1st Choice Removals

The tea chest is no more, replaced by double walled modular cardboard boxes. The image of a removal team packing everything into tea chests has long gone and the torn hands and clothing on the nails with it. Moving Boxes (cartons) have replaced the humble tea chest and enable them to be delivered flat and stored easily until they are required. Not quite as strong but a lot easier to manage, especially now everyone seems to have so many items to pack.

You can purchase removal/moving boxes from 1st Choice Removals. Be careful about the sizes when you shop around. Be sure to check the measurements of the boxes and the strength; double walled being the one to buy, and if you can, modular boxes as these will stack more easily in the van or storage unit. Just because a moving box is described as large by 2 different companies does not mean they are both the same size.

If your removal company has agreed to do the packing and supply packing materials, make sure you clarify with them, exactly what has been arranged to be packed up in boxes. This can be anything from packing every last thing to just packing glass & china. If they are only packing glass and china they will expect this to laid out onto a suitable work surface, like the dining table or kitchen work top. Also check to see if they will be arriving the day before to pack or will do it all on the day. This depends on the time scale that you have to leave your house.

If you are doing the packing yourself begin as earlier as possible. Make sure that you use suitable moving boxes that are strong enough (double wall boxes), large enough not to become to heavy when filled but allow you to maximise the space inside the box (less trips to the van) and boxes that are modular, i.e. when they are stacked together they will produce a uniformed level and therefore will be easier to load into a van or storage unit. Always fill the box to the top and then close the lid, this allows the boxes to be stronger and can be more easily stacked on top of each other in the removal van or storage unit. When emptying drawers and cupboards you do not need to empty everything, just take very heavy, spillable and breakable items out. If the chest of drawers is too heavy to be lifted the removal team will just take out the drawers and put them back in the van.

NEVER make the moving boxes so heavy that they cannot be lifted safely. If they are becoming heavy while you are packing them, try filling the rest of the box with light bulky items such as linen, towels, cushions or soft toys. Books / photos / plates are the worst offenders when it comes down to weight, use smaller boxes for these types of items.

Always make sure that you use parcel tape to fasten the bottom and the top of all your boxes. Please DO NOT just fold the flaps of the box in a criss-cross way, because as soon as this box is picked up with any weight inside, the flaps just unfold and everything falls out.

Now you will have, a strong and secure box. Clearly write which room you would like the box to end up in. If you do this on the tape, the removal team will know that these are your instructions, and also will keep the boxes in better condition, allowing them to be used again and again. "The best way to Recycle".

Place heavy & bulky items in the bottom of a box, but remember there is a culmination of weight. One dining plate on its own doesn't weigh very much, but ten together is surprisingly heavy, so keep this in mind while loading your boxes. If at all possible try standing things like plates on their end as this way they are stronger, same with glasses. Use plenty of paper, bubble wrap and newspaper as packing or use items of linen or soft toys that you will be taking with you anyway. You might just end up with a box or two less.

Make sure that all the lids, tops on bottles or anything else that could spill are securely fastened, and in the case of bottles make sure they are stood upright and held in that position firmly.

Bin bags are very useful for placing bedding etc into. This even helps with the packing of the van or containers as they squash and fill all the awkward gaps.

Different types of boxes are used for different jobs.

Small boxes are used to pack books into, these are the heaviest things you will have to pack, and therefore keep the overall weight of the box down. General items are packed into boxes about the size of a tea chest. Linen boxes are bigger because the contents are obviously lighter. Robe Units or Hanging Garment Carriers are used to hang your clothes into portable wardrobes. Your removal company will sometimes supply you with these when you book your removal (unfortunately the way the housing system works at the moment you might only find the date you are moving on the same week as you move). As well as these there are scores of boxes used by removal companies for specific jobs from packing pictures to bicycles, but these are usually used only by themselves when they are doing the packing.

DO NOT pack flammable items like paraffin or creosote into boxes, these will not be allowed on the van and will invalidate any insurance cover if they find their way on. Make sure sharp objects like knives are placed inside some sort of container like an old biscuit tin, before they go into your box as they easily cut through the cardboard, and can do some serious damage to the person carrying the box.

ACID FREE TISSUE PAPER is used to protect silverware from tarnishing. If you are going into store for a long period of time it is advisable that you use this.

When you start to unpack the best tip for not losing items is to unscrunch the paper and flatten it out.