Packing and Moving Tips To Make Your Move Easier

If you are one of the many Kiwi's that like to do the packing yourselves, we have included some useful tips to ensure that you have a safe move with little chance of any damage.

Only Move What You Want

• There is no point moving items that you don't want, so start by throwing out any clothes, kitchenware, toys etc that you don't want, before you start packing. This will mean there is less to move, saving you time and money.

Pack Carefully

• When packing cartons try and keep like items together, books with magazines, kitchenware with ornaments.
• Always pack lighter items such as bedding in large cartons and heavier items like books, tools into smaller cartons. Never over load the cartons.
• Pack books and crockery into smaller boxes to avoid overloading the carton
• Dismantle beds and place legs and screws into a "parts" carton
• Pack remote controls for TV's etc and cables into a parts carton
• Small pot plants should be packed into an open top carton for the loader to see
• Pack as many small or loose items into cartons to make loading and unloading easier and faster

Label The Cartons

• Label the carton for the room it is to be placed into at your new residence i.e. kitchen, main bedroom, office etc
• Try to label the carton with a brief description of what is in the carton i.e. kitchenware, glasses, plates, books, bedding etc
• If the carton contains glassware or any breakable items, label the carton "FRAGILE"

Choose The Right Packing Materials

• Use good strong cartons preferably double layered
• Use clean white or brown paper (butchers wrap) not newspaper as this will leave ink stains on the items wrapped in it
• Brown packing tape should be used to seal cartons as it is cheaper and allows you to write on it
• Seal all cartons so the tops are flat for easier loading
• Remember to seal both ends of the cartons so that nothing can fall out

Packing The Cartons

• Scrunch up paper and place into the carton so that the bottom is layered. This provides a "cushion" for the packed items to sit on
• Wrap all glasses or ornaments individually in several layers of paper
• Place glasses upright in the carton not on their sides, this will avoid breakages
• Long stem glasses need to have reinforcing by putting scrunched up paper around the stem and then wrapping the glass in paper
• Never stack glasses inside each other
• Never pack glasses head to toe
• Never allow glasses to touch against each other without sufficient packing
• Plates and dishes can be wrapped together so long as there are layers of paper between each plate and dish
• Place into the carton so that they are on their edge, not flat, as they will only have to support their own weight and not the weight of plates on top of them
• Always finish the carton with scrunched up paper on top so there is a cushion for protection
• If there is room for more than one layer in a carton be sure to put a layer of scrunched up paper between each layer of items to be packed