Is your moving day drawing closer and closer? Are you excited at the prospect of setting up in a new home or apartment? Moving house can be a challenging and stressful experience, especially when it comes to the safety and security of your precious belongings. Apart from theft, mishandled or poorly prepared goods can result in a disastrous moving process and end up costing you dearly. Here are seven tips for protecting your items as best as possible.

1. Stock up on Appropriate Packing Supplies

Before you get started on packing away your possessions, you need to arm yourself with the relevant supplies, including butcher’s paper, bubble wrap, removalist blankets, mattress covers, masking tape, marker pens, and boxes of all shapes and sizes.

2. Ensure Food Items are Sealed Tightly

If you must transport or store your pantry, make sure that any opened or fresh produce is tightly contained in plastic containers. The last thing you want to do is attract rodents or insects, or have food and drink spilled over your furniture and clothes. The best way to avoid this is to simply consume any perishables or give them away to family and friends before the move.

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3. Choose a Secure Storage Facility

Are you storing some of your belongings during the move or even after? Deciding who to trust with your items is a big decision, so make sure you do some research. Visit the websites of self-storage providers, such as Fort Knox, and understand what their selling points are (you can check out their site here). What sort of security measures do they employ to deter would-be thieves? At what times can you access your unit? As part of your decision-making process, you should also read any online reviews from previous customers.

Nowadays, most of these storage units tend to install high-security systems, such as keypad entry systems, CCTV cameras, smart locks for lockers, and motion sensors, to ensure the safety of stored belongings. Moreover, units are generally restricted to certain hours and monitored to prevent unauthorized entry. Whatever storage you choose, it is likely they will have strong security measures to protect your belongings. Even so, it is advised to research properly before choosing a storage unit.

4. Get Padded

A great way to stop items from bumping or rubbing against each other while stored in boxes is to create walls of padding with bubble wrap, blankets and even cushions.

5. Wrap and Label Fragile Items

This tip may seem a little obvious, but it’s always worth mentioning! Fragile items that need a little extra love and attention include mirrors, framed artwork, lamps, plates, and glasses. Wrap them each gently in a layer of butcher’s paper and bubble wrap and always place them at the top of the box, not at the bottom! Don’t forget to mark the box either! When you label the boxes, it leaves less room for the people at the Moving Services to misplace your belongings. Of course you would still need to hire a moving company with good online reviews and a reputation for being trustworthy.

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6. Pack Clean Clothes Only

If you won’t be unpacking some of your clothes for a lengthy period of time, ensure that they are clean when they are going in their container. Food stains, crumbs, and odours can all attract bugs, after all. Cedar blocks are a popular moth deterrent if you are concerned about your winter coats.

7. Empty Furniture

Although it can be a bit of a headache, take the time to remove any books, DVDs or knick knacks from bookshelves, cabinets or entertainment units. Not only will your furniture be lighter, making it easier to move, but it will ensure that the structure is maintained.

Do you have any other tips to add to the list above? Share your answers below.