Box Packing Techniques 101

Busy season in the moving industry is here. Whether you are relocating internationally or domestically, it can be a stressful time thinking about everything that goes into moving and how to properly pack your moving boxes. Here are some packing techniques to help pack your belongings the right way.

A common mistake professional movers say they see all the time when moving a customer’s belongings is they pack items in the wrong sized box.  Large heavy items should be placed in small boxes or containers and light items in bigger ones.  Books are an example of items that should be placed in smaller boxes, but which are commonly placed in large boxes that then fall apart or are too heavy to move. While pillows and bedding should be placed in larger boxes.

The technique you use to pack the contents of a box is one of the most important parts in packing 101.  Start with packing the bottom of the box with approx. 3” of paper that will act as a shock absorber layer. Then individually wrap each item with paper, making sure the entire item is enclosed within the paper. Place the items vertically in the middle of the box, on top of the paper at the bottom. It is extremely important that there are no gaps or pockets of space that the items can move when transporting.  Pack those spaces with additional paper that will keep your individually wrapped items from moving.  When you finish packing the box to capacity, make sure that you then use several sheets of paper and crush them up. It is very important that the flaps of the box close flat without the flaps caving in or protruding out. The box flaps need to create a flat surface so if the boxes are being stacked, it’s stable while transporting.

Items like drinking glasses, vases, and bowls should be wrapped individually with newspaper or packing paper. Then, combine several of the same items together and wrap them as a whole. Following the technique described in the section above this is also vital for secure transportation of items. Dishes are an item that are commonly damaged during a move because the person packing the box would stack them on top of each other, instead of the correct way of placing them on their sides, never flat.  Using a dish pack box is a reinforced box used by professional movers. Make sure that you place padding in between for added protection. This way the weight of all the dishes aren’t placed on the bottom one. If the box doesn’t have an arrow pointing in one direction which is used to indicate the top of the box, use a marker and add it; that way you know which side the bottom is and which is the top.

It’s common for people to tape the bottom of a box with one piece of tape in the middle of the box and then fill it up with as much stuff as they can fit in it. Make sure for medium to heavy weighted items that you also reinforce the box by using the “h” method which is to tape the outside flaps that come together in the middle of the box and then each side of the box with a strip that will form the letter h.  This will provide a secure container you can fill with heavy weight items.