During any important project, your tools and supplies can make all the difference. It is no different when moving a home or business.
Cutting corners on moving supplies is one of the first things most people do when trying to save money during a move. Unfortunately, this usually results in damages to your furniture and personal items, not to mention to your home itself. You can even sustain injuries from using the wrong supplies, such as when a flimsy box falls apart while you’re holding it and something heavy drops out onto your foot.
Take better care of your items and the locations through which you are moving them by investing in the right supplies. If you don’t, the damages could end up costing you a lot more than the right supplies would have.
Here are the most important moving supplies we recommend having on hand during your next move.
Sturdy Boxes
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when moving is using the wrong boxes. Used, flimsy boxes (though free) can lead to a huge headache when the boxes ultimately fall apart during transportation. You risk damaging your personal items which could end up costing you more money than you saved. Although taking free boxes can be very enticing, the risk is not worth it for valuable items.
Specialty Boxes
Some boxes are made for specific purposes. These specialty boxes make packing easier and more reliable. Dish boxes, for example, are made extra sturdy to hold your heaviest and most fragile flatware and glasses. They are narrower and shorter, so you can get a good grip on the box during transportation and there is very little room inside for things to shift around.
Another type of specialty box we recommend using when moving are wardrobe boxes for your clothes. These boxes are tall and narrow, and they come with a rack to hang your clothes on so that you don’t need to take your clothes off of their hangers.
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Cell Dividers
Cell dividers are cardboard dividers that slip into boxes to keep your items from shifting around inside the box and bumping against other items. They are particularly helpful in dish boxes where glasses and flatware are at risk of colliding with each other.
Packing Tape & Dispenser
We always recommend using packing tape instead of any other kind of tape, including duct tape. While duct tape is very strong, it doesn’t always stick well to cardboard. Packing tape adheres much more effectively to boxes and is easier to cut open when it’s time to unpack.
To make the packing process go much quicker, a packing tape dispenser will be one of your greatest assets. You can pick one up for less than $10 at places like Walmart and hardware stores. Instead of constantly fighting to find the end of the tape, a tape dispenser will keep your tape ready to go at a moment’s notice and make sliding it on and cutting it off a breeze.
Packing Paper & Bubble Wrap
While packing with newspaper may seem like the easier, cheaper way to pack, it has some bad side effects, like being very thin and transferring ink and dirt onto your belongings. Packing paper is colorless and thicker, making it a much better option for protecting your belongings.
Bubble wrap is another must. Some fragile items need extra care beyond just packing paper, so it’s smart to have bubble wrap on hand to wrap those particularly fragile items so you don’t have to worry about them getting damaged during the move.
Blankets and Shrink Wrap
Protecting your furniture is just as important as protecting your smaller items. During a move, rips, tears, dirt, and other damages can happen to your furniture as it is hauled out of the house to its new location. Blankets and shrink wrap are invaluable for making sure your furniture stays clean and in the same shape before and after the move. We always wrap pieces with shrink wrap and moving blankets for this reason.
Floor Runners
Don’t forget to protect your house—both old and new—from scrapes and damages during your move. A plastic floor runner is great for keeping carpets clean, while a neoprene runner will provide better traction on wood and tile surfaces. It’s also a great choice for protecting stairs.
Get the Right Supplies and the Right Movers
A white glove moving company like Megan’s Moving is guaranteed to have the right supplies for your move. If you’re getting ready for a move, we can help. Schedule a consultation with one of our expert movers today.