Packing

Make sure you pickup the right kind and enough boxes for your items. Irvine Box & Hitch offers most types and sizes.

Group items of similar size and weight. Try not to mix belongings from different rooms of your home. First, pour a layer of packing peanuts to the bottom of the box. Wrap heaviest items first with bubble wrap or packing paper and place them in the bottom of the box.

Wrap additional, lighter items with bubble wrap or packing paper and separate them from items in the bottom of the box with cushion foam. Place heavier items on the bottom and lighter items on top.

Before closing your box, cushion the entire package using packing peanuts or crumpled packing paper stuffed firmly into unfilled spaces to prevent shifting and damage to your goods. Your filled box should not weigh more than about 30 pounds or that which you can lift easily. Under packed boxes may collapse in transit, while over packed boxes can rupture, damaging belongings.

Close the box and seal it with sturdy packing tape. Label the box with its contents and destination room. Many people like to use our “Smart Tape” that lets you tape and label all in one step!

When packing heavy items, such as TVs, Computers and other household electronics, it is safer to use special boxes specifically designed for such tasks that are heavy grade and/or double walled.

When packing clothes, it is best to use Wardrobe boxes. Each box will hold about 3 feet of your clothing - average for adults is 4 boxes, average for kids is 2 boxes (unless they are teen-age girls...then it`s anybody`s guess.)

If you planning to move during weekend (especially Saturday) and rent one of the U-Haul trucks we offer, try to make a reservation for the truck of the right size as soon as you know the exact date of your move, as trucks get booked up quick for the weekends.

In the truck

Tier your load by placing the heaviest pieces in a row across the floor of the van and building a second and third row on top of the first, and so on, until they reach the ceiling. Then start on the next tier. Household items are never identical in weight, shape or size, and packing for a tight, evenly distributed load is key to ensuring that all belongings arrive undamaged. The pros use pads to ensure that they meet this goal; to fill a space, to level a tier or to give support to a curved (contoured) or irregularly shaped item.

Use pads for the tops of cartons or blocks used underneath furniture with legs to help spread the weight evenly.

Fill the top of a hutch or armoire with pads to avoid springing the joints. Pads will raise the tier so that subsequent rows will not rest directly on the top lip.

Contrary to popular belief, the back of a TV needs just as much protection as the front; a good bump can cause major internal damage. To protect the back, roll two pads into “sausages” and place them vertically, one on either side of the horn between the back of the TV and the previous tier.

The tier behind the back of overstuffed furniture or upholstered couches must be padded to protect the furniture. Also, the floor under the couch must be padded and a pad folded into four gives plenty of protection to a couch with flat ends. However, a couch with irregularly shaped ends, such as one with “French wings”, must be set on a base of several pads folded to support the contour of the arm.

If you have a lot of boxes that are heavy, any appliances (refrigerator, washer, dryer), any heavy furniture pieces (piano, heavy dresser, etc.) keep in mind that Irvine Box & Hitch offers three different types of Dollies for rent – Appliance, Utility and Furniture, as well as furniture pads. Save your back and rent one to protect yourself from unnecessary doctor visits and missed work.