How to pack moving boxes: books, crockery, clothes, electronics

Contents

1. 01

   The right boxes and the right weight

   A box is a tool. The wrong one makes everything heavier.

   • Use sturdy removal boxes with a double base, not supermarket boxes — those tear on the third carry.
   • Book boxes are small (about 40 × 30 × 30 cm) and stay under 20 kg; standard boxes for light things; wardrobe boxes with a rail for hanging clothes.
   • Rule of thumb for weight: what you can lift alone with a straight back. No box should weigh more than 20 to 25 kg.
   • Heavy things in small boxes, light things in large ones. A large box full of books weighs 50 kg and tears.
   • Seal the base with tape in an H: one strip across the middle, one along each edge.
   • Always fill boxes completely — pad gaps with paper. Half-full boxes buckle when stacked.
2. 02

   Order and labelling

   A well-labelled box saves more time unpacking than it costs packing.

   • Pack room by room, not category by category. A box belongs in exactly one room of the new flat.
   • Pack first what you will not need before the move: cellar, books, seasonal clothes, decoration. Kitchen and bathroom last.
   • Label every box on at least two sides, not on the lid — stacked, you cannot see the lid.
   • Labelling: destination room large, contents in keywords, "FRAGILE" and "THIS WAY UP" with an arrow where needed.
   • Number the boxes and keep a list. On moving day you then know whether 63 of 63 have arrived.
   • Mark the first-night box clearly and load it last — it comes out first.
3. 03

   Crockery and glasses

   Plates break flat, not on edge.

   • Wrap every plate individually in packing paper and stand it on edge in the box, like records — the rim carries the load that way.
   • Wrap glasses and cups individually, pad the inside, opening downwards; heavy glasses at the bottom, stemmed glasses on top.
   • Pad the base and lid of the box with a thick layer of crumpled paper; a sheet of cardboard between layers.
   • No newspaper directly on crockery — the ink rubs off. White packing paper or tissue paper.
   • Fill only to the shoulder of the box, pad the rest. The box should stay silent when shaken.
   • Stack pots and pans inside each other with paper between; wrap lids separately.
4. 04

   Books, files and paper

   The heaviest thing in the house, and the easiest to pack.

   • Use only book boxes and still do not fill them to the top with books — top up the last layer with something light.
   • Stack books flat or stand them spine down, never spine up: that warps the binding.
   • Wrap valuable or old books individually in paper.
   • Pack folders and files upright, as they stand on the shelf, with cardboard as a divider.
   • Documents you need on moving day or in the first week go in the bag you carry yourself.
5. 05

   Clothes and textiles

   Clothes are light and fill gaps.

   • Hanging clothes in wardrobe boxes with a rail — straight from the wardrobe into the box, on the hanger, no ironing afterwards.
   • Folded clothes in standard boxes or suitcases; vacuum bags save half the volume.
   • Bedding, towels and cushions make good padding for fragile things in other boxes.
   • Shoes in pairs in paper, heels against the box wall.
   • Roll rugs, do not fold them; secure with stretch film or tape.
6. 06

   Electronics, lamps, pictures

   Everything that is expensive and gets no second chance.

   • TVs and monitors in the original packaging if you have it; otherwise upright in blankets and bubble wrap, never laid flat.
   • Before disconnecting, photograph and label every cable; put cables in labelled bags attached to the device.
   • Transport hard drives and laptops yourself, back up data beforehand.
   • Lamps: bulbs and shades off, shades individually in paper, bulbs in a small box with plenty of padding.
   • Pictures and mirrors in bubble wrap, glass secured with a tape cross, upright with cardboard between them in a picture box.
   • Plants last and in the open — never in a closed box.

• Full-service moveYou hand over the keys, we do the rest: pack, carry, assemble, dispose, clean.
• Home removalsFlat or house, within the region or nationwide. With a survey, a fixed price on request and a fixed crew.
• Small moves & furniture transportOne room, one kitchen, a sofa from the furniture store. A van and two people, by the hour.
• Furniture assemblyKitchens, wardrobes, beds and office furniture taken apart and put back together. With our own tools, with or without a move.