If you are moving overseas and you are bringing your furniture and valuables along, you might want to take the proper precautions to ensure your items are safe from damages. I recommend hiring professional movers for the packing of your items and the padding and shrink wrapping of your furniture.
You need to have plenty of moving pads, shrink wrap, bubble wrap, packing paper, boxes, labels and tape. Another moving item you might want to purchase is plastic mattress bags. The moving company can provide these moving items at an additional cost or if you’re moving yourself you need to make sure you have them on hand. When you are packing your boxes try to maximize your space by selling or giving away items you might not need or can purchase easily when you arrive at your new destination.
Furniture should be padded and shrink wrapped on all sides for protection from scratches and the elements. You can fill your furniture that has drawers with cloth items but I do not recommend any papers or breakable items inside them. Make sure all your breakables are vacant from your dressers, armoires, buffets, nightstands and chest of drawers before you pad them.
When you pack your kitchen make sure you do not pack any food that will rot or spoil. Pack your fragile dishes and glass items with packing paper and bubble wrap. The dishes should be packed on their sides. Do not stack them flat. If you do then the ones on the bottom are more likely to break because of the combined weight of the others on top. Glasses and stem ware should be stuffed on in the inside with crinkled wrapping paper and wrapped on the outside with it also.
Shrink wrapping your fabric furniture such as sofas, love seats, arm chairs and recliners is a good idea to protect them from the elements, dust and grime. You can stand a sofa on its end to fully wrap it. You might want to remove the cushions and wrap them separate. If you are leaving them on the sofa make sure they are secure enough that they will not move when carried and mess up the shrink wrapping. New heavy duty trash bags are good for protecting your sofa cushions and it is a lot easier to do than shrink wrapping.
Pictures and mirrors should be padded and placed in picture boxes. Use your bubble wrap and packing paper to ensure they are protected. If you do not have picture boxes, pad and shrink wrap your pictures and mirrors. If you have extra cardboard you should place some over the front of the glass and mirrors before wrapping. If you have any extremely fragile and valuable pictures you may want to have them professionally wood crated.
Labeling your items is very important. Make sure you label any glass furniture accordingly, don’t forget to label which side is the front. Label your boxes accordingly with fragile and/or heavy. If your new destination has people that speak another language other than English you should label in that language as well. If your belongings are being shipped in a group container along with items that do not belong to you, take extra care in making sure your belongings are labeled and protected from damage.
Remember to give yourself enough time to prepare for your over seas move. Now that you are packed and your belongings are protected from damage and the elements you can relax and have a good trip. Good luck with your moving adventure!
armoire