A successful move relies on well-packed items. Whether you’re a professional mover or a do-it-yourselfer, a quality pack job starts with quality cartons. (mover don’t call them boxes …we say cartons) We use moving boxes and we recommend that our customers who are packing themselves also use these same boxes. Keep in mind that although these cartons and wrapping materials are more expensive than liquor store cartons, they are well worth the investment if all of your items arrive unharmed. These professional cartons come in two varieties, utility cartons and specialty cartons. The specialty cartons for dishes, hanging clothing, and artwork are all 66% thicker and stronger than standard utility cartons.
Most moving cartons are 18” -20” wide. They are designed to fit exactly 5 across the truck with no wasted space and to fit on top of dressers which are also designed to be 18-20” deep. These professional style cartons can now be purchased at Lowes, Home Depot, or U-Haul at very competitive pieces.
Movers use plain unprinted white newsprint as their main wrapping product. This paper comes in 25 lb. bundles with 400 to 600 sheets per bundle. The thinner the sheets are, the more versatile they are. Bundles with 400 sheets will be more like children’s construction paper while the 600 sheet bundles will be closer in thickness to tissue paper. The best option to find bundles of white news locally is at U-Haul stores.
Professional movers also need large multilayered Kraft paper sheets that are 6 feet by 4 feet. These sheets are for artwork, lamps, and larger fragile items that are too big for traditional newsprint. These can be purchased at U-Haul or at online distributors like U-Line Supply.
We recommend 2” wide polypropylene moving tape. This is available in many stores and online. Good quality tape is approximately $2.00 a roll…look carefully at the length. A good rule of thumb for tape usage is 1.5 rolls per room. A solid choice for moving tape that is available at Wal-Mart is a four-pack of 2” by 100 yard Duck tape, but almost any packaging tape (other than masking tape) will work okay.
If all of this packing material talk is getting you discouraged, remember that Arpin of RI offers a hybrid packing service. With this service, the customer can pack many of the easier items that only require a carton and tape like clothing, bedding, etc. Arpin of RI crews will then pack the fragile, delicate items with their specialized packing boxes and materials. This saves the customer time and money and the customer still retains all of the liability protections afforded by having the professionals pack up the difficult items.
