Packing Guide

Brown’s Moving and Storage understands your concerns on ensuring your valuables are delivered safely, in perfect condition, and stress-free.

We’ll be glad to personally pack all or part of your goods. Because all your goods have been packed professionally they will be covered for insurance purposes. We are confident in our expertise. We offer quality, professional packing services including appropriate wrapping and boxing. Just let us know if you would like us to assist you in the packaging of your items and we’ll see to it that they will be delivered carefully and with expertise.

Please Contact Us if you have any questions at all.

The art of packing your goods for a move requires expertise and knowledge. If you are planning on doing the packaging of your goods yourself, we’ve provided you with this guide to ensure everything is packaged safely and correctly. It is important to start well in advance of your moving date. This avoids the last minute “packing rush”.

Preparing to Pack

  • Make a master list of all household items and your belongings.
  • Collect wrapping paper. A common mistake is using old newspapers as wrapping which will end up with your goods being stained. We recommend bleached packaging paper from a packing supplies store.
  • Collect plenty of boxes which have covers that can be closed and sealed.
  • We offer moving supplies such as packaging paper, wrapping, and boxes. Please have a look here.

Things to Note Before Packing

  • Pack rugs last so they can be the first items unloaded and placed at your new location.
  • Goods such as dishes, table lamps, pictures, or other fragile items must be packed in boxes. These boxes should be stuffed with crushed packaging paper.
  • All pictures and glass should be wrapped in bubble wrap or cardboard.
  • All appliances need to be disconnected with cords wrapped up.
  • Have no loose items in boxes.
  • Try to have your boxes uniform in size.
  • Rakes, shovels, and brooms should be taped together.
  • All shelves should be removed from cabinets.
  • Empty your drawers.
  • Goblets and stemware should be packed one at a time next to each other.
  • All lamps need to be packed in appropriate boxes. First remove the shade from the base, and then pack them both separately. Light bulbs should be removed and packed separately as well.
  • For long haul moves it is advisable to remove pedals from bikes and place them in a bike carton.
  • Do not pack any flammables, combustibles, or explosives. Movers are not allowed to transport aerosol spray cans, paint thinner, gasoline, or anything else of a flammable or explosive nature.
  • Pack your mattress and box spring in mattress bags for protection from soiling.

The following items cannot be packed because it is prohibited by law:

  • Corrosives: household cleaners, acids, liquid plumber, and car or boat batteries.
  • Explosives: ammunition, bullets, flares, fireworks and detonators.
  • Flammable Liquids: gas, lighter fluid, paint, paint thinner, glue, kerosene, acetone, alcohol and lamp oils.
  • Flammable Solids: matches and fuel tablets.
  • Gasses: either pressured or liquefied, propane tanks, oxygen, helium, household fuel, aerosol cans, hair spray, paint cleaner and butane lighters.
  • Liquids: wine, beer and alcohol.
  • Oxidizers: bleach, disinfectants, organic peroxides, fertilizers, pool chemicals and chlorine in any form.
  • Poisons: pesticides, herbicides, fumigants and photographic chemicals.
  • Any other item that might be susceptible to combustion, like oily rags and charcoal, cannot be packed for shipping.

Organizing Your Boxes and Goods

  • Sealing tape, a black felt marker, and your master list will be of value.
  • Make a box of essentials and label it “Open Me First”. Put this box to the side to be loaded last (so it’s unloaded first) or take it yourself.
  • Your “Open Me First” box will include:
    • Basic tools such as flashlights, pocket knife, hammer, screwdrivers, nails, masking tape, tape measure, and light bulbs.
    • Bathroom essentials such as hand towel, soap, toilet paper, shampoo, and shower curtains.
    • Kitchen goodies such as paper towels, coffeemaker and filters, paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, dish detergent, a sponge, pet foods, dishes, and trash bags.
  • Label one box "Set Up". In this box put all the screws, nuts and bolts and other pieces needed to put your furniture back together. Place each set of screws in a small bag with a label indicating which piece of furniture it was from. Some companies may suggest taping the bag to the furniture. The problem with this is that the tape may come loose and you'll lose your pieces or the tape is too strong and you peel off the finish on your furniture.
  • Label all your boxes according to the room you’d like them placed in. Example: (kitchen, master bedroom, living room, etc). For long haul moves make sure you label all of your cartons with your name, destination, city and contact phone number.
  • Mark all boxes containing breakables with a red marker, writing “fragile” on all four sides and the top.

As You Pack

  • Pack room-by-room. Do not include goods from the living room in boxes with goods from the kitchen for example. This will save you much confusion when unpacking.
  • Pack heavy items at the bottom of the boxes.
  • Pack all your boxes full, so it can hold the weight of another box on top of it.
  • Once a box is packed, seal carefully on top and bottom. The contents of the box should be recorded on the master list.
  • Place all packed boxes in your garage or on the main floor for easy pick up.
  • When packing, CDs, records, dishes, or any disks always place them standing vertically as opposed to on top of each other in a box.
  • When you are packing dishes, cups or any breakables, remember to place a layer of crumpled paper at the bottom of the box and between each layer. Try to keep the weight of the box under 45 lbs. The heavier the item is, the smaller the box.
  • Take all knobs and screws off dressers, China cabinets. You can keep these essentials into our “Set Up” box for future assembly.
  • Mark “Do Not Load” on anything you don’t want the movers to take and set them aside in a corner of a room or a designated area.
  • Separate items with paper to prevent scratches caused by rubbing during transit.

Preparing for Pickup

  • All your packed boxes should be ready to be moved onto the truck from a convenient location.
  • Make sure the boxes and their contents are accounted for on your master list.
  • Make sure all valuables and unpackaged items in your household are taken care of or discarded.
  • Make sure your boxes are sturdy, labelled, and taped tightly.

If you have any questions concerning packing items in the kitchen, cabinets, furniture, feel free to contact us. Brown’s Moving & Storage also offers our own professional packing services to ensure all your items will be accounted for and undamaged on arrival.

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