Long Moving & Storage Packing Tips

The process of moving your home or business can seem overwhelming, but with an organized plan, your move can be efficient and run smoothly.  If you would like Long Moving & Storage LLC to pack some or all of your belongings, we can assure you that your items will be professionally packed and transported to your new location.  If you’d like us to pack for you, we ask that everything is organized room by room and clearly marked.

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If you would like to take on the packing on your own, we have provided the following tips to ensure your items stay safe throughout the moving process.

Packing Materials Needed

  • Marker – Be sure to Label All Boxes Clearly
  • Bubble Wrap – Especially helpful for antiques, glassware and dishes
  • Old Magazines or Newspaper – When scrunched into a ball, this makes great padding for bottoms of boxes or to prevent items from shifting around
  • Packing Peanuts – These are great for packing books or electronics
  • Set aside some extra clothing, pillows or towels to add additional padding
  • If you have the original boxes for electronics, re-pack your electronics in these
  • Specialty boxes if needed – flat screen tv, wardrobe boxes
  • New Cardboard Boxes & Packing Tape
  • Vacuum Seal Bags to condense clothing, towels, curtains, bedding for more efficient packing

General Packing Suggestions

  • Start the packing process early.  The more time you leave yourself to pack, the less stressed out you will be as your moving day approaches.  Begin with items you won’t need such as out of season clothing, unused kitchen supplies, and old or extra toys.
  • Designate a space in your home to store packed boxes.
  • Avoid bringing items to your new home that you no longer need.  Sort through your belongings and decide if you should sell, donate or discard certain items.
  • Make sure to place your items in sturdy boxes with plenty of padding when needed.  You can use a variety of packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and even clothing/towels to ensure items have enough padding.
  • Don’t overpack boxes.  It is important that boxes are flat and properly closed.
  • Make sure to seal the top and bottoms of the box tightly using packing tape.
  • If you dis-assemble an item before moving or packing it, make sure to use a labeled zip lock bag to keep any small screws or pieces together.
  • Pack items by room and make sure to clearly label what items are in the box, what room the box belongs in, and if the item is fragile.

Packing Dishes/China

  • Make sure to add padding to the bottom of the box.  Packing Peanuts, Bunched Newspaper, or Towels work great for this.
  • Wrap each dish with bubble wrap and try to pack similar items together such as plates with plates neatly stacked or glasses packed together.
  • Don’t put heavy items on top.
  • Be especially careful when packing items with handles or pieces that can break off.
  • Once the box is filled, add additional padding in between items to keep them from shifting.
  • Make sure you label the box as fragile

Packing Clothing

If you have clothing such as suits and dresses that you don’t want wrinkled or crunched, you may want to purchase wardrobe boxes to pack these items in.  If you don’t mind clothing being crunched, vacuum seal storage bags are definitely a big help and will reduce the amount of boxes or suitcases you will need.  You can also use vacuum bags to pack bedding and towels.  However, remember to leave some bedding, towels, and even clothing available to use as padding for more fragile items.

Packing Pictures/Artwork

Glass in artwork and edges are especially vulnerable while moving.  Specially made picture boxes are definitely the way to go and you can usually fit 3-4 in one box.  You should also make sure to wrap the edges of pictures and place large bubble wrap in between each picture.  Also, use additional padding or packing peanuts to stop pictures from shifting around in the box during the move.

Packing Electronics and Flatscreen Televisions

In an ideal situation, your flatscreen TV should be transported in its original box and packing supplies.  However, if you did not save it, you can purchase a special flatscreen TV packing box.  The box will include foam to protect the TV during the move.  You can also add additional padding inside the box, depending on the size of your TV to add an additional layer of protection.

When packing any other electronics, make sure to keep the heavy items on the bottom and ensure everything is properly padded and stabilized in the box.

Packing Books

Use smaller boxes when packing books so the boxes don’t become too heavy and/or break.  For heavier books you may want to reinforce the bottom of the box by adding an extra layer of cardboard to the bottom.  Books should be packed flat or with the spine of the book on the bottom.  Books should also be packed tightly and you can use padding material to make sure the books don’t shift in the box.

Sharp Objects & Tools

Try to pack sharp objects and tools together in one box.  Securing them inside pots and pans or smaller boxes make them less of a hazard during the move. Make sure these sharp items have plenty of padding around them so they don’t cut through the box or injure someone.  Also make sure sharp items are clearly marked on the box so the movers are aware of the contents and also you are aware when you unpack.