Essential Packing Tips When Moving House in Australia: Protect Your Furniture for Storage and Shipping

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Packing your furniture and other household items for a move or storage requires care and consideration of the risks involved. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of proper packing, what packaging materials you will need, and finally how to pack furniture in a storage unit and how to pack furniture for shipping.

Read until the end to learn all the best tips and advice.

Why Proper Packing Matters

Reduce Your Moving Costs

Proper packing helps you maximise the use of space in a moving truck or storage facility, reducing your total costs. Since long-distance moves can be common in Australia, eliminating the need for multiple trips will make a significant difference in your expenses.

Protect Your Items from the Local Climate

In Australia, you can move from an area of extreme dry heat to a coastal region with high humidity. Proper packing techniques protect items at risk of damage from heat and humidity, such as wooden furnishings, artwork and photos, musical instruments, leather goods and electronics.

Protect Your Items from Physical Damage During Your Move

Proper packaging techniques ensure that items are packed in a way that reduces shifting during transit in the moving van. Additionally, they involve securely packing fragile items like glass and crockery to minimise the risk of damage. Proper packing techniques also involve the use of protective covers that can safeguard your items from moisture and scrapes.

Packing Materials, You’ll Need

Packaging Supplies

Before you get started with your packing, you will need a few essential packaging supplies. You can find all you need in the StorHub Packaging Shop, including:

• A “Fragile” sticker label is a must-have to ensure movers take the necessary care with boxes.
• Packaging paper is used to wrap delicate items like glassware but is also essential for securing items packed in boxes to prevent them from shifting during transport.
• Bubble wrap serves the same purpose as packing paper, but it is more robust, providing extra protection for heavier items during transport and shipping.
• A permanent marker pen helps you label boxes with their contents and which room they must go to, making unpacking much more organised and less stressful.
• Packing tape helps seal up moving boxes, preventing items from falling out and dust from getting in. Clear tape allows you to simply tape over any marker pen notes you make, keeping them legible while sealing the box.
• Zip bags are fantastic for storing linen, clothing, small kitchenware and more. The durable Poly-woven materials these bags are made from are fantastic at preventing scuffs and damage to their contents.
• Furniture covers like StorHubs’s 3 seater lounge cover will protect your furniture from stains, dust, dirt or any liquid spills. These covers can be tied or taped closed.
• Packaging knives are helpful for opening sealed moving boxes, cutting cable ties, trimming packaging materials as well as breaking down boxes after your move.
• Moving pads are durable, quilted blankets that protect furniture and large appliances from dust, dirt and scratches. They are also perfect for filling spaces between stored items helping prevent items shifting while protecting from bumps and dents.

Choosing the Right Boxes

While you can use any cardboard boxes you have on hand, using specially designed cardboard storage boxes like the ones you will find in the StorHub box shop offer you a few extra benefits, making them well worth the purchase.

• Moving boxes are much more durable than standard cardboard boxes, offering additional security during your move and allowing you to confidently stack boxes on top of one another.
• StorHub moving boxes' durability means that they can be reused for your next move or for storage purposes. Cardboard moving boxes are also recyclable, making them environmentally friendly.

Specialty Moving Boxes: Custom Solutions for Fragile and Unique Items

• Port-a-robe boxes are specially designed to store and transport clothing safely. The box features a metal clothes rail as part of the construction to keep clothes in place.
• Picture boxes are designed to fit mirrors, pictures and framed artwork safely and securely.
• Golf utility boxes are upright cardboard boxes designed to protect golf clubs and other equipment as well as gardening tools.
• Wine boxes are designed to store up to 12 bottles of wine. They include moulded inserts to keep your wine in place.
• Kitchen boxes are the ideal size and shape for you to pack and move kitchen items including crockery, bowls, cookware, utensils and more.

General Packing Tips to Make Your Move a Success

When you have all your packing materials ready, you can move on to the hard part — packing the items!

Disassemble When Possible

• Transporting disassembled furniture is much easier. It is less awkward to carry and much easier to get through narrow spaces.
• Disassembled furniture takes up less space in a moving truck, which may save you on transport costs.
• Since disassembled furniture is easier to carry it reduces the risk of damage to items during the moving process.

Remember: Keep all screws, bolts and other assembly components in a separate plastic bag. You can tape this to the packed furniture or keep it in a separate storage box.

Wrap Delicate Items and Furnishings

• Bubble wrap can be used to protect delicate furniture items like glass or decorative features.
• Use extra padding on furniture corners as these sharp edges can cause injury or damage to other items. Moving pads/rugs mentioned in our packing materials section above are ideal.
• How To Pack Furniture for Shipping Heavy items should be placed on the bottom of the moving truck with lighter items stacked on top.
• Furniture blankets are also helpful to fill voids in a moving truck to keep items in place when crossing rough roads or during long distance shipping.
• Wooden sections of furniture must be covered to prevent scratches or chipping.
• Moving bands can be used to keep furniture blankets and items in place during the move.

Packing Furniture for Storage Units

• Be careful storing linen and clothing in plastic as it can trap moisture which will lead to staining and damage.
• Keep large heavy items towards the back of the unit.
• When possible, keep items stored on pallets or plastic tarps to avoid the risk of water damage to items in the bare floor.
• Keep a storage unit inventory to easily be able to find items when packed and stacked in your unit.
• Use silica gel packets and moisture absorbers to prevent damp affecting your items while being stored.

Make Your Next Move Effortless with StorHub

Now that you have read our helpful packing tips when moving house, you will be able to complete your next move with confidence. When you need some extra hands or expert advice, StorHub can assist you with our professional moving services tailored to the Australian market.

Contact us today and learn more about our services for moving and storage.