If you’re looking to relocate, one of your primary concerns may be how to transport all your belongings safely. You could use your car or borrow one from a friend, but you may not want to make multiple trips, going back and forth between your old place and your new one.
Renting a moving truck is probably your best bet; it’s an efficient way to transport all your belongings in one go without having to waste time or gas. If you have the budget for it, you may even want to get professional help for your move. This way, you can further save time and effort with just one professional service.
If you would prefer to rent only the truck, that’s fine too. There are plenty of truck rental companies to choose from, so you can easily find one that fits your needs and falls within your budget. However, if you forego hiring movers to help you out, then you should prepare yourself for the challenge of packing the truck. Some people might assume it involves just loading everything inside, but it’s not quite that simple.
In addition to ensuring that everything is securely packed inside, with no room to shift around too much or bounce up and down, you may want to pack the truck strategically, taking into consideration how the unpacking will go.
This article discusses various tips that will ease your packing experience and cut down the time and effort you may have to spend on the move.
1 , Acquire The Necessary Supplies
Every move requires supplies that can help you secure and easily identify your items during transit. Some essential moving supplies that will prove beneficial include the following:
- Bubble wrap: It acts as a cushion and protective layer that helps keep your fragile items safe.
- Moving boxes: These come in different sizes, and you can even choose among different types depending on the kinds of items you want to pack. For instance, you can use corrugated cartons with dividers for packing tableware, such as glasses and plates.
- Plastic wraps: These adhesive materials can be used to condense soft items, such as pillows and stuffed toys. If they’re vacuum sealed, the items can be made much smaller than they really are, and this could provide you with even more space in your moving truck.
- Dolly: This is especially helpful if you have a lot of heavy boxes to transport. In using a dolly, you won’t have to worry about boxes getting dropped as they’re carried from place to place. Most moving companies have them in stock, so if you’d rather not buy one, you could probably rent one out.
- Moving straps: These are a good alternative if you can’t find a dolly to use. These straps can help you lift heavy objects without subjecting you to the usual wear and tear you’d get if you decided to carry something alone.
2, Make An Inventory
Once you’ve acquired everything you need, you can get to the packing process. To begin, make an inventory of all the items you intend to take with you. You can do this a few weeks before the move so that you have time to add things to the list that you may have forgotten.
Start from one end of your house and list down the items in that room that should be packed. When you’re done, move on to the next room and repeat. Do this for every room in your house and be as thorough as possible. If it helps, you can even make subcategories so that you know which items to pack together, such as cleaning supplies or bathroom items.
3, Pack Your Boxes And Items Securely
Since you have an inventory to guide you, packing your boxes will take less time and less effort than if you decided to wing it. In keeping with the trend of making future tasks more convenient, after each box you pack, you may want to label your boxes so you know what the contents are and which room they should go to when unloaded from the truck.
There are some items that you may not be able to pack in boxes, but you should secure them well nonetheless. Roll up your rugs and secure them with rope or plastic wrap to keep them from unraveling. With regard to your furniture, you could provide extra protection by using furniture pads, moving blankets, and a mattress bag that can protect it from dirt.
4, Determine The Size Of The Truck Needed
Choosing the right-sized rental truck is crucial if you’d like to save time and money. You may want to go with a small truck because it’s cheaper, but then you’d have to take several trips to transport everything, which may end up costing you more money.
You should perform thorough research and read up on each rental company’s offered trucks and their specifics. This is important, as you need to be aware of the truck’s capacity to see if all your things can fit inside. If you’re not sure how to estimate the size of the truck you need, you could inquire at the rental companies themselves, as they could provide you with more information. For instance, some rental companies recommend a truck size of 10 to 16 feet for a residence of one room, 12 to 22 feet for a two-room house, 16 to 22 feet for a three-room house, and 22 to 26 feet for a five-room house.
5, Disassemble The Furniture
Disassembling your furniture can help you maximize the truck space and distribute weight more evenly, so you may want to consider this in transporting some of your furniture pieces.
It goes without saying that you should disassemble the furniture that can be disassembled, but keep in mind also that not all of these have to be disassembled. For instance, a bed may require dismantling, particularly if it’s a bunk bed, but a dining table can be transported as is because there may be space for boxes to be stacked underneath it. In choosing which items to disassemble, you should also consider the strength of the piece and if it is sturdy enough to carry boxes or other items on top of it.
Before disassembling the furniture, you may want to check first if you have the manual for assembling it or if it’s available online. Not only will you need this once you unload the piece, but it could also help you dismantle the piece safely.
If the furniture piece has several small components or screws, you should make sure to store it in a plastic bag so as not to lose it. It would also be a good idea to label it to prevent confusing it with the components of other furniture pieces.
6, Load Large And Heavy Items First
When packing a moving truck, begin with the heaviest items first. These may include mattresses, chairs, refrigerators, dryers/washers, couches, or coffee tables. Large furniture items should be strapped down to the truck to keep them in place in case of bumpy roads or sharp turns. You could also strap them onto the walls to prevent them from moving and falling over fragile items.
Some furniture can be used as a base on which to stack boxes and other items, but you should take measures to ensure that these pieces won’t break under the weight of the boxes. Also, avoid placing items on furniture with thin legs, as they may not be able to handle the extra weight.
7, Load Lightest Items Last
After you load the first 60% of the cargo weight onto the front half of the truck, you can now start loading the remaining 40% onto the back. Items of light to medium weight can also be stacked on top of furniture that can withstand the weight. These items may include lightweight boxes and appliances.
You could also insert small non-fragile items into areas between the larger ones if you want to fully maximize the space. The more strategic the placement, the better. For example, if you have two mattresses set up together, you could store a wrapped mirror or painting between them.
Bottom Line
Packing all your items into a moving truck may be a huge challenge, particularly if you opted not to hire a moving service. Even though the task seems pretty straightforward, if you make a mistake, you run the risk of damaging your items or making unloading more difficult. With this in mind, it’s important to go about it smartly and efficiently, taking care not to pack recklessly.
As you can see from the tips above, there are ways you can pack your items so that you have an easier time handling them later. Some of these things are done even before the actual packing starts. So, if you’re going to be relocating soon and you’d like to ensure that your items get to your new home safely and conveniently, you may want to consider using the tips mentioned.
