Moving Tips
The following moving tips have been provided to assist you with packing and will ultimately help save you time and money.
Before Packing
- Clear out unwanted goods and perishables - hold a yard or garage sale.
- Dispose of flammables and combustibles - paint, paint thinner, propane tanks, petrol, gas cans and gas cylinders. Flammable liquids and aerosol cans must not be packed. Changes in temperature and pressure can cause them to leak, or even explode. For your own protection, you should know that if you pack these items and they cause damage to your shipment or others, you, not your mover, may be held liable.
- Empty fuel from mowers, clippers, trimmers and so on.
- Remove any items that may leak from dressers and cabinets.
- Start making up your change of address list.
- Arrange to have mail forwarded.
- Arrange termination date for electricity, gas, oil, telephone and other main suppliers.
- If you are taking electrical goods such as a flat screen t.v., see if you still have their original boxes.
- Now is a good time have rugs (including area rugs) cleaned.
- Develop a game plan. For example, you may plan to pack one room at a time or to pack a few cartons a day, starting well ahead of the move.
- Gather packing supplies - plenty of newsprint and tissue paper, 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide packing or shipping tape for sealing cartons, markers identifying carton contents, scissors or box cutters, strong, corrugated cartons with covers. Note: We can supply you with specially made cartons for everything from mattresses to clothing and mirrors. The added protection of mover-provided cartons may avoid damage that results from the use of poor-quality packing materials.
- Kennel family pets
Packing Pointers
- Mark all boxes on the side of the box (NOT the top), designating room and type of contents. For example, "Mary's room - bedding"
- Write "fragile" on any box that contains breakables.
- Be sure that bottoms of all cartons are secured and will hold the weight of the contents.
- Use crumpled newsprint or tissue pager in between each layer to assure a snug fit wherever there's a gap.
- Try to keep a per-box weight of 50 lbs or less; it makes moving a lot easier.
- Pack heavier items toward the bottom of the box and lighter items towards the top.
- Pack heavier items in smaller cartons
| Carton Size | Volume | Items |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1.5 Cu.Ft. | Books, canned goods, jars, photo albums, bathroom items, cleaning supplies, heaviest items |
| Medium | 3.0 Cu.Ft. | Pots and pans, lamp shades, small pictures, boxed food, garage items |
| Large | 4.5 Cu.Ft. | Linen, bedding, towels, toys, lamps, Tupperware, pillows, shoes, lightweight bulk items |
- For cartons containing cleaning supplies mark up arrows pointing to which direction is "up" to ensure that nothing will be spilled.
- Shoes can be placed in the bottom of the wardrobe cartons.
- For light fixtures, lamps and lampshades - Remove bulbs, decorative knobs and shades. Roll up cords. Pack lamps with bedding or wrap separately and place upright in clean, tissue-lined carton. Wrap decorative knobs with packing paper and tape to inside wall of carton that contains shade.
- To save boxes and cost, you may want to move lamp shades in your own personal vehicle
- For dishware - pack dinner and salad plates, saucers, serving plates, bread and butter dishes standing on edge.
- For glasses and stemware - place glasses and stemware toward the top of your box in an upright position, not on their sides. Heavier items (dishware, pitchers, etc. should be placed toward the bottom of the box.
- For clocks - remove or secure pendulum in large clocks. Grandfather clocks should be prepared for moving by expert servicemen.
- For mirrors, paintings and pictures - tell our estimator and our movers about valuable paintings that require special care. Wrap small mirrors, pictures, paintings, and frames and place on edge in cartons. Large wall or dresser mirrors will be taken down by the movers and placed in a special carton that is stationary on every truck. For added safety, place tape diagonally across mirror to protect better against damage. Do not place newspaper directly against paintings.
- For electronic equipment - unplug all electronic equipment such as television sets, home computers, stereos 24 hours in advance of the move so they will be at room temperature on moving day. Moving a TV set and other electronic equipment in which heat is still retained could cause internal damage. Wrap all cords separately. Label each cord to identify usage and place in a plastic bag away from delicate surfaces. Non-detachable cords should also be wrapped. Pack computers, televisions, stereos and other valuable electronic equipment in original cartons whenever available. Otherwise, use strong, corrugated cartons and wrap an old blanket or protective pad around the item and place it in its carton. Place cords between the padded equipment and the carton.
- For canned goods - pack upright with no more than 24-30 cans per carton. Wrap glass containers and boxed foods individually.
- For tools - drain fuel from power tools (do not ship Flammables under any circumstances). Pack tools in small, strong cartons. Wrap separately if valuable.
- For barbecue grills - wrap grates and briquettes separately in a newspaper (or place all briquettes into a grocery bag) and place parts in carton. Pad carton with paper to reduce movement of contents.
