As you prepare for your move, you might look around your living room and think “How am I going to pack all of this?”. Don’t worry! Packing can actually be a positive experience. Here are a few tips on how to pack your living room into plastic moving boxes that can help you have a productive and enjoyable packing process.
General tips for packing plastic moving boxes
Packing is a big part of preparing for a move. Regardless of which room you’re working in, here are a few best practices to pack your plastic moving boxes:
- Set up a packing station so you can easily wrap your breakables and place each item into a plastic moving box.
- Don’t try to fit everything into one box. Instead, keep a few boxes open at a time so you can find the best niche for each item.
- Occasionally lift each plastic moving bin to make sure it’s not too heavy. The goal is to fill each box about 50% to 75% with your belongings. Place protective materials like packing paper or towels in the rest of the open space.
- Don’t forget to label! Place a label on at least one side of each plastic moving box identifying the room and contents. For example: “Living Room – Family Pictures – Fragile!”.
- Never drag a plastic moving box across your floor. Even empty bins can scratch your flooring.
1. Organize your books
One of the biggest challenges in packing a home is making sure that each plastic moving box is well packed but still easy to carry. Since books are particularly heavy items, the weight can really add up quickly—so you’ll need to pack your books carefully.
Just because all of your books might fit inside one plastic moving bin doesn’t mean they should all be packed together. Yes, your plastic moving boxes are stronger than cardboard and can support more weight. However, when they’re filled to the brim with books, these totes can weigh in excess of 150 pounds. Boxes this heavy create a safety hazard, even for the best professional movers.
2. Use the right packing supplies
If you’ve rented plastic moving boxes, you’re already off to a great start on packing supplies. Grab some packing paper and wrap up your delicate décor and side table picture frames before gently placing them inside your plastic tote.
However, there are a few items that just won’t fit into a plastic moving bin. Your TV, for example! If you didn’t keep the bulky box that your TV came in, don’t worry. Most moving companies have TV boxes in a variety of sizes to accommodate your screen size.
Similarly, there’s a good chance that your hanging art and decorative mirrors are too big to fit inside a plastic moving tote. Never fear! Your local mover can provide you with art and mirror boxes. You can even adjust the size to fit each frame or mirror!
3. Donate or sell items you no longer want
Keep in mind that just because something is in your current home doesn’t mean it needs to go to your new home. As you pack up your living room, make a pile of books, décor, and other items that you no longer want or need.
However, don’t just throw that stuff in the trash! Your plastic moving boxes are a great way to have an ecofriendly move, so stay on the right track. Instead of adding to a landfill, consider donating your items to a local charity. You can also organize a garage sale or a yard sale to earn a little cash before you move!
Pack your living room like a pro with Box Beaters
Instead of diving into your living room packing project thinking it’ll be a painful chore, think of how good you’ll feel when it’s done—and when you’ve downsized and decluttered! When you rent plastic moving bins, you set yourself up for a successful pack. And that’s in addition to saving money and helping the environment!
Visit our website to place your order today. And if you want to hire a professional team of packers to get the job done for you, give our friends at Move-tastic! a call!