All About Boxes

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

If you are getting ready to move, then you are about to learn all about boxes.  That’s because between now and the day of your move, you will need to take everything you have accumulated in the past few years and dismantle, sort out and pack it into a dizzying array of cardboard boxes.  What you will quickly discover during the packing process is that having the right box can make a huge difference in getting your prized possessions safely from one place to another. 

All Boxes are NOT Created Equal

What most people do when they get ready to move is they go to an office supply store and purchase several sizes of rectangular boxes.  While typical cardboard boxes will suffice for packing your pots, pans, dishes, linens, books and knickknacks, they are woefully inadequate for packing up such things as your wine glasses, expensive wardrobe and that big screen TV.  Fortunately, there are specialty boxes that are designed to tackle these conundrums.

Wine Not?

Image courtesy of Uline.com

If you purchase wine by mail, you are familiar with compartmented boxes that shippers use to send wine from one place to another.  These boxes are divided into 12 slots that are perfect for holding not only individual wine bottles, but wine glasses as well.  If you aren’t into purchasing wine by the case, I guarantee your local liquor store is.  More importantly, they will be more than happy to let you take several of them off their hands, since they are routinely recycled by the proprietor.

If you want the wardrobe hanging in your closet to get to your new home without winding up a wrinkled mess, you can purchase a wardrobe box like the one pictured at left that will allow you to keep your suits, dresses and other finery from getting ruined in transport. 

If you have a big screen TV worth $1,000 or more, you don’t want to have it damaged or destroyed during a move.  If you tossed the box that it came in, you can buy a replacement box that is the perfect size for your TV and is sturdy enough to get it from point A to point B without incident.

Thinking Inside the Box

Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Another thing that many homeowners seem to have trouble deciding is how big of a box to use to pack their possession.  While it’s obvious that when it comes to packing heavy items such as books, less is more, other household items present a conundrum as to which size box works best.

      ·         Small boxes are perfect for books, canned goods, kitchen utensils and silverware

      ·         Medium boxes are great for things like knickknacks, toys and linens

      ·         Large boxes work well with lamps, small appliances, pillows and bedding

      ·         Extra Large boxes are made to handle bulky items, sporting goods, barbecues and outdoor items.

When it comes to filling a box, you need to determine how much is too much.  While it is perfectly alright to stuff linens, bedding and towels to the brim in a box, you want to take care when packing anything that is sharp, hard or fragile. 

       ·        Pots, pans and dishes should be wrapped with paper before being packed into a box.  Particularly with dishes, you want to line the bottom of the box with plenty of crumpled paper or bubble wrap before place them in the box.  The preferred way to box plates is standing on their side as opposed to lying flat.  This will keep them from being crushed during transit.

      ·         When it comes to packing fragile items such as glasses, vases and ceramic knickknacks, make sure they are well padded.  The best way to determine if this is so is to fill the box and then shake it.  If you hear the telltale clink of glass on glass or ceramic on ceramic you need to empty the box and start again, making sure you wrap each piece with paper completely.  Also make sure you label these boxes as “Fragile” so your crew won’t inadvertently put them beneath a box of books that could crush them.

      ·         When packing lamps, make sure you pack each lamp in its own box with the shades in a separate box.  Add lots of crumpled paper to both boxes.

      ·         When packing small appliances and electronics, wrap these items in either bubble wrap or towels to keep them from banging together.  Also make sure you put plenty of padding on the bottom of the box.

      ·         When you stack paintings and family portraits in a box, once again stack them on their side and make sure they are well-wrapped, or separated by a piece of cardboard.

      ·         Last but not least, make sure you apply sufficient packing tape to the bottom of each box, particularly those whose contents are either heavy, expensive or fragile.  The last thing you want to see is your mover picking up a box that contains expensive electronics or family heirlooms come apart at the seams to hit the floor with a crash.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

The thing to remember when packing boxes for a move is that they are not designed for protection so much as separation.  If you don’t try to pack too much stuff into too few boxes, your belongings are more likely to get from point A to point B in one piece.  That being said, in next week’s blog we will cover the best ways to label your boxes so you can sort out what’s what with ease once the move is complete.

With over 4,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers  has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.