From scheduling a moving date to getting all of your rental or sale documents in order, the act of moving is usually far from fun. In fact, perhaps the most anxiety-inducing aspect of moving on a whole is the idea of packing up all of your belongings and transporting them securely. After all, far too many people each year end up making the mistake of packing poorly and damaging their valuable possessions as a result. For this reason, it’s important to take a smart approach to the process of packing.
Of course, when it comes to packing, you do have options if you don’t want to tackle the task on your own. Most moving companies do offer professional packing services for the purpose of sparing you the time and trouble, and assuring that your items are packed in a manner that will keep them safe in transit.
For some people, the idea of paying for packing services is akin to wasting money. After all, packing, as time-consuming as it may be, isn’t exactly rocket science, and there’s no sense in paying for something that doesn’t require special skills. As the marketing coordinator at Hughes Relocation Services, Inc., a company that has been serving the Philadelphia area since 1973, Bobby Hughes thinks that people ought to reconsider this line of thinking when approaching their moves. Yes, packing services will add to the cost of your move, but the benefit of hiring professionals is that they are more likely to pack up your belongings properly. Furthermore, if any of your stuff gets damaged as a result of improper packing, then your moving company will be on the hook for financing your replacement items. On the other hand, if you choose to pack up your belongings yourself and they end up getting scratched, broken, or banged up due to poor packing techniques, then you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.
If you’d rather not spend the extra money on outside packing services, then you do have the option of packing up most of your belongings, but leaving certain key items to the professionals. After all, books, clothing, and linens are unlikely to get damaged over the course of a move. So if you have the time to box them up, then there’s no sense in paying to have them packed. However, Hughes suggests that you consider not packing the following items yourself:
China and glassware
Kitchen items such as china and glassware can be some of the trickiest things in a household to pack. Not only are such items incredibly fragile, they can also be uniquely shaped, which can make the act of properly fitting them into standard boxes all the more challenging. Since china and crystal can be expensive to replace, you might be better off saving those items for the professionals as far as packing goes. Another thing to realize is that kitchenware doesn’t necessarily have to break in a million pieces in order for it to get ruined. Pitchers, glasses, and fine silverware can easily get scratched in transit, and while such visual imperfections won’t deem these items unusable, they can be upsetting nonetheless. To avoid this problem, leave your high-end kitchen items for an outside packing service to handle.
Sharp kitchen tools
Although some of your kitchenware might be less fragile than other pieces, sharp objects have the potential to damage other items or get damaged themselves over the course of a move. The act of packing up knives, slicing and dicing equipment, and any other appliances with a blade can be tricky and somewhat dangerous, as one wrong move could send you straight to the emergency room. Additionally, items with blades and sharp edges need to be packed meticulously. So to keep your kitchen tools safe, consider leaving them to the professionals.
Expensive electronics
Your flat screen TVs are likely to be some of your most prized possessions, so to keep them free of damage during your move, have a packing service box them up. In addition, any expensive electronic equipment you might have (such as computers, stereos, and speaker systems) will need to be packed up with care. To ensure that these items stay safe throughout the moving process, leave them in the hands of those who pack for a living.
Fine art and mirrors
Fine art pieces and mirrors can be challenging to pack because of their valuable and fragile nature. By hiring an outside service that knows how to pack and transport such items securely, you’ll be doing your part to protect some of your most precious belongings and investments.
