How to Pack a Garage for Moving, the Hardest Room in the House
Heavy, sharp, oddly shaped, and half of it flammable. The garage is the room people leave for last and regret. Here is the order to work in and how to pack each kind of item.
October 9, 2024 · 6 min read
How to Move a Fish Tank Without Losing Your Fish
The tank can ride on the moving truck. The fish cannot. Here is how to transport your fish yourself, protect the bacteria that keep the water safe, and get the aquarium running again the same day.
August 21, 2024 · 6 min read
How to Move a Gun Safe Safely
A full-size gun safe is one of the heaviest things in a house, and it is built to be hard to move. Here is what to empty, what to prepare, and why the lifting belongs to a crew with the right equipment.
June 23, 2023 · 6 min read
How to Pack a TV for Moving Without Cracking the Screen
A flat screen is light, thin, and easy to crack. Here is how to move a flat screen TV safely: the supplies, the packing steps with or without the original box, and how to load it.
December 9, 2021 · 6 min read
How to Move a Home Office Without Losing Work or Data
When your office is in your house, a move can take your income offline along with your furniture. Here is how to pack the equipment, protect the files, and be working again quickly.
April 14, 2020 · 6 min read
How to Pack Without Decluttering When You Are Out of Time
Every moving guide says to declutter first. Sometimes there is no time. Here is how to pack everything in a way that keeps the move on schedule and makes sorting easy on the other side.
August 18, 2017 · 6 min read
How to Label Moving Boxes: A System That Makes Unpacking Easy
A box marked "misc" helps nobody. This simple system of room, contents, number, and priority tells the crew where each box goes and tells you what is inside without opening it.
January 13, 2017 · 5 min read
How to Pack Books for Moving Without Wrecking Your Back
Books are easy to pack badly: boxes too big, bottoms that give out, spines bent for good. Here is how to pack them so the books, the boxes, and your back all survive the move.
August 7, 2015 · 6 min read
How to Prepare Appliances for Moving: Disconnect, Drain, Defrost, and Dry
Appliances cannot be unplugged and rolled onto the truck on moving morning. Here is what to do to each one, and when, so nothing leaks, molds, or breaks on the way.
April 16, 2015 · 6 min read
How to Move a Piano Safely: What to Know Before You Try
A piano is the heaviest, most fragile, and most awkward thing in most homes. Here is an honest look at what it takes to move one, what to leave to a trained crew, and what you can do to get ready.
April 14, 2015 · 6 min read
How to Pack a Kitchen for Moving Without Breaking Anything
The kitchen is the hardest room in the house to pack. Here is the order to work in, the supplies that matter, and how to pack every kind of breakable.
August 19, 2014 · 6 min read
Last-Minute Packing: A 48-Hour Plan to Pack Your Whole Home
The truck comes in two days and almost nothing is in a box. Here is the order to work in, the shortcuts that are safe, and the few things you cannot skip.
August 27, 2012 · 5 min read
What Movers Won't Move (and What to Do With It)
A plain-English list of the items moving companies cannot put on the truck, why, and what to do with each one before moving day.
April 17, 2012 · 7 min read
Where to Find Free Moving Boxes and When to Skip Them
Free boxes can cut the cost of a move, but a weak or dirty box costs more than it saves. Here is where to look, how to inspect what you find, and which boxes to buy new.
February 22, 2012 · 5 min read
How to Pack Artwork and Mirrors for Moving
Glass, canvas, and frames all fail in different ways. Here is how to pack framed pictures, paintings, and mirrors so they arrive in one piece, and how to load them once they are wrapped.
November 13, 2009 · 6 min readReady to plan your move?
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Request a QuoteQuick answers about packing
What is the best way to pack plates for moving?
Wrap each plate in packing paper, bundle three or four together, and stand the bundles on edge in a double-walled dish box with crumpled paper underneath, between, and on top. Read the full guide.
What is the best way to label moving boxes?
Write the destination room, a short contents list, and a box number on the top and two sides of each box in thick permanent marker. Add fragile, this side up, or open first only where it applies. Read the full guide.
Can movers move a propane grill?
Most movers will move the grill but not the propane tank. Disconnect the tank, return or exchange it, and clean the grill before moving day. Read the full guide.
Can you lay a flat screen TV down when moving it?
No. Keep a flat screen upright the whole time. Laid flat, the panel has no support in the middle and can crack from a bump or from its own weight. Read the full guide.