Packing Tips for Your Portable Storage Container: Part 1

We know moving can be a real hassle—you probably have a lot of questions, like what’s the best way to pack your fragile china? Is there a better way to organize boxes? How can you make moving into your new place less complicated? SMARTBOX can help you not only take the stress out of packing and moving, but can also help make fitting everything together in your boxes and storage containers easier, too!  Our packing tips will help you pack more efficiently, utilize your supplies, and keep everything safe during transit.

Check out part one of our packing tips below!

Expert Packing Tips from SMARTBOX

Supplies, supplies, supplies – You’re probably going to need more boxes and moving supplies than you realize. Make sure you have more than enough tape, boxes, and protective padding like bubble wrap or newspaper for your move. If you need any moving supplies, just let us know and we can get you what you need!

Secure your boxes – Before you load anything into your boxes, run a strip of packing tape along the bottom seam of the box and then another strip perpendicular to it. That’s going to add a significant amount of stability to your boxes. It’s a good idea to pad the bottom of your boxes with wadded up newspaper, too. It’ll help keep things safe when the boxes are being picked up and set down.

Utilize towels and sheets – You want everything in your boxes to be packed in tightly—there should be no chance of things slipping and sliding around. You can use your towels and old sheets as additional padding for your items. It’s a great idea to use towels to pad boxes filled with bathroom items and sheets for things from the bedroom—this way everything stays together and is protected!

Keep things together – This is one of the most important packing tips when it comes to making your move easier. Be sure you pack similar items in the same box—don’t mix kitchen utensils with office supplies or living room knickknacks with bedroom belongings—it will make unpacking everything at your new place that much more confusing.

Don’t lose track of small items – There are a lot of things in your home that have small parts that need to stay together, from picture frame hangers to furniture casters and everything in between. Go ahead and remove these pieces before you move and store them in plastic baggies. You can either label them and store them all together in one place or tape each baggie to the item it belongs with so you can ensure you don’t lose anything along the way.

Small things in big boxes, big things in small boxes – This is a great general rule of thumb for packing because you never want to have one of your large heavy items falling through the middle of your big boxes. One important exception to the rule is books because, although they’re small, they get heavy—always pack your books in small boxes!

Stronger things on the bottom – As far as packing tips, this may seem like it should go without saying, but it’s important that you remember the items situated at the bottom of your boxes are going to take more of a beating than the things at the top, so make sure you pack stronger, studier items on the bottom and leave fragile, light items at the top.

Use your drawers – Save yourself a couple boxes by leaving non-breakable items, like clothing or linens, in your dresser drawers when you’re moving. Make sure to use masking tape—which is gentler on your furniture—to close off the drawers and keep them from sliding out during transit.

Keeping these packing tips in mind is going to greatly simplify your move, but with SMARTBOX portable storage, you can make it even easier. We’ll give you all the time you need to pack and organize your belongings into our storage containers, and then when you’re ready, we will deliver them to your new home! It couldn’t get any easier than that. When you’re ready for your move in Maryland, Northern Virginia, or Washington, DC, contact SMARTBOX!

Part 2 of our packing tips will be coming soon!