How to pack heavy items for moving

Packing your house when moving can be stressful and it can be made more difficult when you are packing heavy items. Today we will look at some of the best ways you can pack large items so they survive the move to your new home.

When packing heavy items you will want to make sure they are protected against getting dropped, protected from having other items leaning or sitting on them and you should also think of how the temperature can affect some of your more fragile items.

If you have just started packing your home and don’t know what to do with your heavy furniture or larger items keep on reading.

1) Use a moving company

For smaller items, such as plates and glasses you can pack them and move them to your new home yourself.

With larger items such as fridges, cooking appliances, fish tanks, wardrobes and anything one person would have a problem carrying on their own you should consider using moving services to help. Moving companies will have the right packing supplies such as packing tape, packing peanuts, hoists/lifting strap, plastic wrap, trash bags and much more that will make moving and protecting your heavier items safer than if you were to do it yourself.

Moving companies are quite affordable and if you have expensive items that could get damaged if you were to do it yourself then you should consider hiring a moving company.

2) Choose durable packaging

If hiring a moving company isn’t in budget and you have to move your bigger items, then buying the right type of packaging is going to help. You will need to purchase durable packaging that can without the weight of your items.

When purchasing packaging be sure to look for corrugated cartons. This allows them to be stronger and hold your heavy household items. When you have packed the box be sure to use heavy-duty tape too.

3) Use the right size boxes.

To avoid damages when moving, use the right size boxes. For example, if you were packing an aquarium tank you wouldn’t want it sliding around in the box, if you did it would more than likely break. Get boxes that fit your items and then fill them with packing peanuts to give more protection.

If you are packing multiple items in your cardboard box then put the heavier items in the centre and then pad out the rest with packing peanuts or bubble wrap to provide protection.

4) A box within a box

When in doubt double box your household items. Double boxing will stop your items from crashing into the ground if your heavy cardboard box was ever to break.

When you double box your items make sure the outer box is bigger than your inner box by a few inches. You can then fill the inner part of this larger box with bubble wrap or packing peanuts for protection against being dropped.

5) Don’t overload your boxes

This should go without saying, but if you think your box is too heavy then it probably is. Break larger items into smaller boxes rather than putting them all into one and you will be less likely to break your moving boxes.

Small boxes that fit the heavy item you want to move are far better than putting multiple heavy items into a box and hoping that they don’t fall through the bottom of the box.

6) Do the shake test before moving home

When all of your heavy items are packed conduct a shake test. Shake your box slightly and if you can hear anything moving around you will need to repack the box. Moving items can cause damage to fragile items in your box so fix this before moving.

7) Consider putting heavier items into storage

Moving all of your possessions on the same day is going to cause a lot of stress for everyone involved and it can also wear you out physically. If you consider hiring a self storage unit before moving you can move your heavier items a bit at a time. This stops you from being fatigued so you can continue with the rest of the move with a little less stress.

8) Tips for Packing Furniture

Packaging heavy furniture is difficult, wardrobes, beds, cabinets, dressers, coffee tables and desks should all be unassembled in a perfect world as it makes packaging and moving far easier.

However, this isn’t always possible and if your furniture has to be kept together then you will need to protect it. You can use packing material, bubble wrap, packing paper, blankets, furniture pads and anything else you can think of to protect fragile parts of your furniture.

If you can, we always recommend putting larger items into self storage a few weeks before moving day. Moving large items can take its toll on anyone and doing it all the same day could lead to injury.

When wrapping your furniture be careful not to get any packing tape on the surface of them as it could damage and stain it.

When packing wardrobes some people leave their clothing inside and wrap the wardrobe. This can be a personal choice, bare in mind this does add more weight, especially if you have heavy items of clothing. What you could do is vacuum pack your clothing so it’s safe and easy to move instead.

Conclusion

Packing heavy furniture, heavy appliances or even heavy kitchen items can be challenging and if you feel it could be a difficult task then don’t risk an injury and hire a moving company. If you can move on your own then be sure to get the right equipment such as moving blankets, a moving strap, suitable clothing and a van suitable for moving larger items.