Home Swimming Pools: A Care and Maintenance Guide

Moving? 2 Packing Tips That Can Keep Your Stuff Safer

19 January 2015

Ruben Franklin

After finding the perfect house, you might start thinking about where you will put your furniture and hang your family photos. Unfortunately, if you are like most people, some of your favorite objects might be damaged during the transition. As your family members and friends help you to load up those moving trucks, things can get dropped, scratched, or shattered. Here are two packing tips that might help you and your residential moving van lines keep your stuff safer, so you can enjoy your belongings for many years to come:

1: Check Those Box Ratings

Have you ever wondered why some cardboard boxes can hold just about anything, while others burst open under the weight of a few bathroom towels? If you are looking for a way to avoid surprise damage, you should become familiar with cardboard box strength ratings. Believe it or not, cardboard box manufacturers use these scientific tests to determine how much weight a box can carry:

• Burst Strength Test: Manufacturers use the burst strength test to tell how much weight can be placed along any given side of the box without being damaged. The burst strength test, also called the Mullens Test, measures the amount of pressure per square inch the box can handle. For example, if a box has a burst strength rating of 200 pounds, any given side of the box can handle 200 pounds of internal or external force without rupturing.
• Edge Crush Test: If you are planning on stacking boxes in the back of a moving truck or storage unit, you will want to pay attention to the edge crush test, or ECT rating. This test measures how much weight each side of the box can handle, so that you can determine how much you can stack on top of it. Like the burst strength test, the edge crush test is also measured in pounds per square inch. For example, if a box has an ECT of 50, you can stack up to 50 pounds on top of that box without worrying about crushing the contents.

To make things easier for you, manufacturers actually stamp these ratings right onto the side of the box. As you shop for packing supplies, look for a small square or circular stamp along the bottom of cardboard box flaps. This stamp should show you how that box compares with other versions, so you can find boxes that will stay strong under pressure.  

2: Wrap Furniture With Plastic Shrink-Wrap

If you have ever worked in retail, then you are probably familiar with the plastic shrink-wrap that businesses use to protect pallets. However, if you decide to purchase just one specialty packing supply, it should be plastic shrink-wrap. This incredible stretchy wrap sticks to itself, so you won't have to worry about tape ripping off paint or damaging your things. Here are a few other incredible benefits that plastic shrink wrap offers:

• Protection From Scratches: Nothing is worse than watching in horror as your antique desk is scratched as it is pushed through your entryway. However, you can use plastic shrink-wrap to encase entire pieces of furniture to protect them from damage.   
• Keeps Dirt Away: During a long move across the country, dust and dirt can settle on your belongings. Although some things can be wiped clean, upholstered sofas or throw pillows can practically soak in filth that can be hard to wash away later. Fortunately, you can use plastic shrink-wrap as a barrier between your furniture and the elements.
• Holds Things In Place: Have you ever tried to move a piece of furniture with cabinet doors and drawers that keep falling open? To keep everything in place, wrap your item in plastic shrink-wrap. You can add several layers to increase the holding strength so that furniture is easier to move.

Taking the time to pack smarter might help you to mitigate damage, so that you can focus decorating your home instead of replacing your stuff. 

Share

Search