How to Pack a Moving Container
Packing your home to move can take a little organizational skill. Some of us have those skills while others don’t. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, take heart. It’s not an activity that you practice for in advance. Moving containers, aka pods, have become a popular, cost-efficient method to make moving your household easier.
Packing Essentials
Every job needs the right tools to make it easier and more efficient. Packing is no different. Prior to beginning the project, gather these tools and materials together:
- Furniture pads
- Paper pads
- Stretch wrap
- Loading straps
- Furniture skis or skids
- A dolly
These tools and materials will help protect your personal items and keep them free from damage. The dolly is essential for moving heavy or difficult pieces of furniture or appliances.
Tips for Loading a POD or Moving Container
The heaviest, bulkiest items should be loaded first into the storage container. This includes the sofas, loveseats, and large appliances like the refrigerator, washer, and dryer. This will improve your packing efficiency. It also adds stability and reduces the risk of items sliding around during transport.
Pack the heaviest boxes at the bottom and save the lighter, smaller boxes to stack on top. This will also maximize your space by packing from floor to ceiling. If you pack the boxes tightly, they will not shift during transit.
Plan out the weight distribution as well and try to distribute weight evenly throughout the container. This means from side to side and from end to end. If you place a heavy couch in the far right corner of the moving container, place something of similar weight, like an appliance, in the far left corner to balance the weight.
Inside the storage container, you will find many points where you can connect loading straps. Use these straps at each point to secure your household items inside the moving container, but be careful not to tighten the straps too tightly, or you might inadvertently damage your items.
If the storage container has a translucent, plastic roof and will be stored outside on the driveway for an extended amount of time, cover the items inside with cardboard or a tarp to protect them against exposure to sunlight.
Finally, take your time to help ensure a stress-free move with your precious treasures arriving in the exact same condition as they were packed. Use the right tools and materials, and you will have a much easier overall process.