When you are preparing for a move in any of the NYC boroughs, you probably need help simply knowing where to start. Our NYC moving service is here to help! Below, we’ll give you some tips for the first part of the moving experience: the packing.

​You will have many things to think about during your move. You’ll need to have your mail forwarded and change your address officially. You’ll also have to have your utilities turned on in your name, find a parking solution if you drive daily, and many more little details.

When it comes time to pack up your stuff, you will probably be ready to get this move over with quickly, so you might not put as much time into correctly and safely packing your belongings. You want to make sure you have them moved with the right NYC movers, or else it could result in broken and damaged items once you arrive at your new place.

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The Importance of Packing Correctly

Packing correctly can have many benefits, and packing incorrectly can be a complete disaster. It’s as simple as that. When you follow strict packing guidelines, you’ll arrive at your new home with unbroken dishes and unscratched leather sofas.

If you haphazardly throw everything into a moving van, chances are that something is going to get damaged beyond repair. Not using enough packaging is one of the main reasons that items get broken. You may not realize that you can use items around your house that will be packed anyway as cushion for some of your more delicate items, protecting the breakables and saving space and money at the same time.

Also, you can get injured if you pack boxes too heavy and then try to lift them on your own. Many inexperienced movers thing that they have to pack every box to the brim, whether it’s full of books or pillows. You’ll see in the tips below that this isn’t a ‘best practice’ in the moving community!

Besides that, you will waste a lot of space by randomly tossing everything in. If you are renting trucks, this might cost you extra money if you can’t get everything into one truck simply because you weren’t organized enough.

The tips below will give you ideas to make packing a little bit easier. Our NYC movers will share some valuable packing information for your move to Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, or anywhere else in the Big Apple!

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When to Start Packing

Giving yourself enough time to pack is one of the most important aspects of packing well. If you feel like you are in a pinch, the temptation to throw things into boxes without the proper planning will take over, and you’ll end up regretting your haste.

Does a month sound too early? We assure you it’s not.
TDY Moving and Storage know that packing leads to cleaning out. It also leads to reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Give yourself enough time to go through all of your tucked-away mementos in order to decide what you should pack up and what can be thrown out.

If you don’t have a whole month, aim for at least two weeks of packing time. Pack items you rarely use first, including books and china. Anything you already have boxed up, like old pictures or seasonal clothing, can be moved to your ‘packing area’ (more on this in a second) so these items can go onto the truck first. The likelihood that you’ll need to access these things quickly is low.

When you take your time packing, you can ensure that everything has a safe spot in the moving van and that you’ll be able to locate all your belongings when the time comes to unpack.

How to Pack

There is an art to packing. We could go on all day – literally – about how to pack each item for maximum security during transport, but there are simply too many things to cover here, so we’ll hit the high points.

​First of all, forget the idea that heavy things go in big boxes. Does that even make sense? And just because you can lift a 100-pound box over your head, why would you?

Instead, try this strategy: Pack lots of light things in your biggest boxes. You could get away with a huge box only weighing 20 to 30 pounds but holding a whole lot of your stuff. Conversely, pack heavy items like dishes and books in smaller boxes. You’ll keep the weight about the same so no one has to strain to get heavy items up flights of stairs.

Another great tip is to have a packing station (we told you we’d get to it!). This idea is relatively simple. It just means to have an area of your home where all the packing occurs. Bring items to this area to be put in boxes. Don’t take all your packing supplies from room to room because they can get scattered and lost.

Stack up packed items in this area so that you can visualize the progress you’ve made and how much space the packed items are going to take up in a moving truck.

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What Items You Need to Make Packing Easier

Packing is a tough job. There’s no doubt about that. But our NYC movers have a few tricks up our sleeves to make the process easier…or a few tools, we should say.

Have on hand everything you will need to start packing. We’ll go ahead and tell you that you are going to need more boxes than you think. Way more. So get lots of boxes in various sizes if you can. Be creative in your sources to save yourself some cash. Ask a friend who recently moved if they have any leftover boxes, or ask where they got theirs.

Invest in plastic totes or other storage solutions to pack your things. These items will help you in your move, and you can also use them in the future.

Besides boxes, you will need some sort of packing material to fill up empty spaces in the boxes so things don’t shift around in transit. Newspaper or packing peanuts work well for this purpose. You will also need markers for labeling boxes and tape to keep them firmly closed up.

One of our NYC movers’ best tips is to use things you already have to help you move. Clothes baskets with handles are excellent for moving items that are hard to pack in boxes. Things like small kitchen appliances or bathroom items that you will need to access quickly once you get to your new home would both be smart items to pack in a laundry basket.

​Towels and extra linens can be used to wrap and cover up fragile items and even furniture. There’s no need to go out and buy bubble wrap when you can use blankets or quilts that you already have on hand.​

When You Still Don’t Know Where to Begin

One of the best solutions we can offer is for you to let us handle all your packing!

As NYC movers we offer full-service packing options along with our moving services. There are many reasons people choose to let us do the packing for them:

They are physically unable to handle the strenuous demands of packing. Elderly clients or those with physical limitations often employ our assistance in the packing portion of their move. Pregnant women, chronically ill patients and those with arthritis or some other condition may also need a helping hand when it comes to packing.

In a home where there are lots of stairs to climb, packing can become downright dangerous for just about anyone. Our movers do this every day, and we are fully insured in the unlikely event that one of them has an accident.

They do not have the time to commit to doing the job right. Clients who have time consuming jobs or other commitments sometimes do not have the time to pack correctly, or to pack at all, in some cases!

Our NYC moving company can help! We can quickly and efficiently pack up everything in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it yourself. (We aren’t boasting…we do it every day! We should be good at it!) You’ll save all that time and a lot of stress by letting us handle your packing!

They just don’t want to fool with it! And that’s ok.
If you really, really don’t want to deal with packing, call TDY Moving and Storage! Even with every convenient little tip we can give you, packing is still a big fat hassle. If you don’t want to deal with it, you can request that we do all the packing for you.

This can make your moving experience much more pleasant from start to finish. Many of our clients who are able bodied and have the time still request that we pack for them.

If you’d still like to be involved in packing, but you still want some help, we can also offer partial packing services. You can take care of valuables or a specific room, and we’ll do the rest!
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Hey, fellow NYC Resident or neighbor! Are you moving within New York City, Brooklyn, any of the 5 Boroughs or the Tri state area? Maybe you’re even looking to move out of NYC entirely! Does the idea of moving scare the daylight out of you? Just thinking about packing up our entire life into boxes can be a stressful thought. That’s why we believe it is our absolute mission at TDY Moving and Storage to not only move you locally within NYC or move you out of New York state, but to make you feel at ease throughout the process of us carefully packing and moving you to your new location. Whether it’s just a simple local move within NYC or a more delicate move with potential complications, rest assured we’ve got you covered! We have over 20+ years’ experience in the Moving and Storage industry, and our good name reputation speaks for itself. From our accommodating management, to our genuine in house estimators to our friendly and professional movers, we strive to give moving a stress free feeling. We specialize in Commercial Moving, Local Moving, Residential Moving, Long Distance Moving, Packing of delicate artwork, and just about every other aspect of the moving industry. Our trained professionals are here to take the load of moving off your back, literally!

We are highly rated online, proud of our positive reviews and satisfied clients. Don’t just take our word for it- check us out on Yelp, Google, Home Advisor, Angie’s List and Facebook!

Give us a call to book a free consultation, or in home virtual estimate. Whether you just need moving advice, tips, moving coordination & general planning, etc. call us during normal business hours so one of TDY’s moving specialists can help guide you to making the right choice. Our advice, make the right choice- choose TDY Moving and Storage!