When you move, who will pack your things? Will you have everything neatly packed in boxes when the movers arrive, or will you avail yourself of professional packing services provided by your moving company? Proper packing is essential to a successful move, but does that mean you need to leave it to the professionals? Not necessarily. The decision about whether to pack by yourself or hire a professional packing company is largely subjective, based on your situation.
It might seem that packing your things yourself is the obvious choice. After all, no one cares about the safety of your things as much as you do. Rather than paying for expensive supplies and for people to do the physical labor of packing, why not pick up some free boxes from behind the grocery store, from friends or neighbors who have recently moved, or from the stash you’ve squirreled away after past moves. In reality, though, you are not trained to pack things safely, and those boxes may not be sturdy enough to move someone’s belongings from one house to the next. Does this mean you should absolutely hire one of those packing and moving companies? Well, no. Confused? Let’s break it down into the pros and cons of DIY packing.
- Pro: When you pack your things on your own, you don’t have to pay as much for packing materials.
- Con: When you don’t pay for packing materials, you’re likely to lose money because of breakage when the boxes you got behind the liquor store fail to properly support your belongings.
- Pro: When you pack your things alone or with the help of friends and family, you don’t have to pay for labor.
- Con: It’s unlikely that you, your friends, and your family members are trained in the art of safely packing things for a move. Again, you’re faced with the cost of losing some items along the way because they were improperly packed.
- Pro: Packing on your own means you can organize everything the way that makes sense to you, and pay the most attention to the things that matter the most to you.
- Con: The moving company won’t be liable for damage that occurs when you pack your own things. They’re only responsible if they pack something and it breaks.
- Pro: You can pack on your own whenever it’s convenient. You can start early and take your time, packing at the time of day that suits you, even if that’s late at night.
- Con: When you’re moving, there are so many things to do that you’re likely to feel a great deal of pressure. Taking advantage of your moving company’s packing services may be an expense, but it takes a major chore off of your to-do list, freeing you up to focus on other things.
So, as you can see, there are definitely two sides to this dilemma. If you’re concerned about the budget, you are an efficient and effective packer, you have the time and energy to do it, and you like the idea of being in control, then packing your items by yourself is probably the right choice for you. If you’re feeling stressed over the responsibility of packing everything in a way that keeps it safe all the way to your new home and you’d rather leave this chore to the experts, it’s smarter to pay for professional packing services.
If you do decide to pack your things on your own, do you really need to pack it all in boxes? Can’t you pack your linens in a laundry basket, wrap your lamps in bubble wrap and leave them out of boxes, and leave your clothes in your dresser drawers? Moving and packing companies have different rules, but this is something most of them agree on: everything that can go in a box needs to be in a box.
Why? What’s the big deal about boxes? For one thing, boxes are easy to pack into a truck. Because they have a uniform, cubed shape, it’s easy to pack a lot of them together and have a consistent, tight shape. This reduces the chance that they’ll shift and move around during the trip, and this means there’s less of an opportunity for your things to break. This is important to you, of course, but What’s more, when everything being packed is a similar size and shape, this allows the movers to pack the most boxes they possibly can into the available space on the truck. This is good for you, because optimizing the space will save you money. Won’t it optimize space to leave things like clothes inside the furniture in which it’s stored? If the dresser is lightweight and sturdy, this may be an acceptable idea. If it’s heavy or over-full, though, keeping the clothes in the drawers could create a hazardous situation by making the dresser excessively heavy. What’s more, clothing is more likely to be damaged during a move if it’s left inside furniture instead of being carefully packed. Like just about everything else, your clothes are better off in a box.
However, there are some items that simply won’t fit into a box. What can you do to keep them safe and secure while they’re in transit? Furniture can typically go on the truck without being in a container, but it’s important to protect it from dust, dirt, and stains during the move. Moving and packing companies have a type of heavy-duty plastic wrap that’s perfect for protecting your furniture. As to things like ornately framed mirrors, glass or marble tops to tables, sculpture, and framed artwork, crating is the perfect solution. Wood-framed containers custom-built to the specific dimensions of one item, crates protect your valuable belongings throughout the move.
Whether you want to pack your things on your own or you’d prefer professional packing and moving services, when you’re ready to move, it’s time to call Firefighting’s Finest Moving & Storage. We are dedicated to providing efficient, safe, and professional commercial and home moving services, as the reliable moving partner you can trust. Founded in 2001 by two off-duty firefighters, we’ve grown to serve not only the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but also Houston and Austin as well. A locally-owned-and-operated business, we exceed all state and federal requirements for a moving company and can handle all of your moving needs. Call 844-715-6625 or visit our website for an estimate.
