Packing Tips

Best Practices for Packing Your Items

Take your move as an opportunity to organize your belongings. You might think you'll remember where you put things, but it's likely that over time you'll forget. It can be very time consuming if you need a stored item but don't remember where you packed it in your storage unit.

Use Uniform Boxes

A box for everything and everything in a box is the best protection of your goods. The use of boxes of uniform sizes will allow you to stack and minimize the amount of storage space you need. Minimizing your storage space saves you money.

Use All Available Space

Fill drawers and appliances with small items to conserve space.

Pack in Groups

Pack your items in a way that works best for you. For example, group items by the room they came from or by item category. This will be a substantial help when the time comes to unpack, or if you need to find something while still in storage.

List What You'll Need First

Make yourself a list of items you will need first when it comes time to unpack, and clearly label these boxes in some fashion. Items in this group might include bedding, dishes and flatware, cleaning products, medications, first aid kit, radio, alarm clock, and important papers.

Use Labels

Label and/or color-code all containers and boxes. This will make your life easier when unpacking or looking for a box in storage.

Label Fragile Boxes

Label light, fragile, or otherwise crushable containers as "Top of Load". This will make it easy for you to identify boxes that you want to ship or store at the top of any stacking.

Fill Every Box

Fill your boxes and use packing material to fill empty spaces.

Keep Large Boxes Light

Use the largest boxes for lighter items such as pillows, bedspreads, etc.

Pack Heavy Items Small

You guessed it... Pack heavy items into smaller boxes.

Use Wardrobe Boxes

If possible, store clothing in wardrobe boxes that permit you to hang the items. These boxes are usually available at the storage facility and are reusable later for such things as seasonal clothing storage.

Stack Upright

Pack items such as large pictures and mirrors in such a way that they are stacked upright.

Disassemble Items

When possible, disassembly of items can save you space and minimize possible damage. Place assembly hardware for these items in plastic bags and secure the bags to the item.

Wrap Wooden Items

Protect wooden items such as table and chair legs by wrapping them.

Use Plastic Covers

Protect mattresses, sofas, chairs, etc. with plastic covers. Be sure to allow for air flow.

Stack with Furniture

Use dressers or tables as stacking surfaces, but cover them with cardboard or other material to protect the surface.

Wrap Individually

Dishes and other fragile items should be wrapped individually in boxes. Be sure to pad the insides of the box.