How to pack like a pro
Good packing is the difference between a smooth move and a box of broken plates. These are the habits our crews wish everyone knew.
What you need
- Small boxes for books and anything heavy
- Medium boxes for kitchen things and toys
- Large boxes for bedding, pillows and lampshades
- Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes
- Strong tape, bubble wrap or packing paper, and a thick marker
The golden rules
- Heavy goes smallBooks and tins in small boxes, light things in big ones. No box should be heavier than about 20 kg.
- No empty spaceFill gaps with towels, socks or paper. A box that rattles is a box that breaks.
- Tape in an HTape along the middle seam and across both edges, top and bottom.
- Label two sidesRoom and contents on two sides, not the top: tops get covered when boxes are stacked.
Room by room
Kitchen: wrap plates one by one and stand them on their edge, like records. Put paper inside glasses as well as around them. Keep knives together in a wrapped bundle and label the box.
Bedroom: hanging clothes go straight into wardrobe boxes. Bedding and pillows fill large boxes or vacuum bags. Keep one set of sheets out for the first night.
Living room: photograph the back of your TV before you unplug it, then bag and label the cables. Screens travel upright, in their box or a blanket.
Bathroom: tape the lids of bottles shut and put them in a sealed bag. Medicine goes in your essentials box, not the truck.