Moving Supplies Checklist

Moving supplies will make your upcoming move easy.

It’s easy to take weeks planning to relocate to your new home. It’s also easy to feel overwhelmed with the planning process and forget to get the essential gears like the box, tape, bubble wrap, and many more to help you through the process.

The good news, our moving supplies checklist will help relieve your workload and keep you informed throughout the whole process. Keep reading to learn more.

1. What may be needed for packaging

A packing supplies checklist is be the most essential material in your relocation plan, especially when you start packing. The materials you need for wrapping your stuff will differ from those you use when loading your belongings in the truck. If you’re considering hiring professional movers, some may offer some of these supplies for free, while others will demand full payment.

To avoid extra cost or any surprises, it’s best to get packing supplies yourself. Some new apartment supplies list you’ll need are:

• Boxes: it acts as protection for your stuff. However, you won’t just need one box as they serve different purposes. Hence, their sizes will vary. Make sure to get small, medium, large and extra-large sized boxes to fit in both small and large equipment.
• Tape: packing tape helps you secure your items after wrapping them in the boxes. You can also use it to label boxes or hold loose items together. The tapes you’ll require include: painters’, shipping, duct, and masking tape.
• Scissors: this equipment helps you cut tapes, reopen a box or cut every other item when packing.
• Box cutters: while you may have scissors at hand, box cutters are better at cutting through boxes and other thick plastic ties.
• Paper and pen: though a traditional method of documentation, it will still come in handy to make an inventory list of your belongings as you pack.
• Trash bags: well, it wouldn’t just be trash you throughout when packing. You may need trash bags to fill clothing pieces that wouldn’t fit your boxes.
• Sticker labels: if you don’t plan on using masking tape to label the box, stickers will come in handy.
• Permanent markers: You might find it difficult to figure out where things are. These markers will help you label boxes, and while you can use a pen and pencils, permanent markers last longer and won’t wear off easily.
• Colored stickers or markers: while this packing material isn’t at all necessary, it helps you keep a well-organized plan. They allow you easily figure out where each item goes through colors. For instance, you could use blue colored stickers for the bedroom and pink stickers for the bathroom.
• Packing paper and bubble wrap: this equipment helps you add a shielding layer or cushioning in every box to avoid damage to your delicate and rare household wares.  

2. What you may need to move

Apart from your packing supplies, you’ll also need some other essential supplies when it comes to the actual move. However, you need to figure out necessary gears that will help in the van. Some necessary move in supplies checklist include:

• Furniture Blankets: this helps you cover upholstered wooden pieces to protect them from scratch and every other damage that may occur when exposed to the elements.
• Stretch Wrap: it acts as a tension grip to help you secure large gadgets.
• Blankets serve diverse purposes but mostly cover wooden pieces and other delicate gears to protect them and move heavy objects on the floor.
• Shrink Wrap: like furniture blankets, stretch wraps help you protect your upholstered furniture, but that’s not all they do. They also protect your metal and wood home appliances while ensuring that they don’t damage the walls of your house.
• Mattress Bag: this is an inexpensive gear that helps you keep your mattress clean when relocating.
• Ratchet Ropes or Straps: they help you secure your possessions in the van and hold large gadgets in place to prevent them from toppling in the truck due to speed bumps, bad roads, or sudden halts.

3.What may be needed for lifting and carrying heavy loads

Sometimes, it may be hard to lift heavy gadgets. You may even require help from a crating company (here you can find out more) to lift your load into the van. The good news is there is some lifting equipment to transport heavy gears into the moving van. They include:

• Hand truck: slides under heavy equipment to lift them
• Dolly: An item that carries any large piece to and fro a place. They could be two-wheel dollies or four-wheels.
• Furniture sliders: plastic pieces that stick on the edge of large wooden pieces to prevent scratches on the floor.
• Furniture lifter: the act as a hand truck to help you roll or lift your large gadgets.

4. How to choose the right packing materials for your move?

Not every packing material will work for the move. For this reason, it’s best to;

• Make a list of everything you will need to do before the chosen date.
• Create a supply list to avoid revisiting the local hardware store.
• Purchase quality boxes that can withstand the weight of heavy items.

5. Packing Tips

Apart from your packing checklist, you also need to know how to pack each item in its compartment before D-day. Some packing tips to keep in mind include:

• Planning and maintaining lists: to keep track of every item you’re moving with, make sure to number or label boxes from different rooms in an organized form; then male an inventory list of each item. This way, you know what’s missing and the contents of each box.
• Stacking boxes at the exit: learn to arrange each packed box close to the door as it will help make taking out the boxes easy.
• Creating boxes of the right size: if you find that the boxes you have won’t fit the item you intend to pack, try making one yourself by cutting and assembling the pieces to customize a box that would suit your need.
• Photographing equipment electrical connectors: before you disconnect every electronic function or equipment in your house, it’s always best to photograph them. This way, you know how to reconnect them when you get to your new home.

Conclusion

Relocating is difficult, but planning for a movie without the essential supplies to help you through each stage makes the job more tasking. Before you wrap your possessions, make sure to visit a local hardware store to buy materials for packing, and heavy lifting.