Packing Tips From Professional Movers

After two generations of loading trucks, we can tell within about ten seconds which boxes were packed well and which ones were thrown together the night before. The good news is that packing well is not a talent, it is a handful of small habits anyone can copy. Do these consistently and your things ride the truck the way we would want our own to, snug, protected, and easy to carry up a Bay Area staircase.

Heavy things in small boxes, light things in big ones

This is the rule people break the most, and it causes more broken boxes and sore backs than anything else. Books, tools, canned goods, and dishes go in small boxes. Pillows, bedding, lampshades, and clothes go in large ones. A big box filled with books becomes a two-person hazard that splits its own bottom; the same box filled with linens is easy to carry all day. If you can barely lift a box, it is too heavy, repack it.

Fill every box to the top, then no higher

A box needs to be full and firm so it holds its shape when boxes get stacked on top of it in the truck. A half-empty box collapses under weight; an overstuffed box that will not close flat becomes unstable in a stack. Fill to the top edge, use crushed packing paper or soft goods to eliminate empty pockets, and make sure the flaps close flush before you tape.

Wrap fragile items individually, and stand plates on edge

Dishes survive the drive when each one is wrapped on its own and the plates are stacked on their edges, standing up like records in a crate, not lying flat. Plates on edge distribute pressure and are far less likely to crack than a flat stack. Wrap glasses and stemware in plenty of paper, fill the hollow of each glass, and use a divided box for anything you truly care about. Label these boxes clearly.

Label like your unpacking depends on it, because it does

The move is only half the job; the unpack is the other half, and a good label turns a mountain of identical boxes into an organized delivery. Write the destination room and a short note on the top and at least one side of every box, so it is readable no matter how the box is stacked. When boxes land in the right rooms, you unpack at your own pace instead of hunting for the coffee maker at midnight.

Handle the awkward stuff the pro way

When it makes sense to hand off the boxes

Packing well takes time, and time is exactly what most people are short on before a move. If your evenings are already full, or you have a kitchen full of stemware, artwork, or electronics you would rather not risk, our professional packing service brings the materials and the know-how to your door. We pack fragile and high-value items the way we would pack our own, and we can do a full-home pack or just the tricky rooms while you handle the simple boxes yourself.

We packed the easy stuff and had the team do the kitchen and the office. Every glass survived, every box was labeled, and unpacking was actually painless for once.