Pro Packing Hacks
Since the pandemic, it seems that more and more people are moving. It has actually become a huge trend now that people are able to work from home. Many people are also leaving LA to move to other parts of the country - to be near family, for new jobs or any number of reasons.
Not surprisingly, the moving business has been booming - and so have the prices.
The first rule of moving is - hire reputable movers that your friends have used and had good experiences with - for my money, that’s Roadway Moving.
We recommend that you don’t pack and move everything yourself, but we can help with some tips that will save money so that instead, you can have OFab unpack your home and set it up just as you would (with some organization systems and products for a little help!)
There are, obviously, some things you really don’t want movers to touch. We’re here to tell you how to handle these items yourself, even if you do have trustworthy movers.
Wrap your own jewelry -
Most movers would just wrap this entire armoire in saran wrap so that everything stays in the box - but it will be turned around, about and upside down to fit into their truck. Necklaces are something you specifically want to pack and wrap yourself and we can show you how!
Pack your own personal papers/docs
Another thing you don’t want movers to pack is your family papers - IDs, passports, birth certificates - and the contents of safes and all things financial, even old checkbooks. If you save one box to pack all these things in and ensure that it will be with you at all times, this will save untold grief and chaos.
Wardrobe boxes -
There is no need to take all of your clothes off of hangars and fold them to put in boxes or suitcases. That’s what wardrobe boxes are for! Most moving companies will “rent” at least 5 wardrobe boxes for your hanging clothes to hang in. So do NOT buy wardrobe boxes yourself - unless you plan to keep them in storage.
Art -
Do not try to pack all of your art yourself. Even the most careful packing will likely not suffice to protect your irreplaceable art and decor, and moving companies are experts in what to pack and how.
We’ll explain how crating vs boxing/using mirror packs vs throwing it in the back of your car on a blanket all work. Not all art has to be crated, but for some things, it is a must.
The process for when you have your art crated is that your movers hire a third party company to build crates on the premises, custom to the art work. It is fine to do this for anything really heavy, like glass or mirrors - but ask yourself, is that mirror worth the $300 it would take to get it crated?
Art boxes, when used properly, are money well spent. Your movers can pack anything that’s not too heavy, as these items can be wrapped in thick brown paper (an “art pad”) and placed in mirror boxes (wood frames lined with cardboard) vs having another company come in to crate the art.
Needless to say, we don’t recommend you transport your art and decor in the back seat of your car on a blanket!
At OFab, we know how stressful and overwhelming it is to even consider packing up your entire home for a move. Not only do we aim to do all of this for you as carefully as you would do it yourself, we actually make the experience (gasp!) fun!