the moving van. You can be sure all of your smaller stuff in bigger boxes will arrive safely on your destination.
Labeling
Let’s get one thing straight – you don’t want your moving day to be utter chaos. We’ve already established that planning your move right is the most important thing while relocating. Well, listen carefully now, because all professionals for residential moves know that proper labeling is a big part of moving supplies. While it may seem trivial, if you label your stuff correctly you’ll shorten your unpacking process after the move in half! And, you’ll be more certain you haven’t forgotten anything or left something behind.
The handiest trick we can reveal to you for labeling is – use colors. That’s right, color coding will speed this whole thing up nicely. Buy colored labels, and use a sharpie to additionally label things if you want. There’s a lot of ways you can split your things up into categories. One of the most common ones is to divide everything by rooms, and then use a different color for each room. Still, you can label your things by usage, or owner, or anything else you may think of. Just make sure you’ve made a clear categorization system so that you can easily find things before and after moving.
Packing tape
You might be prone to overlook this, but good packing tape is one of the most essential moving supplies you’ll be buying. We cannot stress this enough – don’t be afraid to spend a few more bucks to buy a quality-brand tape. You actually can’t afford to be cheap about this. The greatest of packing boxes and protection won’t be worth a nickel to you if all of your stuff falls out of it because of some cheap tape. And if you want to speed up the moving process even more, buy one of those handy tape guns.
You’ll also be needing some scissors to go along with the tape – and make sure you’ve got some good ones too! There’s nothing worse than a pair of flimsy, sticky scissors that get your tape all mixed up and useless. Having bad scissors and tape may seem cheaper, but only financially! They’ll consume a lot of your time and make the moving process twice as long. And when it comes to relocation, time really is money, so you may want to err on the side of caution.
We hope we’ve helped you learn what packing supplies you’ll be needing for your move! There are a lot of other supplies such as furniture pads, dollies, all kinds of bags etc, but you’ll learn about those along the way. The ones we’ve listed here are the most essential things you’ll need, and mustn’t forget!
