As most people know, packing is a time-consuming and monotonous process. No one really enjoys the process of moving, most just want to be in their new location. However, having the right equipment and materials can make the process a lot less of a pain. One of the most important materials for making your life easier is the right types of boxes.
Boxes come in all different shapes and sizes but each type has a specific purpose for specific types of items. The right box can help increase efficiency, save time and money, make the process easier, and reduce the chance of damaged items.
Let’s look at the most common box types and how to use them.
Large Moving Boxes (4.5 - 6.0 cubic feet)
Large boxes are typically used for and recommended for the lightest and bulkiest items you have. These items include but are not limited to:
- Comforters, pillows and sleeping bags
- Baskets and flower arrangements
- Patio furniture cushions
- Stuffed animals
- Large winter coats
These types of boxes are hard to find for free since they are heavy duty and well, large. However, you can find them at moving supply stores such as The Moving Guys.
Medium Boxes (3.0 cubic feet)
Medium boxes are typically best for relatively light and bulky items that are not fragile. These items include but are not limited to:
- Toys
- Baskets
- Tupperware
- Towels and toiletries
- Shoes, clothes and sheets
- Sporting good (balls, rackets, etc)
Medium boxes are the typically the most inexpensive and versatile which makes them the most popular type of box for minimal packing jobs. These typically make up about half of the boxes used in a move.
Book (Small) Boxes (1.5 cubic feet)
Smaller boxes are best for the more dense and heavy items such as boxes, tools, canned goods where if they were packed in larger boxes would make them unreasonably heavy. These box types are also good for:
- Kitchen utensils and silverware
- Arts and crafts supplies
- Record collections
- Documents
Wardrobe Boxes for Hanging Clothes
These are quite possibly the super heroes of boxes. They make moving your clothes a whole lot easier than any other way imaginable.
Most homes and apartments now a days have decently large walk-in closets packed with suits, shirts, coats, dresses and more. Wardrobe boxes allow you to keep all of your clothing items on their hangers during the move, eliminating the tedious process of taking clothes off their hangers and then putting them back on.
However, these boxes are not bullet proof so we suggest once your clothes are in the wardrobe box you secure the hangers to the bar with twine or zip ties. This will ensure that your clothes won’t fall off the bar during the move.
Dish Boxes
As the name implies, these boxes are used for kitchenware such as plates, saucers, coffee cups, etc. These boxes are also best for breakables such as:
- Vases
- Table lamps
- Electronics
- Small appliances
- Other fragile items
Dish boxes are made from thicker cardboard which offers more protection. But with the increased protection comes an increase in price, but for the safety of your items they are well worth it.
When packing dish boxes we suggest that you lay a thick base of crumpled packing paper or a folded towel and then lay your items on their edges with a layer of paper between them.
Mattress Boxes and Bags
Determining whether you use a box or bag for your move depends on how, when, and how far you will be moving.
The basic rule of thumb is:
- Boxes offer the best protection but cost more
- Bags offer limited protection but are far less expensive
If you are moving out of state and are using professional movers such as The Moving Guys, they should box your mattresses and boxsprings if you have them. When moving locally it is best to use bags or nothing at all.
The best thing to remember when moving your mattress is that trucks or U-Hauls are full of dust and grim even if you can’t see it and these can permanently soil your clean mattress if left uncovered.
Picture Boxes & Mirror Cartons
Whatever pictures you have are surely valuable in some sort of way, so the last thing you would want is to have them break during the move. Additionally, no one wants 7 years bad luck if a mirror breaks.
Luckily, protecting your pictures, mirrors, glass table tops, etc. safe is not difficult.
Picture boxes/Mirror boxes come in two option: one or multiple pieces. The multi-piece option is the more expensive of the two but offers the ability to expand or contract to match the exact dimensions of your items.
Thinner items can be packed together in a single box but you must ensure that you wrap each item individually with paper, towels, sheets or whatever you deem suitable. You do not want to overpack the box but you also want to eliminate as much empty space as possible.
More delicate items might require their own box with softer materials like bubble wrap filling in the empty space.
Lastly, when placing picture boxes into the truck, make sure they are laid on their edge up against a wall; never lay them flat.
Television Boxes
Your best option for safely moving your TV is to use the original box it came in, since it was made specifically for you model. We recommend always saving the box your TV came in.
However, most people don’t have the space to store their old TV box just in case they are moving in the future. Don’t worry though! You are in luck since you can buy quality TV boxes that will fit any TV you have from The Moving Guys.
Need moving boxes? The Moving Guys is your go-to!
