Are you about to start packing for a move? It seems like you are.
Do you feel reluctant to even start the packing process knowing that that task in your personal moving calendar is the clear winner when it comes to time and energy invested? You probably do.
Are you interested in knowing some really good (understand safe and time-saving) packing techniques to prepare your individual groups of items for the relocation journey? You must be.
Only, before you get to the fundamentals of packing books, clothes, electronics, and even your storage areas, shouldn’t you first begin with the very basics of packing a home for a move? Of course you should!
And the fundamental principle of packing is how to pack moving boxes.
This is where it all starts – how to pack boxes for moving.
Did you know that…
Before moving on to explain where you can get moving boxes for free, and then reach the top topic of how to pack a box for maximum safety and efficiency during a residential move, let’s go back in time for a moment and learn a little bit about the history of the cardboard box.
Now we take cardboard boxes for granted and we don’t even notice their presence around us unless we happen to need them for packing or storing various items in them, or even using them for all kinds of fun activities. However, their history is filled with interesting facts.
In 105 AD, a Chinese government official named Ts’ai Lun started making paper by mixing hemp rags and finely chopped mulberry bark with water, and then flatting the mixture and letting it dry out in the sun. That revolutionary paper production method was hugely successful and was adopted all over ancient China.
In 1856, corrugated paper was patented in England but at that time it was mainly used as a lining material for tall hats. The idea for using corrugated paper for packing fragile things and protecting them on the road came years later.
The New Yorker Albert Jones was the first person to recognize the true potential of single-sided corrugated cardboard as a padding material when he used it to pack breakable glass bottles to be shipped.
In 1874, the corrugated board design was hugely improved thanks to the addition of liner sheets on both sides which improved immensely the crush resistance and stacking strength of the boxes. That was also the year when double-sided corrugated board, as we know it today, started being mass produced.
Also, it’s worth mentioning a couple of interesting facts about cardboard boxes so that you will eventually end up looking at the piles of moving boxes in your home in a different, hopefully more positive light. First, the most common packing box is named Regular Slotted Container (RSC) and you know its design all so well, especially the couple of opposite major flaps at the top that meet and the minor ones that fall short. And secondly, roughly 70% of all the cardboard in the world is recycled, which means that the boxes in your home are most likely made from 100% biodegradable re-used materials.
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And before we move to explain how to pack for moving – the various safety and efficient techniques for packing a box, let’s cover another important topic, and that is where you can get boxes for free.
Now, it’s no secret that a residential move can be very costly (see the average removal costs). And this is why, you should make a real effort and use every single opportunity to lower the relocation costs. The thing is, sometimes even things that seem fairly inexpensive can quickly add up to the final moving bill if their number is great. For example, cardboard packing boxes for your upcoming move.
And having said that, the question of how to save money from all the packing supplies you will need soon enough, namely cardboard boxes as the major expense here, is still wide open on the table. Read on to find the right answer.
So, where you get boxes for free for your house move?
Friends. Yes, it won’t hurt to ask your circle of good friends if they have any cardboard boxes that they don’t really need and can spare them. That can a good tactical move especially if you know that any of them has moved house recently – then the chances of you ending up with a bunch of good boxes increase dramatically. Remember that you are looking for moving containers in good overall condition, dry, clean, and sturdy enough to withstand another load or two.
Supermarkets. Have you ever wondered what big supermarkets, and much smaller ones for that matter, do with all the cardboard boxes they unpack on a daily basis? The good news is they are required to recycle those boxes at the end of the day, which also means that you may get them entirely for free. Yes, some of them can be yours for the asking but again – you only need the ones that are good enough to protect your own possessions. So, visit your local supermarkets, speak with the shop manager and it’s very likely that you’ll be going home with a load of cardboard boxes of different sizes.
Shops. If you don’t have much luck finding free moving boxes at the supermarkets around you, then you can try other shops in your area, such as bookshops, specialized electronics shops, and office supply shops. The idea is the same – they need to recycle all the boxes they don’t need anyway.
Online. There are specialized websites (Freecycle, for example) can help you locate free moving boxes in your city, so a simple Google search should get you on the right track.
How to pack for a move properly is skill that will enable you to finish the packing marathon even days before your scheduled move-out date. And considering the packing is the most arduous job in the entire moving timeline, then you can clearly see why speed and safety are so vital during your preparation to move to another home altogether.
How to pack moving boxes quickly
Rule #1 when packing for a move: the more helpers you have, the quicker you’ll get the job done.
To pack boxes quickly will certainly give you an edge when packing up your home. However, that clear advantage should never be at the expense of packing safety /see below for details/.
So, how can you increase your packing speed?
Our packing guidelines begin with one of the most essential rules of packing for a move: the fewer items you intend to move to your new home, the less money you will pay for their transportation.
Pack much quickly by not preparing any of the items which your removal company won’t transport for safety reasons – explosive, flammable and corrosive items, or items that are too fragile to survive the long distance move. Gain knowledge to save time.
Prepare all the required packing supplies before you initiate the packing process. This piece of advice is vital for the smooth packing experience you hope to have because having to stop in the middle of it all to obtain the missing wrapping materials often proves a big waste of time.
In reality, one of the worst moving mistakes you can make is to keep procrastinating the start of your packing marathon until it becomes too late to make up the lost time. Remember: start the packing up your home as early as you can to save valuable time in the end.
Starting early is important but you need to have a clear packing strategy as well in order to reach the successful end you want. Instead of placing random items in random boxes, devise a good plan that will introduce order and structure into your actions.
Start packing up the rooms you use and occupy the least to eliminate any likely instances of littering your home – something that will only slow down your progress and eventually kill your motivation.
Labelling your boxes properly is more important than you might think. At first, you may feel like you were losing valuable minutes to write the content, destination room and handling instructions on your packed boxes, but that is far from the truth. In reality, what you are doing is savingvaluable post relocation time by using the right box labelling techniques.
You may not realize this right away but packing your moving boxes safely will increase your overall productivity by eliminating any lost time on unfortunate accidents during the actual move from Point A to Point B.
How to pack moving boxes safely
Now, knowing how to pack boxes for moving quickly is important as it will give you the confidence and peace of mind that you won’t fall behind your packing schedule and so you will be ready well before the moment of truth comes (your move-out day).
Packing for a move can be a really bonding family experience.
But speed alone will give you little consolation if it’s not accompanied by safety as well. In fact, compromise your packing safety and all the advantage you’ve gained through sheer speed of packing will be lost. Therefore, here are the fundamental rules of how to pack moving boxes with safety in mind.
Reinforce the bottom and sides of each cardboard box before you start filling it up with your possessions. How to tape boxes is not complicated at all – you only need to make sure that 1) you’re using quality tape, and 2) any parts of a box that don’t look particularly sturdy or safe should be double-taped or even triple-tape just in case. Remember that it’s your prized personal items in there.
Large packing boxes are meant for light items, while small packing boxes are ideal for your heavier things. This packing rule is important and its neglect could lead to moving day troubles. For example, use small to medium sized containers for your books (books are heavy!), or better – use wheeled travel suitcases for packing up your book collection.
Do not pack all your household items the same way simply because some of them are more fragile than others. It’s easy to see why wrapping up and protecting your kitchen breakables requires an entirely different packing approach than your clothes. Make sure you use a lot of packing paper and bubble wrap to keep your highly breakable items safe all the way until they reach your new home.
Some of your larger furniture units will need to be disassembled should you choose to move them in the first place. This is usually a job best handled by professional removal men so do consider taking advantage of their experience.
And finally, should time prove to be a much worse foe than you expected or the nature or number of your things to pack up is more than you can handle, then you must know that high quality packing and moving services are always available near you.
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Are you about to start packing for a move? It seems like you are.
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