Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Moving Companies: Want To Save? Start Packing Now!

By Rachelle Onifelli

Hiring a trained packer is the best way to ensure that your possessions arrive safe and intact to your new home. However, people now tend to pack themselves instead of spending money.

If packing for yourself, do not procrastinate until the last possible day. Remember, packing requires a lot of planning and preparation so it is never too early to start!.

First of all, make a list of things that you need to pack. Consult your mover or inquire online about possible ways to pack them. Pay special attention to the methods of packing fragile things.

Get enough boxes and wrapping material. You can always ask for empty cartons at the wine shop or grocery store nearby. Such cartons can be used for packing various things such as books, dishes, clothes, etc. To keep your items safe and undamaged, you should consider purchasing plastic containers. These containers can also be used for other storage purposes after you have completed your move.

When wrapping breakable items, you can use your garments and linen or you can purchase bubble wrap, too. Old newspapers are great for this! It is not uncommon for them to damage clothing and other items.

Labeled shipping boxes with inerasable ink and use reinforced shipping tape to tightly wrap these shipping boxes. If you label your boxes, it will be helpful when it comes to unpacking.

When sealing the boxes, make sure their tops are flat. Damage to the contents may result if boxes are over-packed. Boxes containing the fragile items must be marked. You should also label the boxes with important stuff which you want to be unloaded first.

Write your name on the top of each box to ensure that your possessions don't get lost or unloaded at the wrong place. One good idea is to list all of the boxes and their content in the event that something is lost or broken.

Keep scissors or a good knife at hand, they will be useful when you unpacking. These things should be included on your shopping list while you are starting to prepare to pack.

You can pack your clothes into clear garbage bags so that you see what things are packed in each bag. Still, don't use thin bags which can rip and tear easily. For this grounds, many poignant companies don't like their consumers using waste baggage as packing materials. Always buy the thickest bags and then use them as little as possible.

You should not forget this one final important thing. Generally, your relocation company will be accountable for any damage your possessions incur during their transit to your new home. However, if the cartons are packed by the owner, the mover is only responsible for the damage to contents caused by external damage to the cartons.

This means, if you do not pack your things properly, you are responsible for the damage caused. If the customer has not packed the carton properly, the mover definitely has the right to deny the carton and has the right to ask him to repack it.

In order to avoid damage, you should double check yourself whether all the things are properly packed and all the cartons are carefully sealed.

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