It’s moving time, and you consider yourself prepared, strong, and independent enough to tackle this adventure on your own. Whether it’s a local move or you’re relocating long distance, there are a lot of factors to consider. If you’ve rented your eco-friendly moving truck and are preparing to do it yourself, here are our best DIY moving tips to help you stay sane and pack a moving truck efficiently — without hiring movers.
Loading the Couch
If your truck’s ceiling is high enoughttps://blog.unpakt.com/how-to-pack-and-load-a-moving-truck-without-movers/h and your couch isn’t enormous, load it at the front of the truck and vertically — and pack things around it. Slide the mattresses off to one side or pack boxes neatly beside. This will maximize the space inside the truck, though you might want to ask a few friends to help you navigate this arrangement.
Big Stuff First
If you’ve stepped back and considered how to load a moving truck, it makes sense: get the biggest items in first and work your way down to the smallest, packing them into the remaining space around the larger items. Also, be sure to load the heaviest items on the bottom, then stack the lighter items on top. Consider each box’s sturdiness when thinking about where to stack it.
Use The Accessories
When you rent a moving truck, it’ll likely come equipped with securing straps. If not, it’s worth it to pay a little extra to get them and keep your belongings from sliding around while you drive. Many moving companies also offer options to rent furniture dollies and other helpful tools to make your moving experience a little smoother, and we recommend that you take advantage. If you were to hire a moving company, they certainly would.
Distribute Evenly
For your own sanity while driving as well as safety of the truck, be sure you distribute the heavy stuff evenly throughout the truck to keep everything balanced. Especially if you’re making a long distance move, you’ll feel it while you’re on the open road.
Disassemble Bed Frames and Tables
Get out your screwdriver and take those awkward legs off the tables and bed frames. Wrap them up, tape them together (even to the bottom of the table) for safe keeping, and load the larger sections of frame or table vertically to maximize space. Be generous with padding and wrapping for your furniture, paying extra attention to corners and surfaces that are prone to scratches and dents.
Stack Your Boxes Skillfully
As you gather everything together to pack into your truck, group things by size. Boxes that are similar in size will stack on top of one another nicely while using space wisely, and if you place the lighter boxes on top your stacks will also be more stable.
Invest in Good Padding
Wrap your mirrors, pictures, and other fragile things well, then place them between vertically-oriented mattresses for safe keeping. Use moving-grade plastic wrap, bubble wrap, or blankets to protect couches and other fabrics from punctures or dirt and pay attention to what you pack next to what — well-chosen packing locations can prevent abrasions or scratches!
If all of this sounds a bit too daunting, consider the pros and cons of hiring a moving company vs. doing it yourself. Movers will take care of all of the details while you sit back and give thanks that you don’t have to figure out how to fit that couch vertically.
Last but not least, drive carefully. If you need great advice on how to drive a truck, check out our Safety tips for driving a moving truck.
