Packing Glasses and Stemware

For a glass or piece of stemware, initially wrap each piece loosely in a sheet of newsprint. Then, wrap the item more tightly in a second sheet. Glasses and stemware should always be stood on end in the dish pack. A paper collar is sometimes employed to provide additional support around an item before loosely wrapping it in a sheet of newsprint.

Stuff some crumpled newsprint inside a glass vase or pitcher to provide support to its sides. A fragile piece like this should be wrapped in bubblekraft or brown paper pads and packed in the top or second layer of the dishpack. Before sealing the moving box, put a layer of cushioning material on top of the glasses. However, be aware of overdoing the cushioning on the top of a box that contains extremely delicate stemware. The extra "protection" on the top of this type of a box may actually press down too much into the box, placing unnecessary and excessive pressure on top of the stemware.

Do not be afraid to use extra paper when wrapping an item! Paper may seem expensive, but it is less expensive than replacing your fragile belongings!

Always keep the tops and bottoms of ceramic cookie jars or teapots together in the same bundle. If there is the possibility of an item being damaged, wrap them separately but pack them in the same packing box. Small glasses can be wrapped and then placed inside larger jars, canisters and vases. This may seem like extra work, but is actually safer for the smaller items.

Simple Things make life simpler

Setting up the workstation:
A suitable and comfortable workstation should always be employed to prevent fatigue and strain during the packing portion of a moving job. A kitchen or dining room table maybe used for this purpose. This is much easier than bending over and working off the floor. Always cover the table with a furniture pad or old blanket before placing any paper or items on the exposed surface.

Assembling the moving box:
A moving box should be assembled by folding the top flaps down using the small tabs to hold these flaps along the box sides. Next, the box should be "squared up." The bottom flaps are then overlapped and taped in place. Always use packing tape--do not simply interlock the bottom or top flaps.

There are three ways to tape an assembled moving box:
Use three strips of packing tape, making a cross on the top and bottom;
Put one strip down the middle seam, adding a strip along each of the two side seams;
Use three parallel--but not overlapping--strips on and along the middle seam.

Identifying the box:
The packed and sealed moving box should be clearly marked on at least two adjoining sides with the contents of the box and the room where the moving box should be placed at the destination. As much as possible, mark the contents of a box on its sides rather than on its top. This will make it easier to identify the contents for each box at the new residence.

Packing a moving truck is like cutting your own hair

Packing a moving truck is like cutting your own hair: The more you do it, the better you'll be at it. Here are tips to help things go more smoothly:

Load the heaviest items first: a fridge or piano. Move them to the front of the truck, and equalize the weight. Use moving pads or blankets to cover furniture and prevent damage (pillows, comforters, towels and cushions make good padding, too). Break down what you can (bed frames, for example) and fit them in where there's space.

You want a snug fit so that things are held in place - but not so compacted that boxes get crushed and items damaged. If you're moving just boxes, start loading from the front of the truck to the back. Begin with a cornerstone. "It's the package that sets the depth and height of your wall, and it's a sturdy one," hesaid. "Maybe 18 to 24 inches wide, by 12 to 24 high. That package is usually touching the last wall, the end of the trailer, and that sets the depth."

Heavier and sturdier packages go on the bottom, lighter ones on top. Build at least three shelves of boxes, rather than one tall (and unstable) column. For anything stacked above chest level, use a small stepladder.
Designate a loader. Others assisting with the move can bring things out to the truck, but it works best if one person is inside fitting pieces together and acting as the team quarterback.

Use all the space, not only so things don't shift during transit, but also for efficiency purposes.

The Box-In-Box packing method

While using a single corrugated box to ship items is possible in most instances, there are many situations when a single box just isn’t enough.  Why?  Because many single boxes endure sorting impact, over-the-road vibration, and other kinds of package handling situations that transfer directly to the fragile contents.   The Box-In-Box packing method is an effective way of protecting fragile items such as electronics, glassware or pottery from damage by packing the item in one box and placing the packed box in another box.

1. Wrap your product(s) individually with at least 2″ thickness of bubble wrap or foam material to fit snugly inside a corrugated box.
2. Place your wrapped product(s) in a box and make sure to restrict the movement inside the box using void fill like crumpledkraft paper or packing peanuts.
3. Close and tape the inner box to prevent accidental opening.
4. Use a second, outer container that is at least 6″ longer, wider and deeper than the inner box.
5. Choose the wrap or fill method to cushion the inner box inside the larger sturdy outer container.
6. Wrap the inner box with at least 4″ thickness of bubble wrapping material or use at least 3″ of packing peanuts or other cushioning material to fill the spaces between the inner box and outer container on the top, bottom and all sides.
7. Fill any void spaces with more cushioning material.
8. Seal your package with carton sealing tape and place the shipping label on the box.  Don’t forget a fragile label.

Lastly, even the best of packing jobs can end up getting damaged; therefore, we do recommend insuring your packages with your carrier.

Checklist of the Basic

Start with out-of-season items. Next, pack things used infrequently. Leave until last the things you'll need until moving day. Empty drawers of breakables, spillables, non-allowed items and anything that would puncture or damage other items. However, blankets, sweaters, lingerie, bath towels and similar soft, lightweight goods may be left in drawers. Pack similar items together. Do not pack a delicate china figurine in the same carton with cast-iron frying pans, for example. Keep all parts or pairs of things together. For example, curtain rod hangers, mirror bolts and other small hardware items should be placed in plastic or cloth bags and taped or tied securely to the article to which they belong. Wind electrical cords, fastening them so they do not dangle.

Wrap items individually in clean paper; use tissue paper, paper towels or even facial tissue for fine china, crystal and delicate items. Colored wrapping draws attention to very small things. Use a double layer of newspaper for a good outer wrapping.

Place a two- or three-inch layer of crushed paper in the bottom of a carton for cushioning. Build up in layers, with heaviest things on the bottom, medium weight next and lightest on top. As each layer is completed, fill in empty spaces firmly with crushed paper and add more crushed paper to make a level base for the next layer, or use sheets or cardboard cut from cartons as dividers. Cushion well with crushed paper; towels and lightweight blankets also may be used for padding and cushioning. The more fragile the item, the more cushioning needed. Be sure no sharp points, edges or rims are lift uncovered.

Pack small, fragile, individually wrapped items separately or a few together in small boxes, cushioning with crushed or shredded paper. Place small boxes in a single large box, filling in spaces with crushed paper.  Avoid overloading cartons, but strive for a firm pack that will prevent items from shifting; the cover should close easily without force, but should not bend inward.

Seal cartons tightly with tape.  As you finish with each carton, list the contents and/or room location on the side of the carton (for easy viewing while cartons are stacked) and in a special notebook. You might want to number and/or code the cartons as well. Put a special mark on cartons you want to unpack first.

The history of Folding carton

In the 1840s, cartons were made by hand and held together with tacks and string, and used only for expensive items (such as jewelry). Although Charles Henry Foyle is described by some as the "inventor" of the paper carton, mass production of the cartons was invented, partly by accident, at the Robert Gair Company in Brooklyn, New York.

Machinery at the end of the press had been set up carelessly by a pressman, and machinery cut through the material. This ruined the press but gave them an idea: printing and cutting could be done with one machine. Previously, cutting of printed cardboard had been done manually. From the mistake in 1879, Gair developed a process for mass production of boxes.

In 1897, the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) became the first large company to adopt the new cartons, for Uneeda Biscuits. Other manufacturers soon followed. With inexpensive packaging now even common items could be placed in a showy carton and each carton became its own advertisement. The product was also protected, and the contents had a longer shelf life. This trend was to continue with force, through the 20th century.

This could be seen as a contributing factor in the so-called 'throwaway' culture of America. The environmental impact of product packaging has gained attention from consumers and businesses alike, and this awareness has created a steady trend since the mid to late 1990s, on the part of manufacturers, to use recycled material and/or reduce overall materials usage.

Wardrobe Boxes - freeing up some space in your closet.

Most of us have never seen wardrobe boxes outside of the UHaul store or during a move.  It is true that these containers are most often used when packing up a house and moving elsewhere.  However, like most boxes, wardrobe boxes are being recognized for their quality and durability, thereby allowing them to be used in many functions.

Moving With Wardrobe Boxes – Wardrobe boxes are among the most popular products used for modern day moves.  This is simply due to their quality, durability, and incredible convenience.  Like any other moving box, wardrobe boxes would not be popular if they did not hold up to a typical move.  These containers are heavy duty with a strong hanging bar.  The convenience of simply lifting your hanging clothes out of your closet, turning around, and hanging them in the box is pretty incredible.  If you have a move coming up and you are intimidated by the closets in your home, you will be amazed at how quickly you can pack them up.  But, wardrobe boxes are not just for moves anymore.

Organization With Wardrobe Boxes – More and more people are recognizing the value of wardrobe boxes for long-term storage of seasonal or outdated outfits and other hanging items.  Think about how much space is taken up in your closet by items that you have no intention of wearing in the next 4 months.  How nice would it be to quickly and easily clean up your closet and create a bunch more available space, simply by using a few wardrobe boxes?  These boxes can easily handle whatever storage and organization solutions you throw at them.  Imagine being able to walk into your closet and actually seeing what color the walls are again.

Cardboard & Boxes

There is no place on earth where you won't find anyone using cardboard boxes. Its because of the popularity these boxes have gained in the entire world. Use of cardboard boxes came into practice right from Henry Ford's time, and ever since then, cardboard storage boxes have been used for every little and big purpose.

Guidelines for buying the Storage Boxes: Cardboard Boxes

Here are some guidelines that you could probably can keep in mind when you think of maintenance and usage of these boxes.

When you are out in the market to buy a few cardboard boxes for your purpose, its best not to buy wet boxes, it might be even 'wet long time back' type of wetting too, but still prefer to choose the boxes which are completely dry and non-moist.

Choose boxes that have good close-able lids. In case of many cardboard boxes, box can be closed by closing the flaps of the box in an inter tangled manner.

Before you pay money for hundreds of boxes, make sure that the boxes aren't damaged at any place. You can check this by holding the box against to any light source and verifying if there is any leakage of light. Its bad if there are small holes in it, because in due time these would get bigger and reduce the effective life span of your cardboard box.

Its very easy to get confused when you are choosing the cardboard boxes, thus make sure you don't pick the cardboard boxes that have aged, it is because these boxes would have lost the strength to withstand weight and pressure, and would have suffered a lot of shock during its previous usage. Avoid buying these kind of storage boxes.

There is an easy way to acquire good quality and quantity of storage boxes, its by keeping a check on what you throw to dust bin. Many a times we receive home parcels and home deliveries, and those deliveries come packed in the storage boxes, and we usually end up throwing those cardboard boxes. If you find that box is in a good reusable condition, you can open up the box to a flat pose and store it in either your garage or attic which later can be used when need be.

Guidelines for handling the Storage Boxes: Cardboard Boxes

Remember to keep a set of brown tapes always beside you because when you're dealing with the cardboard boxes, there is one thing that you shouldn't fall short of, and that is tapes.

While storing the boxes, don't store them in the open pose, its better to open them in a flat pose, and put them in a polythene cover and then store them.

Its very easy for cardboard boxes to be attacked and eaten away by cockroaches and rats and get infected by lizards. Thus it is very good practice to store the storage boxes with few naphthalene balls and pest repellents.

Do not fold the cardboard boxes where there is no folding done before. This is because, unnecessary folding of the storage boxes at random place makes the walls of the box weak.

Never ever wet the storage boxes if you are planning to use them again in future. Even if you get it wet once, it would prove harmful to the storage box.

Always have these type of storage boxes in your home. You never know when you would suddenly be in need of these and you start wondering where you can get them.

How to Pack Tall Table Lamps

Your major problem in packing a tall lamp may be acquiring a carton large enough to accommodate the lamp. If you can’t find such a carton you can purchase dish pack cartons from your mover in which to pack tall lamps. Dish pack cartons are tall, extra sturdy cartons originally intended for packing fragile articles, such as dishes.

Remove lamp shade and bulb, Wrap cord around base of lamp.

Line the bottom of your carton with a considerable amount of wadded-up packing paper. This will insure extra cushioning and protection for the lamp.

Spread out several sheets of packing paper so that your packing paper is extended longer and wider than the lamp. Place lamp in the center of your packing paper.

Roll packing paper around your lamp. Tuck in the end of the paper at base of lamp. Use sealing tape, it necessary, to prevent end from coming apart.

Seal the seams where packing paper overlaps around your bundle with your tape.

Fold up other end (at the top of lamp) of packing paper and seal with tape, Place bundle in previously lined carton.

If you have several tall table lamps, place them each in the carton so that the base of one lamp is next to the top of the next lamp. Alternate them. This will make them fit better in the carton.

When all lamps are packed in the carton, fill out the carton with plenty of wadded-up packing paper. Be generous. Mark “FRAGILE” and “LAMPS” in large, clear letters on all sides of the carton.

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.

What you'll need for the first night/day

Most movers, especially the do-it-yourself kind, are so happy to finally arrive in their new home that they don't even mind that a few dinner plates are chipped, there's a scratch on their table or that their favourite ornament has been broken. But there's no reason your household goods should become casualties of the move. With a little care and planning, and these moving packing tips, your possessions will stand the best chance of arriving in perfect condition.

A little common sense helps when packing for moving.  In the long run, it pays to purchase the right packing materials. At Colt paper you can purchase all your packaging material. Supplement these with copious amounts of crumpled paper, blankets and pillows; even clothing can serve as a buffer between breakable objects. Then, pack with a plan.

When selecting packing material for your goods, remember:

• Use only strong, corrugated cartons with tops or flaps that fold shut.

• If you are using second hand boxes, make sure the boxes are clean of insects and other pests

• Save old newspapers for packing material, but be careful — the ink may rub off and stain certain items. PackingBoxes.com.au recommends that you use butchers paper that can be purchased from our online store.

• Get plenty of packing tape, a tape gun or dispenser will make the job of sealing the cartons a lot easier.

• A marking pen, to properly label your cardboard boxes with the room they should go in and description of contents.

• Pack one room at a time, labeling each box with a description of its contents and its destination (e.g., kitchen, bathroom). Be as specific as you can; it will make unpacking that much easier.  

• Pack a couple of cartons a day, starting well ahead of the move.

• Take extra care to make sure the bottoms of all cartons are secured and will hold the weight of the contents.

• Always pack heavier items toward the bottom of the box and lighter items toward the top.

• Keep the weight of your boxes reasonable. If possible, put heavy items in small boxes to make them easier to carry.

• Don't apply tape directly to polished or painted wood finishes. Removing the tape could ruin the surface. 

• Be sure to have plenty of "filling" material available; when in doubt, use more.

What you'll need for the first night/day

When everything is packed and ready to load, make sure the items you need least are loaded first. Again, common sense is essential when loading the truck. Place the box containing your best china on top of the box of encyclopedias and not vice versa.

Prepare for the first night in your new home by packing essential items in a separate box and taking it with you. You may even want to prepare a simple meal that you can heat and serve on your first night.

• For each person in the household: a change of clothes, a towel, prescription drugs, a toothbrush, and other personal items.

• For everyone: plastic utensils, paper plates, paper towels, plastic cups, toilet paper, toiletries, trash bags, a flashlight, first aid kit including pain relievers, pencil and paper, snacks, beverages, and re-sealable bags.

• Small tool kit for re-assembling items that couldn't be moved whole.

Packing for moving with good technique and the right materials can mean an easier move and fewer chipped dishes.

Packaging - best practices

There are many new materials on the market and inventive ways of using available materials. The keys to safe shipping are:

• Keep your item from shaking or shifting, i.e. there should be no movement in the box on shaking.
• Use materials that absorb vibrations AND impact!
• External materials/boxes must have the strength to hold the weight of your items. When in doubt, reinforce packing boxes.

Best practices for packing are balanced against package weight and shipping costs. At Colt Paper we advocate safe packing methods.

 Here are some general standards we recommend:

• DO wrap items in a layer of paper, tissue etc. to keep from scratching the surfaces or decorative motifs. Do NOT wrap in newspaper!
• DO wrap the item in bubble wrap. Wrap not under or over but around it.
• DO tape items, to keep the protective material in place, but not to mummify. Too much tape may cause the receiver to damage the item when unpacking.
• DO double box, at least extremely fragile items.
• DO put at least 1.5" of packing peanuts or other packing materials around item.

We also recommend that you always check with your shipper for specific guidelines regarding appropriate shipping of packages.