Packing Materials for Moving House: All You Need to Know

If you’re the one who’s going to have to pack up your entire household for the upcoming short-distance or even cross-country move, are you physically and mentally ready for the challenge?

And more importantly, do you have what it takes when it comes to packing supplies needed for moving?

Read on to learn everything you need to know about packing materials.

What Are The Best Packing Materials?

The list of packing materials you must have when wrapping up your prized possessions on your own goes like this:

Moving boxes

There are two choices here, cardboard boxes and plastic totes, both having their pros and cons.

Cardboard box pros

• Cardboard boxes are readily available for free if you have the time to go searching for them.
• They are available in various sizes so will accommodate the vast majority of things in your home.

Cardboard box cons

• It takes time and money to construct the boxes
• If it rains on moving day, your boxes may get damaged
• After unpacking, you are left with piles of boxes to dismantle and dispose of

Plastic totes pros

• It is quicker and cheaper to pack plastic crates
• The crate hire company will deliver to, and collect them from, your front door
• They are uniform in size, which makes the most efficient use of the space in the removal lorry
• The crates will not get soggy or damaged should it rain on moving day

You may also like to read: 5 Places to Get Free Moving Boxes. Not all boxes are equal in quality or strength so in the guide we look at the best places to find good quality boxes for free.

Wrapping materials

To prevent damage to your possessions when they are packed in boxes, they must be encased in protective wrapping and cushioning materials.

The packing materials list continues with:

• Packing paper. Clean white or brown packing paper will be your first layer of protection when packing up breakable and fragile items. Packing paper won’t leave any marks or stains on objects so it’s perfect for securing household items with delicate surfaces. Crumple some sheets of packing paper and you have an excellent padding material.
• Bubble wrap®. Without a doubt, bubble wrap® can be your best friend when packing your most damage-prone items. Did you know? Bubble wrap® was invented in 1957 by Marc Chavennes and Alfred W Fielding as a wall covering. However, the idea never caught on, and in 1960 they founded Sealed Air Corp with Bubble Wrap® being their signature brand.
• Plastic wrap. Also known as stretch wrap, the highly stretchable plastic material is perfect for keeping things in place without worrying about having to clean any residue marks after that. It is perfect for bundling clothes and securing furniture drawers, and doors. Need additional dust, dirt, and moisture protection? Not a problem.
• Moving blankets. Even if you can’t get hold of the type of moving blankets professional removers use, then use any old blanket to wrap up large items such as furniture, electronic appliances, and the like.

You may also like to read: How Much Does it Cost to Pack a Home for Moving? In this guide, we look at how many boxes on average you will need, how many packing materials, and the average cost of those packing supplies.

Read on to find out creative ways to save on packing materials by using free alternative supplies you already have in your home.

Auxiliary packing accessories

To aid you further in your tough packing job, you will also need to have:

• Packing tape. Yes, this is quite obvious but many people underestimate the importance of good quality tape when packing up for a move. Don’t go for the cheapest rolls you can find but pay a bit more for better quality ones. Taping your boxes shut is one thing but it’s the measure of strengthening their bottoms with extra layers of tape that can make the difference between packing failure and packing success.
• Coloured tape. Speaking of underestimating specific pre-move tasks, the essential job of labelling packed boxes is considered by some people to be a waste of time. However, those same people are always proven wrong when it comes to placing boxes in the right room of their new home, and when unpacking time comes.

You may also like to read: How to Label Moving Boxes – An Easy and Foolproof Method. In this guide, we share a really simple way to use coloured tape to identify which room each box should be placed into at your new home and the order of importance that they should be unpacked.

Packing Materials Commonly Found Around The Home

Proprietary packing materials are not cheap so you can save yourself some money by using items commonly found in the home that will do the same job for free.

Moving containers

Besides the occasional cardboard boxes you may already have here and there around your place, here’s what free packing supplies you will most likely find in your home:

• Buckets. If you have any plastic or metal buckets that you’ve decided to take with you anyway, why not fill them up with anything that will fit inside them? Pails are especially good for liquid cleaning products and bathroom items that might leak.
• Baskets. Laundry baskets are great for storing anything from pieces of clothes to shoes and children’s toys. If you’re moving any of them anyway, why not take advantage of their storage capacity?
• Suitcases. Well, you’ll probably fill them up with clothes, but you should seriously consider reserving the rolling suitcases for heavier items such as books, just don’t make them too heavy.
• Drawers. Some furniture drawers can be left with whatever they contain which make them excellent moving containers. Use stretch wrap around the drawer to keep everything in place.
• Bags. It’s the variety of bags that make them so useful – clean trash bags can be used to pack clothes straight from their hangers, vacuum bags can be used to reduce the volume of bulky pieces of clothes such as coats, jackets, etc., sealable Ziploc bags are ideal for storing smaller items that can be easily lost.

You may also like to read: The Top 10 Packing Mistakes to Avoid. In this guide, we look at the ten most common packing mistakes and how you can avoid making those same mistakes.

Wrapping materials

Of course, nothing beats quality sheets of bubble wrap®, soft packing paper, and professional moving blankets, but they all come at a cost.

If you’re looking to save on your upcoming move, take a look at worthy alternatives of the best wrapping and cushioning materials for moving.

• Plain blankets. Specialised moving blankets tend to be expensive, but you can easily substitute them for old blankets which should still give your delicate items enough protection on the road.
• Bed sheets. Do you have any bed sheets that you’ve been planning to retire soon? They are perfect for protecting chinaware and glassware and also as cushions in boxes that contain highly breakable items.
• Hand towels. The thickness of hand towels is what makes them great as dish or glass packing supplies. Wrap delicate items with such thick hand or face towels and you won’t have to worry about whether they will survive the house move or not – they will!
• Socks. Yes, socks! Thicker socks can serve as excellent protectors for glasses, especially wine or champagne glasses with delicate stems.
• Newspapers. Well, newspapers are not nearly as good as packing paper but their main advantage is that they are practically free after they are read. Besides, they can come very handy during the process of immobilizing the contents of packing boxes – fill up any remaining space with crumpled newsprint to minimize any contact between the items in the containers. Also, newsprint is good as a second protective layer over the initial protection of soft packing paper.

You may also like to read: Alternative Packing Supplies For Moving Home. In this guide, we look at the subject of using items found in the home for packing in more depth.

Is It Worth Hiring Packers?

By now you are probably wondering if packing your things yourself is such a good idea.

Packing is without a doubt one of the worst pre-move tasks, not only is it very time-consuming and expensive, but you will be living amongst packing materials for weeks on end.

Ask anybody who has recently moved and who hired professional packers, and they will tell you how much easier they made the whole moving process.

Professional packers will come with all the necessary types of packing materials, the needed moving equipment to get things done faster and safer, and of course – years of experience.

The other very important fact to be aware of is that many insurance companies will not cover your items in transit if you have packed them yourself.

So consider whether packing yourself is really worth the time and effort, and get a quote from packers just so that you can see what great value for money they offer.

You may also like to read: Are Packing Services Worth the Cost? In this guide, we explain exactly what professional packers do, how much on average they cost, and why hiring packers is the best home moving decision you will make.

Good luck with your home and don’t forget to visit our home moving blog which is packed with tips and guides to make your home move easier, quicker, and cheaper.

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