Moving home can be made simple if you are properly prepared for the task at hand. Having the correct supplies in place before starting to move any furniture or household items will make your moving experience far smoother.
During the rush it can be easy to forget the most basic items that you’ll need to move and store your household items in. You’ll want to only purchase the most reliable and useful items that are necessary to accomplish the goal of moving.
So just what supplies do I need for moving? Lets take a look at some of these essential supplies, and how they will help you complete a stress free and successful home move.
Hand Truck
Hand trucks make carrying and moving boxes, shelves, tables tops etc. far easier and physically less intensive. These are lightweight L shaped transportation tools that use leverage to move very heavy items with minimal amounts of effort. Essentially transferring the load over a balance point over the large wheels. Resulting in you being able to move loads around with low intensity efforts.
The main benefits of hand trucks include:
- Transports heavy items and furniture with far less effort
- Stacks multiple items on one hand truck that can be transported all at once
- Safer transportation of items, as users vision is not obscured while moving
- Prevents back and arm injuries from the strain of carrying heavy items
- Allows you to transport items using leverage by simply sliding bottom plate underneath, then tilting the hand truck backwards
In addition there are certain types of hand trucks that allow you to traverse stairs safely. These trucks have tripod wheel types that lend themselves well to smooth climbing of most stair cases. This saves time and energy of transporting several items up stair cases that would otherwise need to be hand carried individually. It also far safer, accidents can be reduced to a much lower incident rate than when carrying large and heavy items up several stairs.
Use of large pneumatic wheels allow hand trucks to easily traverse obstacles such as curbs and provide a strong and stable platform that fully support large items weight. Limited only by the maximum weight capacity and the depth and width of the bottom raising platform.
Dolly Cart
Dolly carts are similar to hand trucks in that they can carry several heavy items at once with minimal effort. The main difference being that dolly carts use 4 wheels over a hand truck that uses two wheels. These extra two wheels and a flat loading platform provide many benefits, namely:
- The load is perfectly balanced at all times on a flat platform
- Hand dollies are capable of carrying a greater maximum load amount than hand trucks
- The user of the hand dolly does not have to actively balance the load as the flat platform ensures stability
- Bigger loading platform allows you to carry more goods than hand trucks
The downside to dolly carts over hand trucks is that you need to physically lift them from the floor and raise them onto the platform. Hand trucks are capable of lifting loads directly from the ground level. Dolly carts using four wheels means that climbing stairs is impossible. However they are perfect for carrying many large heavy items where there is no requirement to climb staircases.
Heavy duty and Standard Packing Boxes
Standard
Packing boxes are essential for moving the majority of your daily household items from one place to another. Both convenient and protective, these boxes allow you to save space in the home and for storage by keeping them in a package that can be stacked, saving on floor space.
Simple and cost effective, many packing boxes can be had for bargain prices when bough using bundle package deals. Available in several sizes; small, medium, large, and extra large, each of your household items can be accommodated for regardless of size.
| Moving Box Size | U-Haul Dimensions (L x W x H) | U-Haul Volume | Home Depot Dimensions (L x W x H) | Home Depot Volume | Lowes Dimensions (L x W x H) | Lowes Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 16-3/8" x 12-5/8" x 12-5/8" | 1.5 cu/ft | 17" x 11" x 11" | 1.19 cu ft | 16" x 12 " x 12" | 1.33 cu ft |
| Medium | 18 1/8" x 18" x 16" | 3 cu/ft | 21" x 15" x 16" | 3.05 cu ft | 18" x 16" x 18" | 3.0 cu/ft |
| Large | 18" x 18" x 24" | 4.5 cu/ft | 27" x 15" x 16" | 4.13 cu ft | 24" x 18" x 18" | 4.5 cu/ft |
| Extra Large | 24" x 18" x 24" | 6 cu/ft | 24" x 20" x 21" | 5.83 cu ft | 22" x 21.5" x 22" | 6 cu/ft |
Heavy Duty
For your heavier household items that exceed the maximum weight capacity of a standard packing box, heavy duty boxes can be used. These ensure that the box used will be able to retain its structure, not collapsing due to excess loading weights.
Heavy duty boxes either have thicker corrugated Kraft walls, numerous layers of corrugated Kraft walls, or a combination of both. The more numerous and thicker the walls, the more weight the box will be able to handle safely without deforming.
| ECT Rating | Maximum Weight Capacity | Number of Corrugated Walls |
|---|---|---|
| ECT-32 | 65lbs | Single |
| ECT-44 | 95lbs | Single |
| ECT-48 | 100lbs | Double |
| ECT-51 | 120lbs | Double |
| ECT-90 | 280lbs | Triple |
| ECT-155 | 300lbs | Triple |
Packing boxes when secured properly, allow you to store items away in a storage unit for a long time fully protected. Their cubed shape gives massive space saving opportunities and allows for sorting of items into categories so they be easily found later.
Main benefits of packing boxes include:
- Stores flat to save on space when not in use
- Lightweight packaging solution
- Low cost packaging solution
- Keeps your items protected behind heavy duty walls, away from potential exterior damage while being transported
Every successful house move needs a set of high quality, sturdy, and strong packing boxes to simplify the moving process.
Packing Materials Protective and Void Fill
Packing materials are useful when we want to provide extra protection to our loaded items inside packing boxes. They provide cushioning to the packed items, stopping them from being damaged inside the box. Achieved by restricting the movement of items inside the box. Minimal movement is key to stopping items being damaged internally by other packed items of the interior sidewalls of the box. Void fill is lightweight, adding almost no additional weight to boxes.
These packing materials that provide cushioning include:
- Paper void fill
- Packing peanuts
- Air filled pillows
In addition to the void fill used to restrict movement, we need to use protective wrapping materials to protect items. These wrapping materials include bubble wrapping and foam to protect corners of items. Items such as TVs, picture frames, artwork are rectangular flat shaped items where using protective packing materials is a must.
Wrapping items in plastic adds good water proofing and protects items from scuffs and light scratches.
Tape for Packing Boxes
A strong tape for packing boxes is essential to securing your items inside the boxes for long distance moves. Tape needs to be strong enough to secure the underside of boxes while they are loaded at their maximum weight. This can be upwards of 100lbs for heavy duty double walled boxes. Tape also needs to be applied when wrapping items in plastic covering, especially when moving large items such as heavy pieces of furniture. An example of this is by taping plastic wrapping or foam around the legs of a table to stop them from damaging other items in the vicinity. A wider tape is best suited as it provides the best inherent holding strength due to its added width.
Clear scotch tape is easiest to work with and provides adequate holding strength in most cases. Where the maximum weights are far greater in the instances where boxes are fully loaded with heavier items, a strong duct tape is the most ideal type.
Knife for General Use
With the need for taping requires a way to cut tape to length. A good pocket knife is the quickest and easiest way to size tape to the appropriate length for constructing packing boxes or applying to hold furniture covers in place. Knives are also great to breakdown boxes to later be recycled if you need to make them even smaller after packing them flat.
Other useful purposes include cutting zip ties if they have been used for holding several items together for packing purposes and tearing through plastic covers.
Gloves for Hand Protection
Gloves provide several benefits when moving that make them well worth their low cost. A good pairs helps keep your hands away from harm when moving or handling several objects during the moving process. You hands can easily be scraped, cut, or crushed by several hazards while moving. A thin barrier is created that can prevent these type of injures in most cases.
Grip is also improved greatly when the correct type of work gloves are used. Boxes and furniture can prove slippery in many cases when being handled by a bare hand. Gloves provide that additional friction when moving these items that give you the confidence and peace of mind that items. You’ll gain confidence that items won’t slip out of your hands at the worst of times.
Permanent Marker
Permanent markers should be used to clearly label boxes that are sorted by categories. This is important for being able to unpack and put away items when they reach their destination.
We recommend using a thick black marker that will give the best visibility on the backdrop of a brown Kraft box. There are several packing boxes that have a dedicated space for shipping instructions to write and label boxes in this area. We recommend writing any text onto the side wall of boxes. It makes for easily readable from all angles even if there are other boxes stacked on top of it.
Wardrobe boxes
What supplies do i need for moving my clothes? Wardrobe boxes are the easiest ways to move clothes from your closet to their final destination with minimal effort.
Traditional way to pack clothes is using plastic clear zip bags that you would fold and squeeze your clothing items into. Unfortunately for long moves, this can damage the quality of the clothes and also allow strange odours to develop.
Wardrobe boxes allow you to move items straight out of your closet still on the hanger and onto a wardrobe box with a rail. Clothes will not suffer from heavy creasing due to folding and will not pick up foul odours by being stuffed into a non-ventilated bag or box.
Wardrobe boxes are spacious, light and airy. The 2 foot long bar provides plenty of space to hang your best clothes. There are several sizes to chose from. The extra large wardrobe boxes providing the greatest height dimensions that give you the opportunity to hang longer clothes such as dresses, jumpsuits and long coats.
Researching the qualities that make a high quality wardrobe box allows you to pick the best box for your needs.
TV Boxes
TVs are one of the most delicate items in your home that could potentially be damaged during a move. Using no protection for TV sets means there is a greater chance for damage occurring due to the following reasons:
- TV sets being dropped while being carried
- TV sets scraping or hitting furniture or walls while being transported
- Screen becoming damaged by your other moving items coming in close contact with it
What supplies do i need for moving my TV? Using a TV box is a great way to safely transport your wide screen TV to its destination. It allows you to create a shield between your TV and the other items your moving. This allows your TV to be moved in closer proximity with your other items without risk of being damaged.
TV boxes give greater leverage to be able to handle the TV. Cut out handles allow you to lift the box with greater stability.
The stiff and thick Kraft corrugated walls of a TV moving box protect the TV from being crushed by other items loaded on top of the box. In addition it protects against piercing forces and from damaged by other items knocking against it.
They’ll usually be supplied with foam corner cushioning for added protection.
Side Loading Boxes
For packing paintings, artwork, pictures, mirrors and other types of frame interior decoration, side loading boxes are ideal and the most protective type of box. You can fit several of these types of items in just a few side loading boxes. These boxes use full overlap flaps to provide great protection to the items inside. It’s useful to add additional protections such as plastic bubble wrap, air pillow cushioning, or paper void fill to keep the items inside in great condition. Again, by increasing the level of ECT rated box used, either thicker walls or additional layers of walls, we provide even greater protection to our loaded household items.
Glassware Divider Boxes
Glassware boxes use sectioned off areas inside a pacing box that allows glasses to be held firmly in place of the interior of a packing box. This is one of the easiest ways to move glassware safely as no additional padding needs to be used for these type of boxes. The advantage over using them over regular packing boxes is that the glasses movement is better restricted and are completely isolated from one another. This greatly reduces the chances of the glasses shattering by impact against the other items packed within the box.
Conclusion – What Supplies Do I Need For Moving?
Heavy duty and regular packing boxes are essential to carrying most of your household items to their destination. Both more convenient and protective they are light weight, reliable, and fold flat for space saving purposes.
Your TV boxes and side loading boxes allow for TVs and flat wide items such as mirrors, paintings and art work to be transported safely to their destination. Minimizing the risk of damage by other packed items externally in the environment.
Packing materials and void fill ensure these delicate and fragile items packed are given extra protection. The cushioning and prevents scuffs, scratches and blemishes to your items.
Packing clothes can be made way easier with wardrobe boxes, allowing you to move clothes straight from your closet into these boxes still hung by their hanger. Avoids the need to waste time removing hangers, folding clothes in the box, then unfolding again at the destination, having to recondition the clothes before hanging them up again in their new closet area.
Specialized glassware boxes help prevent shattering of these items, which could be potentially dangerous and annoying to have to clean up later.
Hand trucks and dolly carts help you move far more items that you otherwise would be able to by hand carrying. Their a safer method of transportation that minimizes your efforts and protect you from injury.
Other useful items include a knife for general use, tape for constructing boxes, and gloves to assist moving heavy loads while protecting your hands from harm. A thick permanent marker should be used to properly label and sort boxes into categories so items can be found easily later on.
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