With The Right Packaging Your Move Will Be a Success
Packing is the most fundamental part of any service that movers in Montreal provide. How well of a job is done in the packing phase will determine whether a move will be a success or a failure. ADT Moving recommends having certain packing items on hand such as heavy-duty duct tape, newspaper, plastic furniture bags, tissue paper, felt-tipped pens for labeling, and foam pieces for filling empty spaces in boxes.
We have put together a short guideline for clients who prefer to do the packing on their own:
– Use plastic furniture bags to protect each piece of furniture. These come in sofa, love seat and mattress sizes.
– Carefully wrap fragile legs, table casters, drawer knobs and handles before placing furniture in plastic bags.
– Keep all screws, fasteners and keys from a piece in an envelope taped to it.
– Purchase plenty of rolls of bubble packaging material in various widths and in large and small textures. It’s reusable, so it won’t be wasted.
– Use tarnish-free paper to pack silver and acid-free paper for linens.
– Buy wardrobe boxes for your hanging fixtures and delicate cabinets or tables.
– Packing blankets come in light and heavy weights, so have a selection of both on hand.
The Must-Have Packing Materials for your Move
Believe it or not, packing up your home is not all about the boxes you use. There are a number of other items you will need to purchase prior to starting the packing process. Some of the most useful packing materials available to ensure you have a seamless (and damage free) move are highlighted here.
Packing Paper
When packing away dishes, cups or other delicate items, packing paper can be invaluable. While you can opt for regular newspaper, there is now legitimate packing paper sold at most home goods stores that provides a bit of extra cushion to protect your belongings.
Bubble Wrap
While it is fun to pop, this packing material is also ideal for moving. Wrap it around your most delicate items to keep them safe and protected during the entire moving process.
Packing Peanuts
Styrofoam peanuts are also a great packing companion. Once you load your boxes with your breakable or fragile items, you can fill in all the gaps with these to ensure that nothing bangs against something else during the move. This can help to further prevent any breakage for your most delicate items. You can choose traditional packing peanuts or biodegradable ones, which are eco-friendly.
When you are planning to move, having the right packing supplies on hand is essential. This will ensure that your items are safe and arrive in the same condition they left in.
Tips on Packing Fragile Items for a Move
As Montreal’s trusted moving professionals, we have a lot of experience in packing and transporting your fragile items during a move. No matter who is doing the packing, properly preparing fragile items for the move is essential.
Here are a few tips to help you pack and move fragile items successfully:
Most of the fragile items can be wrapped with plain packing paper. You cannot do this with regular newspaper since you risk staining the items with ink. Prepare a flat space upon which you will lay the packing paper to begin the task.
As for the most fragile items, you should pack them in a specially designed box. You can use a box made of corrugated materials and specifically designed to accommodate fragile items.
The process of packing items in tiers
Packing the boxes must be done in tiers. This means you should begin creating layers of crumpled up paper right from the bottom of the box, moving upwards.
Use multiple pieces of paper to individually wrap each fragile item. Heavier items and those which are less fragile should form the first tier of the box at the bottom. Once you’re through with the bottom layers, fill in the remaining space with paper to create cushioning just before another layer can begin.
This process should continue until the box is completely full. Items that are extremely fragile must remain on the top.
The inner structure of the box
Good box structure should be provided both internally and externally. This means that the inside of the box must create some space no matter how full the box is. Those spaces must be filled with paper or cushioning items to support the overall structure of the box.
Labeling
Mark the boxes with your name, their contents and a vertical arrow which points upwards. This arrow will indicate that the boxes must be laid upright as opposed to their sides.
How to Save Money on Packing Supplies
The whole process of moving to a new home can be expensive in itself, and the cost of packing materials can make the expense rise significantly. Fortunately, there are many ways you can save money on packing supplies by being thrifty, looking for bargains, and employing a few creative strategies.
Choose Recycled Containers
If you look around your home, you’ll likely find boxes that you were thinking of discarding that are perfectly suitable for moving your items. It doesn’t have to be a box specifically made for moving in order to be used — as long as the box is sturdy and clean, you can use it and save money. Look for shipping boxes from online orders you’ve placed in the past, paper document boxes around the house, and even product boxes that are large enough to hold some of your possessions.
Ask Friends or Family
Don’t stop at just searching your own home for boxes. Ask friends and family if they have any boxes or plastic totes they no longer want or will allow you to borrow. Large discount and grocery stores often discard boxes and will give them to you for free if you ask, especially if you go to the store early in the morning or later at night when items are being stocked. You can also search the free sections of online classified ad sites, such as Craigslist and Kijiji, to find free moving boxes and containers that individuals and companies are giving away.
Use Alternatives to Boxes
You can always use heavy-duty plastic bags and storage totes to move your items. Yes, lightweight items, toys, clothing without hangers, pillows, and linens can be snugly packed into garbage bags more cheaply than it would cost to pack the same items into boxes. It may not be the most attractive option, but looks don’t matter much when you’re simply trying to safely transport your items to your new place. Reusable plastic bags and grocery totes will also do the trick.
Pack Efficiently
You won’t save much money if you’re not packing the maximum amount possible into each container, or if you’re haphazardly packing and end up breaking some of your things. The goal when trying to save money on packing is to get as many free materials as you possibly can, pay less than retail for the rest, and get as many items into each container as is safe. Roll clothing, towels, and linens into tight bundles or lay each piece flat if you have to put it into boxes or bags. You can also use your washcloths and hand towels to securely wrap and protect your glassware to save even more space.
How to Pack Your Bedroom for Moving Day
When packing your bedroom for moving day, it is of utmost importance to ensure that everything receives the maximum care it deserves. After all, the bedroom is full of your personal belongings, and that is why they deserve all the care that they need when packing. As you do that, it is critical that you work with the following guidelines before bringing in movers in Montreal.
Start by Sorting
Just because your wardrobes are full does not mean that you will need to move with everything that you have. Sorting helps you identify pieces of clothing that you do not need and can thus donate or sell. Once you have eliminated those that you do not need, select clothes that you will wear as you move and the first few days in your new home and pack them in a separate bag or box. The rest of the clothes can then be packed in wardrobe boxes.
Pack Your Jewelry Separately
Your jewelry holds a lot of value, and that is why you should always pack it separately and probably carry it with you. In case you put them in the truck of your preferred movers in Montreal, then let them know in advance. In such situations, it is also safe to go ahead and get insurance for them.
Carpets and Curtains
While packing bedroom furniture, carpets and curtains may not seem essential, but you should do that in advance. Bedding linen and curtains are best packed in plastic bags before being put in boxes. Mattresses and carpets need to be covered well to keep off dirt and mattress covers come in handy at this stage.
Pack Your Electronics and Valuable Arts in Advance
Valuables such as antiques and expensive paintings must be packed carefully. In fact, talk to the movers in Montreal to find out if they have special packing materials and transport conditions for such items. You will probably need special crating for them and a reputable moving company to transport them to your next home.
How to Pack Clothes for a Move
Unpacking your boxes to find your clothes creased and sticky with leaked shampoo will probably ruin your day. The last thing you want to take care of when you move into a new home is laundry!
Packing has become a lost art. These days, people have a tendency to throw things into a box and hope for the best. When you simply toss things into a box you are wasting space and causing your clothes to become creased and dirty.
We have put together some guidelines for you on how to pack clothes for a move:
- Start with an empty box and a checklist. The missing ingredients in most people’s packing for a move are tissue paper and sturdy boxes. Do not borrow a beat-up box from your neighbour or the grocery store. Those boxes are old, damaged and sometimes even dirty!
- Have everything you want to pack around you. If you have to go back and forth to the wardrobe, you will forget something.
- Use tissue paper to fill out sleeves and pad clothes to keep the material gently stretched. Also, place tissue paper between layers to avoid sharp folds seen on clothes worn straight from the box.
- Lay your long garments at the bottom of the box and trail them over its sides so that they can be wrapped over other layers of clothing.
- Fill the gaps around the edges with ties or socks.
- The finishing touches are a final layer of tissue for extra protection from the elements.
- Dresses, gowns and suits are best carried in wardrobe boxes that have their own hanging pole. For wardrobe boxes, it is best to use plastic or wooden hangers rather than wire ones.
- Finally, put your checklist at the top of the box and seal it well.
How to Pack Glassware
Glassware is a very tricky thing to move. Due to its fragility, glassware should be handled with extreme care. If glassware gets damaged, it is usually gone forever, broken into tiny pieces that can never be put back together.
In order to assure that your home’s glassware items arrive intact you should do the following:
- Use sturdy boxes and make sure you reinforce them with tape.
- Use crumpled paper to create a cushioning surface at the bottom of the box. Keep adding scrunched paper until you can no longer feel the bottom of the box. The layer absorbs any bumps or knocks the box may receive during its journey to your new home.
- Put a couple of sheets of hard paper over the scrunched paper layer to create a shelf for the glassware items to sit on.
- Next you can start to pack the box. When packing a box of glass you should start the bottom layer with heavy, more robust items such as vases, bottles, and larger pieces of glassware.
- Wrap each item with a sheet of paper and place it in the box. Repeat this until you have completed an entire layer in the bottom of the box.
- Once the first layer is completed, add scrunched up paper in between the gaps and make sure you fill up all the empty spaces.
- Now place paper in the bottom of the box and cover the layer you have just packed. Follow the same principles as before, only this time make sure that the second layer of crunchy paper is thick enough so that you don’t feel the items at the bottom layer.
- The second layer should have lighter more fragile items such as stem glasses, lighter ornaments and so on.
- Do not pack glassware items too close to the top of the box as there does need to be space left to put cushioning paper or soft towels on the top.
ADT Moving can supply you with specially designed boxes for packing glassware and fragile items. The boxes we provide are strong and are made with high quality cardboard to ensure the protection of all contents. What distinguishes our boxes from others is that they come with dividers that provide all the needed protection for your glassware. You don’t need to waste time creating protective layers and dividers because our boxes already have them!
Packing Electronics for a Move
When it comes to moving electronic items, irresponsible transportation, poor packaging, and quick dismantling are all things that could lead to expensive damage. Do not risk damaging your heavier and more expensive electronic devices. Hire professional movers to do the job.
Electronics are delicate items that need special care during a move – you will want your electronic equipment to arrive at your new home in good shape and ready for use. ADT Moving experts can do the job quickly and with quality. Before dismantling any equipment, our crew will take photos of the way your devices are connected. We will then dismantle every piece of equipment according to the manufacturer’s manual.
- Some of our clients prefer to pack the smaller and lighter electronics on their own to save time. We have accumulated the short guide below to help our clients properly pack their electronics before our team arrives on site:
- Pack the electronic device in its original box if you still have it. If not, use a strong double sided box that is slightly larger than the device. Any free space between the device and the walls of the box should then be filled with antistatic packing bubbles or popcorn to cushion the electronics during shipment.
- Before disconnecting any wires or plugs, mark with colored labels each wire or cable with its corresponding port. This will facilitate reconnecting them after the move.
- Disconnect all the wires or cables and bind them using twist ties so that they do not unravel. Then place the cables and wires into a sealable bag and place it in the same box as the device.
- Properly seal the box and write clearly with a dark and thick marker what the contents of the box are and whether they are fragile. This will allow for more care in moving and greater ease in finding what you need upon arrival.
How to Package Antiques Securely
Antiques often have historical, monetary and emotional value and can become a stressful issue during a move. At ADT Moving, we handle all our client’s possessions with the finest professional care.
Disorganized management in addition to poorly administered packing are often the main reasons behind the ruin off an antique during a move. Inexperienced movers will often use excessive amounts of packing material in order to provide that extra protection for their antiques. Many will engage in zealous over-packing or what we refer to as “antique mummification”. Antique mummification involves the use of excessive force while trying to administer layers upon layers of bubble wrap on an antique.
Unfortunately, excessive protection may have the opposite effect of exerting pressure and breaking or damaging an antique. Excessively wrapped items can also be a nightmare to remove because they increase the likelihood of scratching or chipping of the antique upon removal.
Packing – DIY or Hire a Professional Mover?
Packing is a critical aspect of any relocation and can determine whether or not a move will be a complete failure or a smooth success. At ADT Moving, we provide several choices of packing options to satisfy the individual requirements and needs of our clients:
- Full packing service: We bring the packing material and do all the packing for you.
- No pack service: You do all the packing by yourself and we handle the move for you.
- Part packing service: We offer this service for items that need professional handling and care such as glassware and heavy furniture.
- Specialized packing for precious antiques or fragile items.
- We offer different types of packing materials that will ensure the appropriate protection for your items. Customers have a choice of where to get their packing material, containers and cartons.
Leave Packing for a Move to the Professionals
Lifting heavy boxes up from the ground and getting them on the truck is a job best left to professionals, but what about actually packing up the boxes themselves? Montrealers love to go the DIY route with a lot of things, so they often ask us about whether or not it’s a good idea to do the packing themselves. In all of our years of experience, we can say that it is not something we recommend. Packing the right way is an art form, and when done correctly has huge benefits for both sides. Here are a few reasons why you should leave packing for a move to the pros:
Safety first when packing for a move
Nothing is more important to ADT than the safety of our customers and our team members. When you get professionals to pack materials, you get skilled workers with years of experience. This means they know what to pack where, how to put it in the box, and how to carry it out to the truck. Proper packing greatly reduces the risk of injury when carrying heavy materials.
Professional packing makes the move easier
When you get professionals to pack your stuff for a move, they can label it themselves and the driver has a good idea of what is where. Many of our pros like to use certain systems of labeling, and packing it themselves will help them better judge where to put it on the truck. This will make it a lot easier to unload and unpack on the other end.
No stress. Tons of convenience.
You are already packing up your life, putting it on a truck, and moving across the country to a brand new place. Chances are you under enough stress as it is. We want to make the process as enjoyable for you as possible, so leave the packing to us. This will allow you more time to spend with family, more time to plan, or a chance to just relax. Let us handle the stressful stuff, you just worry about what’s important to you.
Packing is one of the most important parts of the move, and when done right it can save everyone a lot of stress and time. We highly recommend leaving packing for a move to professional movers. When you do, you get a skilled team that will delicately handle all of your possessions and ensure they get to the other side seamlessly.
