Moving and Storing - Assessing What Packing Supplies you Need

Moving can be one of the most stressful events of a person's life. This can quickly be exasperated further for someone who has lived in the same place for a long time, or is heavily downsizing, or perhaps leaving for awhile. In all of these situations, there may be need for storage units to carefully pack away your stuff until the need for it returns.

You have probably read all about what types of things you can safely store, and tips for how to go about packing up a house, but an often missed topic involves looking into what packaging supplies you will need to get started. We will be looking at what you should have on hand as you begin to pack for moving and storing.

Tape, Scissors and Box Cutters

This may seem obvious, but make sure you have a healthy supply of tape and scissors handy. When choosing tape, choose a high quality brand of packing tape, avoiding the dollar store or budget brands. The tape is going to support a lot of the weight of a boxes contents, so the last thing you would want to happen would be for it to tear.

Packing Paper

You will most likely be packing up valuable or fragile items such as plates, cups, china, decorations and so much more. When fragile things move around and hit other fragile things, they tend to shatter. You will want to have a healthy supply of packing paper to prevent this. Wrap each item individually for the best survival chances. If possible, you may also look into getting packing peanuts or packing bubbles, as these help to fill up the empty space in a box, giving an extra buffer of protection.

Containers

There may be certain items that are more important or deserving of extra care. In this case, I recommend you invest in some hard plastic totes. Make sure you choose totes that are able to stack nicely, and try to avoid getting ones that are too large, as you do not want to overpack and have it too heavy.

Boxes

Finally, you will need a healthy supply of boxes. I am sure you have been asking friends, family and coworkers to save boxes for you. However, I’d advise against this. It is well worth the investment to purchase new packing boxes. The advantages of new boxes include knowing each box is strong and durable still. Also, having one size (maybe two) or box makes stacking and organizing them so much easier (you will not need a Tetris world champion when filling your moving truck or storage unit). Make sure you tape both ends of the box (top and bottoms) and not just fold the flaps over. Most importantly, do not overfill a box. If you can’t lift it, don’t expect someone else to - and those top flaps should close, never tape them open. Please don’t.

Following these simple tips will help you to have an easier move and be prepared to get done quickly, and without hassle. Your friends and family who you have recruited to help will really appreciate it.