Always plan ahead

Start purchasing boxes early. An easy way to store cartons so that they won’t require a great deal of storage is flatten them out. You can open them up again and re-seal the bottoms with your plastic tape as you are ready to use them.

Pack on a room-by-room basis. That is, don’t pack articles from the living room in boxes with articles from the kitchen. This will save much confusion later when it’s time to unpack.

If possible, start packing early. Remember, if you were to pack only a couple of boxes a day, in thirty days you would have sixty boxes packed. You could start in areas where the goods are not in frequent use – such as the cellar, attic, garage, closet shelves, etc.

Hanging clothing, such as suits, dresses and coats, should be hung in wardrobe cartons. This will save you the trouble and expense of having your garments cleaned and pressed later. Hanging clothing cannot be left in garment bags. Garment bags were not designed to be used as movers wardrobes, and they will not withstand the stress. Clothing to be hung is usually taken out of the garment bags, hung in the wardrobes, and the garment bags folded and placed in the bottom of the wardrobe.

Dresser drawers need to be empty. Movers usually do not move chests of drawers with the contents of drawers left intact. Too much weight in the drawer could cause damage to the drawer while your furniture is in transit.

What size boxes should you use? The rule-of-thumb here is the small, heavy articles, such as books, records, canned goods, etc., would go in smaller boxes. Bulkier, but not-so-heavy articles, such as pots and pans, linens, small kitchen appliances, etc., would go in somewhat larger boxes. Very bulky, lightweight articles, such as blankets, pillows, toys, large lampshades, shoes, etc., would go in the largest boxes.

Do not pack for moving on a van any flammables, combustibles, or explosives. The safety of the shipment is the primary concern. Movers are not supposed to transport aerosol spray cans, paint thinner, gasoline, or anything else of a flammable or explosive nature.