Assured Self Storage has some helpful storage tips for packing a house into a moving van safely and securely.
If you’ve ever had to pack your household into a moving truck, you’re aware of how tedious, nerve-wracking, and, at times, heartbreaking (ever loaded half the truck only to find that it needs to be unpacked and reorganized?) the process can be. We’ve had a lot of experience with packing and unpacking moving trucks amongst all our Dallas TX storage locations and so we’ve compiled 6 tips that will make packing an entire house into a moving truck simpler and easier.
1. Protect Furniture & Appliances Using Blankets & Padding
This might be old news for seasoned movers, but protecting the items going into the moving truck is important and so this tip is worth repeating. Appliances, white, black or stainless steel, can scratch and dent easily. Wooden or painted furniture can also be easily damaged. Boxes and bins will be stacked on top of larger objects, and items can easily shift while traveling. Packing the truck carefully and keeping items secure can still result in damage to belongings if pads and packing supplies isn’t used. It would be disappointing to move into a new home with newly damaged furniture.
2. Label Boxes For Content & Caution
Packing methods for fitting an entire house into boxes can be a controversial subject. However most people agree that labeling those boxes is always a good idea. If you like to keep your items organized for a simpler unpacking process at the end of the move, then list the contents inside. If you’re not an organizer when packing but just throw whatever fits into a box, you can still keep up a semblance of organization by labeling the box by room. And be sure, regardless of your organizational process, to label the boxes that hold fragile or precious items inside with big, bold letters ‘CAUTION’ or ‘FRAGILE.’ This will go a long way to helping you figure out the order and safe placement of the boxes in the moving truck.
3. Don’t Underestimate the Moving Truck Size Your Home Needs
If you’ve ever estimated a moving truck size and then rented it, only to find after loading that it is just too small, then you understand the frustration that tempts you to just leave everything and set up a new life in Alaska. In order to avoid an emotional decision that lands you and the family in an igloo, use a moving truck size estimator to make SURE that you are renting the best truck for your home’s contents. Assured Self Storage has a handy storage unit size guide with dimensions and illustrations that can assist by providing a reference for how much room is needed.
4. Dismantling Furniture? Tape Hardware to Corresponding Part
Many appliances and furniture items can be stored more easily once they’ve been disassembled, but how to keep track of all the screws, nuts and washers? You can take pictures or write down detailed instructions, but often just taping the part securely near the space where it belongs is the simplest solution. Keeping hardware securely taped next to their corresponding holes is a great organizational method that makes reassembly easier as well. You probably won’t even need directions to put the bed or chair back together, as you’ll see right where everything goes. It also saves time on looking for the assembly directions and fishing through bags for the correct parts. When you arrive at the new home and start putting appliances or furniture back together, you won’t need to hunt through boxes or bins for directions and screws, just untape the hardware from the parts and you’ll see exactly where they belong.
5. Don’t Overthink Packing the Moving Truck
Don’t spend too much time looking at the boxes and furniture needing to be packed into the truck and picturing how you’re going to fit all of it inside. Overthinking the packing process will just make it even more overwhelming. Instead, follow a couple simple rules: load largest, heaviest items first in the back, fragile boxes and objects on top and pack the items you need accessible last, so they’ll be easy to reach as soon as the door rolls up. Once you know these basic rules, begin loading and arranging with a vengeance! As long as you’ve estimated correctly regarding the truck size you rented, then you should be able to fit everything in without too much trouble. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that there is a ‘perfect place’ for every item – just follow this simple order and everything will find an adequate spot.
6. Recruit Friends & Take Advantage of the Kids
Gather some friends together and offer to cover meals in trade for the use of their arms and vehicles over the weekend. You might not even need to rent a moving van if you’ve got willing friends with free time and pickup trucks. Get the kids involved by turning the packing process into a game, sort of like Tetris (though that might have been before their time). Children enjoy the fun and feel important helping parents figure out how to fit everything inside the truck. They also might enjoy forming a ‘bucket brigade’ and passing smaller items to whichever adult is organizing the inside of the moving van. Just make sure to assign children jobs that match their age and strength level, otherwise they might get frustrated.
Assured Self Storage Can Help You Move
If you need boxes, padding, labels, twine, anything at all for packing your home up and loading a moving truck, please let us know. Most of our self storage locations across northern Texas offer a comprehensive selection of packing supplies. We also offer a free moving truck rental with storage unit rental at several of our storage locations. If you need some extra space to keep excess furniture or seasonal items, we’d love to help you out with a self storage unit and moving truck. Feel free to contact us at any of our DFW self storage locations for more information.
