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Health & Fitness

Packing Your Moving Boxes the Right Way in 4 Easy Steps

A professional mover shares tips and resources for packing moving boxes, plus some fun and creative uses for leftover boxes.

Packing boxes, the most time-consuming, stressful, under-estimated yet important part of a move.  By some estimates, a three-bedroom house would require over 70 boxes. 

How you pack your boxes can be the foundation of a smooth move.  Follow these four steps every time you pack a box and it will cut your moving stress considerably: 

  1. Open it correctly – New boxes are equipped with a small cardboard tab that connects the upper flaps.  See the slideshow for a step-by-step guide to opening your moving box like a pro.  For used boxes, tape, string a bungee cord would do the trick to hold open the box.
  2. Fill it full – Since you have opened your box correctly, you know how far to fill it – and not overfill it.  It is just as important to not under-fill your moving box.  Boxes that are less that snugly full can have contents shift around or tops collapse causing items to get damaged.  Even if you have no more items to safely add to the box, fill it to the top with “crush paper” like crumbled up newsprint.
  3. Seal it right – Sealing your moving boxes makes it possible to stack them safely for a faster and more efficient move.  Please note that packing tape is best – neither Scotch, masking nor duct tape will not stick to cardboard. 
  4. Label it well – Labeling is the final step in getting the boxes to their intended destination.  Make sure to label the boxes in clear, LARGE print on both the tops and sides (so when movers stack the boxes they can still see where they belong).  Label each box with both the room and contents.  Color-coding is great but not necessary as long as the destination room is clearly marked and understood.

Now what to do with all of these boxes once you’ve unpacked?  From the fantastic to the practical, we’ve collected a fun assortment of creative ideas to do with cardboard boxes on our Pinterest Board:

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Left Over Moving Boxes? Get Creative!

Of course recycling or re-using is always a good option as well!

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