Packing for Moving: Everything you need to know

Often, packing for moving is one of the most anticipated and dreaded moments of moving. How to pack furniture, clothes, decoration items, and what to do with the food in the fridge. We prepared this complete guide on preparing when moving to a new house. 

Packing for Moving: Where to Start

First, the first step is to define exactly what you will bring to the new house. This is an important step and will help you define which packages and quantities are needed for your move.

Types of packing for moving

Beforehand, every item in your home must be packed with a certain type of packing for moving. There are countless options used on the market, but to make it easier, we have separated 3, which we consider more efficient, have a better cost-benefit and are easy to use. 

Bubble wrap

In summary, this is the darling of every good moving company. Bubble wrap provides tough protection, reduces impact, protects against scratches, and insulates from odors and liquids that may leak during shipping.

It is recommended to use this protective packaging for moving furniture, sofas, beds, appliances, glass and mirrors.

In summary, bubble wrap has different models, and the most recommended is the one with large bubbles (larger than the traditional ones we are used to) and a resistant plastic that is difficult to break. You can do the test by trying to tear a piece if you can easily. This is not the recommended model for your change. In this way, the most suitable plastics usually need the aid of a stylus to be torn. 

In short, this moving package is usually sold in rolls of 30, 50 and 100 meters and can be found in protective packaging companies or directly with moving companies.

Cardboard boxes

On the other hand, the boxes will help you store all your small belongings, decoration items, kitchen utensils, clothes, books and many other things. 

There are several size options on the market. In this way, buying varied, with more medium boxes (30X30X40), is ideal. Ensure that the boxes are resistant, and when packing, always check that the bottom of the box is not being forced, which could cause it to open and everything to fall during transport. 

However, be careful when stacking the boxes! Place the heaviest ones underneath, and if any box in a pile starts to dent the sides, immediately remove the boxes above them and place them in new piles. 

Cardboard or impact-reducing cardboard

At first glance, this type of protective packaging is not always used and may seem not very functional. However, it can be an excellent ally to protect the corners of furniture, glass, television fronts and other appliances. 

This protective packaging is thick cardboard with grooves that reduce the impact and avoid scratches. They are usually sold by moving packing companies or directly with moving companies. You will always find it in 30-meter rolls, which must be used with bubble wrap. 

Beforehand, know that the roll is very heavy and you will need the help of one more person to carry it. However, don't worry about buying this package if your move has few items. Instead, use more bubble wrap on delicate furniture, glass, and mirrors.

Adhesive tape, stylus, cd pen and scissors

These are not quite protective packaging materials, but they will be extremely important to aid during protective packaging. Therefore, buy everything in advance. The lack of these can delay your move or compromise your protective packaging.

Next, we will talk about the required quantity of each item and how to pack each item for moving.

How to calculate the amount of packing needed for moving

Later, after making a list and learning more about each type of packing for moving, define the amount needed for your residential move. To calculate, it will be necessary to base the amount of furniture and belongings. 

As an example, let's see the list of belongings for a traditional two-bedroom apartment for a couple with a child:

For these belongings, the following amount of packing for moving would be needed:

• 2 rolls of 100-meter bubble wrap
• 100 cardboard boxes (50 medium, 25 small and 25 large) 
• 1 roll of 30 meters of impact-reducing cardboard
• 16 rolls of masking tape
• Pen to write on CD
• Scissors
• Stylus

However, it is very important to know that the amount of protective packaging varies greatly from the move to move. Therefore, these values ​​are approximate and will vary for each situation.

If you have a lot of clothes, decorations and kitchen utensils, you will need more boxes, but if you have more appliances or very large and delicate furniture, you will need more bubble wrap. 

Don't buy everything at once. The idea is that you pack the belongings gradually and that way. You can have a better idea of ​​the quantity and not end the day exhausted. 

Another option is to look for companies that offer a return option if all the material is not spent. This is not a common option, but some businesses have this advantage.  

You can also hire a moving company. They will carry out all these steps and professional packing, and you won't have to worry about a thing. 

How to pack furniture and appliances

Prepare furniture for packing

First, you must check whether the furniture must be disassembled. Wardrobes, shelves and certain tables cannot withstand transport without dismantling. That way, besides saving space in the truck, you guarantee it will arrive in one piece. Usually, moving companies offer this service included in the budget but always check. 

Also, always remove the glass and mirrors. These must be packed with bubble wrap and cardboard.

In addition, you must secure the doors and drawers with tape or a piece of string. When moving the furniture, they can open, break or even hurt the person carrying out the transport. 

Protect the corners

Briefly, a move involves transporting furniture and appliances through the corridors of your house and building until they arrive in the truck and then on to your new home. During this displacement, unforeseen events can happen, and you can end up hitting a wall. As the impact is concentrated at this end, the damage will be very visible, and in the case of glass, it can even break the entire piece. 

To avoid this, place the glass or furniture on a flat surface. First, fold the cardboard protecting the corner and then pass two or three rounds of bubble wrap. It is also necessary to reinforce with adhesive tape so that the protection does not come loose during transport. 

Appliance doors and TV front

First, care for these areas of your belongings should be the same as for glass and furniture corners. Bubble wrap will not always be enough to prevent damage after a fall or an unforeseen event during transport. 

First, place a layer of cardboard in front of refrigerators, stoves, and wine cellars and on top of the washing machine, specifically for transport. If you don't have one, cut out a cardboard moving box and make a thick protective layer. Next, apply bubble wrap and secure everything with a few turns of tape.

Do not forget to write or paste a fragile sticker on the front of the item.

Mattresses and sofas

As with other furniture care, these items must be packed carefully. For mattresses, protect the entire base of the mattress (the side on which it will rest on the floor) with cardboard or cardboard. The rest and the sofas must be wrapped in four layers of bubble wrap on average. This way, in addition to protecting against tears, it will insulate from dirt and dust during transport.

Very importantly, don't skimp on the protective packaging. A small tear in your sofa or mattress could cost you much more. 

Glass and mirrors

This is the concern of most people when thinking about packing for moving, however, don't worry! That way, with the right materials and extra care, the windows and mirrors for your move will be very safe during transport.

The main tip is: Be careful with corners.

In summary, the center of the glass and mirror hardly break. However, the corners are very fragile. Pass a layer of corrugated cardboard for moving or make a thick cardboard corner. 

First, before passing the bubble wrap, secure the corners with plenty of tapes and make sure they don't come loose. It is necessary that, when resting on the floor, the piece is at least two fingers apart, supported by the corners with cardboard.

After making the cardboard protection, wrap the sides with layers of bubble wrap. Once again, the most important tip for this step is: don't skimp on protective packaging.

Glass kitchenware

Plates, glasses, vases and any other glass items must be packed very well, whether they are kitchen utensils or decorative items. 

First, select a good cardboard box that can withstand the weight of the items. Then, line the bottom of the box with bubble wrap. Ideally, cut the bubble wrap twice the size of the bottom of the box, so you can fold it in half and make a cushion. 

The next step is to wrap each item separately in cardboard, newspaper or bubble wrap. This will avoid direct contact, which could lead to possible breakage.  

In the same way, repeat the procedure at the bottom of the box and place another layer of bubble wrap over the closed box. 

In conclusion, don't forget to mark the box as fragile and write the list of items inside.

Personal clothing and bedding

Moving companies have specific racks for transporting clothes. This method facilitates removing clothes from the wardrobe, transporting them and replacing them in the closet in the new house.

This is the most recommended method, as it does not wrinkle the clothing and avoids direct contact with the rest of the change, keeping it clean and free of dust and possible odors.

Meanwhile, we don't always have our change rack available, do we? 

Here are some other good suggestions for you:

vacuum protective packaging

You can place all your clothes, bedding, kitchen and bath in vacuum bags as an option. Despite wrinkling your clothes, it will make your gear more compact and equally insulated from dirt and odors during transport. 

Cardboard bags and boxes

On the other hand, you can also put all the clothes in bags and later in cardboard boxes. Thus, the bags will help to keep the clothes clean, and the boxes will help to prevent the bags from tearing during transport. In the same way, also enjoy your travel bags. This is the most economical option and can be useful when moving home.