Moving Tips - Beyond the Cardboard Box: Your Guide to Quality Packing Supplies

MoveCo Moves often sees the results of poor packing, which leads to delays, damage, and stress. Using high-quality, appropriate supplies ensures that your items are not only secure but also easier and safer for the moving crew to handle.

The True Cost of Cheap Boxes

• Structural Failure: Weak, used grocery store boxes can buckle under weight or split when stacked, leading to damage.
• Mover Safety Risk: A poorly taped box is a hazard. If the bottom gives out while being carried, it can cause injury and damage.
• Inefficiency: Poorly sized or packed boxes waste truck space and increase handling time, sometimes putting items at risk.

Key Supplies You Cannot Skip

1. The Right Boxes

You need more than one size. Using the right box for the right item maximizes protection and efficiency.

• Small Boxes (1.5 Cubic Feet): Ideal for heavy, dense items like books, canned goods, tools, and small electronics.
• Medium Boxes (2.0 Cubic Feet): The most versatile size for kitchen items, linens, toys, and small appliances.
• Large Boxes (3.0–4.0 Cubic Feet): For light, bulky items. Avoid packing heavy items. Tip: layer with blankets and fill gaps with soft items.
• Specialty Boxes:
  • Wardrobe Boxes: Move clothes on hangers—fast and wrinkle-free.

2. Protection & Padding

• Packing Paper / Newsprint: Wrap items and fill voids. Avoid newspaper for stain-sensitive items.
• Bubble Wrap: Use small bubbles for cushioning, large bubbles for void fill.
• Stretch Wrap (Plastic Film): Secure drawers, bundle long items, and protect furniture from dirt and snags.

3. Securing & Labeling

• Professional-Grade Packing Tape: Use wide, high-quality tape. Duct tape is not suitable and can leave residue.
• Packing Method: One strip across flaps, plus three strips along the seam (end-to-end and up the sides).
• Permanent Markers: Label the side of boxes for visibility when stacked.
• Labels/Stickers: Use a color-coding system for room identification.

Your Quality Packing Supplies Checklist

Must-Haves

• Small Boxes (1.5 cu. ft.)
• Medium Boxes (3.0 cu. ft.)
• Large Boxes (4.5 cu. ft.)
• Specialty Dish Packs (for china/glassware)
• Heavy-Duty Packing Tape (minimum 2-inch width)
• Tape Dispensers
• Permanent Markers (multiple colours)
• Packing Paper / Clean Newsprint
• Bubble Wrap (small and large)

Essential Extras

• Wardrobe Boxes
• Mattress Bags
• Plastic Stretch Wrap
• Scissors and Utility Knife
• Furniture Pads / Blankets
• Clear Ziplock Bags (for hardware and cables)
• Color-Coded Stickers or Labels

Pro Tip from MoveCo Moves: Don’t under-tape. Apply two to three strips across the main seam and another strip along the edges perpendicular to it (forming an “H”). This ensures the box holds up during stacking and transport.