How to Load Like a Pro
With the right materials and professional assistance from us, you can load your entire house successfully and efficiently.
It can be a genuine cash saver if you choose to do your own packaging. It takes extra time and energy to get the job done. The following guide will provide ways for you to free yourself from moving stress and pack like a professional!
To get started, make sure you have ample supplies of:
Tissue paper
Packing paper (plain newsprint).
2" packing tape.
Long-term markers.
Professional quality boxes (offered from your agent).
Utility knife and scissors.
It's All About the Boxes.
Using new, quality packing materials specifically designed for moving can ensure that your home or business arrives safely. North American Van Lines has a large range of boxes and professional packaging products readily available:.
1.5 cu. ft. containers Little container for heavy products such as books, files, music CDs and DVDs/video tapes.
3.0 cu. ft. containers Medium utility carton often used for pots and pans, toys, and small devices.
4.5 cu. ft. containers For large products, such as toys, linens or towels.
6.0 cu. ft. containers For big, large, or lightweight articles, such as pillows or large lampshades.
Wardrobe containers A "portable closet" that keeps clothing and drapes hanging on a built-in bar.
Mirror cartons Numerous sizes of telescoping containers for framed images, mirrors or glass.
Bed mattress cartons Available in queen/king, double, single (twin) and crib sizes. A separate container is essential for box springs.
Dishpack (or China Barrel) Heavy task container used for dishes/china, glassware and crystal.
Double-wall cartons Extra protective containers made specifically for great china, crystal, and other high-value, hard-to change products.
Stretchwrap A special plastic covering that safely adheres to furnishings and secures it from snags, tears, and dirt.
You can ask your agent about materials available for purchase.
You will usually discover poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) packing tape to be the most effective to seal boxes. Do not utilize masking tape or narrow cellophane tape.
Packaging Preparation.
When packing yourself, have whatever appropriately packed and ready for filling the night before moving day. Leave out just the important things you'll need that night, the next early morning, and right away at your destination for last-minute packing.
Standard standards to make packing a breeze:.
Make a schedule, permitting sufficient time leading up to moving day.
Load items in the garage, basement, or attic first - these products normally aren't needed right now.
Stay arranged by packing space by space.
Designate workspace in each space.
When a room is completed, sort containers by light, medium, and heavy - limit your heaviest cartons to 50 pounds each.
Plainly label cartons or products that you do not desire to transport on the van.
Load for Success.
It's suggested that your packer handle the following:.
Marble or glass tabletops, heavy wall accessories and mirrors 40" x 60" or larger.
Swimming pool table.
Large, fragile products like large trophies, statues, chandeliers, and so on
Major devices.
Here are a few more suggestions for an effective pack:.
Empty drawers of breakables, spillables, non-transportable items and anything that would pierce or damage other products.
Keep all parts or sets of things together - for example, drape rod hangers, mirror bolts, and other little hardware items need to be put in plastic bags and taped securely to the short article to which they belong.
Pack little, fragile, separately wrapped products individually or a couple of together in little boxes, cushioning with crushed or shredded paper. Location small boxes in a single big box, filling in areas with crushed paper.
Put a special mark (the number 1, or the letter A) on containers you want to unload first at your location.
Use paper only for cushioning; never ever place it versus items, as the ink will rub off. It can even get embedded into great china, so take care!
What Not to Load.
You should carry valuable and irreplaceable items with you instead of on the truck. In addition, there are several products that my review here can not be put on the truck, such as dynamites, compressed gases, combustible liquids and solids, oxidizers, poisons, corrosives along with radioactive and other harmful materials.
Normal examples of items that can not be moved consist of:.
Nail polish remover.
Paints and paint slimmers.
Gas cylinders.
Automotive repair and upkeep chemicals.
Radio-pharmaceuticals.
Matches.
Lighter fluid.
Gasoline.
Fireworks.
Oxygen bottles.
Other products not recommended for transport on the van consist of:.
Firearms.
Household photos.
Food in glass containers and disposable foods.
Prescription drugs needed for instant use.
Just ask your Relocation Expert if you have any questions.
Transportation products of personal value or sentimental value with you, such as:.
Money.
Collections (i.e., coins).
Important individual documents (i.e., deeds, wills).
Negotiable documents (i.e., bonds, stocks, certificates).
Precious jewelry.
Moving documents.
Identifying Tips.
Each and every moving carton needs to be labeled using the following strategies:.
Utilize a broad, felt-tipped marker.
Clearly mark the contents and the space it will be positioned in.
Indicate "FRAGILE" on delicates; "THIS WIND UP" where proper.
Consist of the costs of lading number from your moving company on every box if offered.
As you end up with each moving carton, list the contents on the side of the carton (for simple watching while stacked) and in a special notebook. You may want to number and/or code the moving cartons.
Suggest your name and the space to which each moving carton ought to be provided at location. Tape a sign on the door of each room at location corresponding to the carton identifies so movers can get the cartons into the correct rooms rapidly.
Put a special mark (the number 1, or the letter A) on moving containers you wish to unpack initially at destination.
Tips From the Pros.
Start with out-of-season products. Next, pack things used occasionally. Leave up until the last minute things you'll require up until moving day.
Empty drawers of breakables, spillables, non-transportable items and anything that would pierce or damage other products while moving.
Pack comparable items together. Do not load a delicate china figurine in the exact same moving carton with cast-iron frying pans.
Keep all parts or sets of things together. For example, curtain rod wall mounts, mirror bolts, and other small hardware products ought to be positioned in plastic bags and taped or tied firmly to the article to which they belong.
Wind electrical cords, attaching them so they do not dangle.
Wrap products individually in clean paper; usage tissue paper, paper towels, or even facial tissue for great china, crystal and fragile items. Colored covering paper draws attention to extremely little things that might otherwise get lost in a moving container. Utilize a double layer of newsprint for a good external wrapping.
Location a two- or three-inch layer of crushed paper in the bottom of containers for cushioning.
Build up the layers, with the heaviest things on the dig this bottom, medium-weight next, and lightest on top.
As each layer is completed, fill in voids firmly with crushed paper and add more crushed paper to make a level base for the next layer, or utilize sheets of cardboard cut from moving containers as dividers.
Cushion well with crushed paper; towels and lightweight blankets might likewise be used for padding and cushioning. The more vulnerable the item, the more cushioning needed. Make sure no sharp points, rims or edges are left uncovered.
Pack little, vulnerable, individually-wrapped items individually or a couple of together in small boxes, cushioning with crushed or shredded paper. Location little boxes in a single large box, filling in areas with crushed paper.
Prevent straining moving cartons, but aim for a company pack that will prevent items from shifting; the cover must close quickly without force, but should not bend inward.
Seal moving containers securely with tape except for those including products that should be exposed for the van line operator's examination.
The following guide will provide methods for you to free yourself from moving stress and pack like a professional!
Start with out-of-season products. Wrap products separately in tidy paper; usage tissue paper, paper towels, or even facial tissue for great china, crystal and fragile items. Colored wrapping paper draws attention to extremely small things that might otherwise get lost in a moving container. The more vulnerable the product, the more cushioning required.