Do-It-Yourself Movers Guide

How do you pack those items that are hard to wrap or items of value? Here are some simple packing tips:

How to Pack Furniture:

• Disassemble furniture if possible and cover

• Wrap table legs separately

• Lay down padding between your furniture and the floor of the truck

• Place tables with legs assembled top down on floor with legs up

• Stack chairs seat to seat

Packing China:

• Use special "dishpak" boxes

• Wrap plates, saucers, and bowls individually using several sheets of paper each

• Start from the corner, wrapping diagonally, continuously tucking in edges

• After wrapping individually, wrap 4-6 pieces in a bundle with a double layer of newspaper

• Place cushioning material in bottom of carton

• Place flat, heavier pieces like platters, plates on bottom

• Place bundled items in a carton in a row on edge.

• Surround each bundle with crushed paper, being careful to leave no unfilled spaces.

• Cups and glassware should be wrapped in a double layer of paper and placed upside down on rims in a row on an upper layer within the box with all the handles facing the same direction.

Packing Clothing:

• Shoes may be left in shoe boxes and placed into large cartons.

• Or, wrap each shoe individually, then in pairs.

• Shoes should be cushioned to avoid damage occurring to high heals or ornaments.

• Do not pack heavy items on shoes.

• Clothing may be left on hangers and transported in wardrobe cartons.

• Lightweight clothing such as hose, lingerie and sweaters may be left in dresser drawers.

Lamps:

• Remove the light bulb

• Wrap the base, harp and bulb separately, in newsprint, and place together in a carton, filling spaces with crushed paper

• Never wrap the lamp shade in newspaper.

• Carefully wrap each shade in 3-4 sheets of fresh tissue paper, a pillow case or large lightweight towel

Pictures and Glass:

• Use a standard picture box or cover both sides of the picture with cardboard

• Place packing paper along the sides and edges of the picture to prevent it from moving inside the box

• Place no more than 3 or 4 pictures in one box

• Keep the box right side up at all times

What NOT to Pack:

Heat from the sun can raise temperatures inside a closed moving van and trucks to more than 150 degrees. Even in the middle of winter, heat builds up inside. Many common items, including aerosol hair spray or cleaning products, can trigger an explosion or fire that could destroy your possessions when packed inside a van.

For your own safety, make sure that no member of your family packs these items in a container to be moved. Replacing a can of hair spray is much easier than replacing all of your belongings.

We want you to have a satisfying move. For the safety of your belongings, review the list below and eliminate all dangerous items before packing:

Moving your Plants:

How to Make Sure Your Plants Survive the Move
By Kate Kemp

If you have house plants, and you're moving to a new location, you have three options: donate 'em, dump 'em, or dare to take 'em with you. So, you may not care for your plants like a "Professional," but Charlie Nardozzi, senior horticulturist for The National Gardening Association, provides some great advice for those who can't bear to leave their precious plants behind:

If you're flying to the new location: "I believe your first step should be to contact the airline you are traveling with. They most likely have very specific guidelines (and I bet regulations) on transporting plant life. Also contact the Department of Agriculture in the state you are moving to; they may also have regulations to prevent the importation of pests."

If you're traveling by vehicle: "For the plants that are going in the truck, you should insure that your plants are in containers that will not break. If they are in terra cotta pots, transfer them to plastic. Perhaps it would be a good idea to go to your local nursery or garden center and ask about those black plastic nursery pots. Around here you can get used ones for a nickel a piece! Be sure to sterilize them however."

Other tips: "Your plants will need to be kept moist during their journey. Give them a good watering and then wrap the soil tops with sphagnum moss you have soaked overnight. I would then wrap the whole pot in newspaper, and then in burlap. It probably would not be out of order to loosely wrap the foliage in burlap also to avoid breakage of leaves and stems."  "For cuttings, I would wrap them in the wet moss as well and wrap in newspaper. Then place the wrapped cuttings in an UNSEALED ziploc bag. Place the bags in a cardboard box with some sort of light packing material. I mail cuttings and small plants quite often and this works well, even when mailing across the country. I would definitely put these on the truck...you don't want any unusual plants in baggies that are boxed up going through the inspection process without you there to explain...have you ever seen Midnight Express? Wouldn't want all that trouble over a dieffenbachia now, would we?"

If you're moving from a large space into a small one, and don't have room for your plants, consider donating them to local nursing homes and then you might want to contact The American Community Gardening Association, 100 North 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103; ph# 215-988-8785 to find the closest community garden. Otherwise, follow Charlie's advice, and both you and your plants will continue to grow and flourish in your new environment!