At Megan’s Moving, safety is one of our highest priorities. We’ve even taken extra precautions to ensure our clients’ belongings remain in great condition such as padded trucks and protective coverings for doorways and staircases.
Follow these tips on how to have a smooth move without breaking anything along the way.
How to Move Without Breaking Anything
Get the proper supplies
A smooth move starts with smart planning and the right supplies. Before you start packing, stock up on everything you need first. We’ve put together a full list of the moving supplies we recommend (click here to read it). This includes things like packing paper (not newspaper, which is thinner and can damage your items with ink), bubble wrap, packing tape, and sturdy boxes. All of these items are crucial to keeping your belongings safe and damage-free during a move.
Take your time
Rushing through packing is one of the most common causes of damages when moving. If you’re in a hurry, you’re likely to cut corners on how you pack things to get it done faster, which will result in damages later on when it comes time to load and unload the truck. While it can be tempting to rush through the packing process since it’s not necessarily the most enjoyable task, it’s not worth losing items you care about. You’ll be glad you took your time when you make it to your new home and everything is in great condition.
Don’t leave space for shifting
Another common cause of damages is leaving too much space inside boxes. When there is space for items to move within a box, they are likely to shift once you move it (especially when it’s on the truck) and then break or at the very least cause scratches and other damages when the items rub or collide together. To avoid this, fill in every available spot. Packing paper, towels, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, and even stuffed animals work well for padding these empty spots.
Use techniques based on the item
With the wide variety of items found in a home, there are several different techniques to use depending on the item at hand. For glasses and dishware, for instance, we wrote an entire post (with an instructional video) on how to properly pack them to avoid damages. Artwork and picture frames have another set of techniques. Instead of wrapping everything the same way, do your due diligence and find out what techniques provide the best results for the items at hand.
Click here for our tips on packing glasses and dishware and click here for tips on how to pack a variety of fragile items.
Secure everything in the truck
Simply loading everything into the truck and hoping for the best is a disaster waiting to happen. First, create a strategy for the best-case scenario of how everything will fit in, including large furniture and appliances. Once you start loading everything into the truck, make sure it’s all is secure. Don’t leave any gaps, otherwise shifting will occur and cause damages to your items. Secure large pieces to the walls of the truck. All boxes should be fit snug into the truck so that they won’t slide or tip over during transit.
Cover edges and corners in both homes
Not only your furniture and boxes are at risk for damage – your home is, too. Before you start moving anything, cover the corners of walls, doorways, and staircases with padding. This will help keep your belongings from getting damaged as well as the house in general. Be sure to do this at both homes, old and new, and use a dolly for anything that is particularly heavy.