DIY MOVING TIPS

Tip #1 - Prevent “load shift” during transit.

We thought our very first tip should give the kind of advice every do-it-yourself mover should know. When a professional mover loads your items onto a moving truck, one of their primary objectives is to load the truck in a way that will prevent load shift. Movers know when they are driving down the road, they will encounter steep hills, sharp turns, sudden stops, large potholes etc. You as the do-it-yourself mover should know your possessions will encounter the same potential issues when they are in transit.

That’s why you need to think about load shift!

One strategy used by the pros to prevent load shift is one you can easily use too. Large flat items are the answer. Mattresses and other large flat items like plywood are perfect for helping to prevent load shift. DO NOT load mattresses or plywood into your Go Mini portable storage container first. Start by counting how many of these large flat items you have and plan to load them strategically throughout your Go Mini. It’s even more effective if you use straps or rope to tighten the mattress or plywood against the load.

Just in case this is not clear, stand the large flat item up on its end. When you are looking into the Mini, you should be face to face with the wide side of the mattress or plywood you are using to secure your load. Another benefit of this is, after you have secured the flat item with straps or rope, you have another flat wall to start building another tier of boxes and furniture.

If possible, save a flat item for the end of your load. Here’s why. After you have rolled down the door, you do not want to have something shift and then lean against the roll-up door of your portable storage container.

Tip #2 - Packing fragile dishes and stemware

So you have made the decision to move yourself. Well we have some good advice for you when it comes to packing your fragile dishes and stemware. Let’s start with the first step in packing your own fragile items. Get the best boxes or plastic containers you can. If the pros were packing for you, they would use a very sturdy cardboard box to pack your fragile dishes and stemware. The box the pros use is much more sturdy than other boxes they will use. Ask Go Mini’s for a triple wall corrugated box. Movers refer to these boxes as “dish-paks” or “dish barrels”. The standard volume of this box is 5.2 cubic feet.

With the correct type of box selected, we can move on to wrapping and packing. Get clean paper. WARNING!!! - Old Newspapers can leave ink stains on fine china. Place your item to be wrapped on the corner of the paper and wrap the paper and fold in the sides. Usually you can create a double layer or more using this technique. For larger items, like dinner plates, you will not get a double layer. So start by wrapping the plate in two pieces of paper at the same time.

BEFORE YOU PUT ANYTHING IN THE BOX - Crumple up several pieces of paper and make a cushion-y layer in the bottom of your box. Now you can begin to put dishes in the box. Start by putting your larger items in like plates. If you have a set of plates, they will fit together nicely. Then surround your plates with another cushion of crumpled up paper. You are going to work your way up from the bottom building a series of layers. Crumpled up paper is the key. Keep using it between layers of dishes. Make sure to not leave any empty spaces in the box. This way, the box will not settle and neither will the dishes packed inside.