How to Load a Moving Container
Once you’ve packed all of your boxes, from the kitchen to the family room and the dining room, it’s time to load everything into a moving container. Make sure you’ve organized everything with your moving partner, so that the moving container is where you need it to be on moving day. There are certain times of year that are extremely busy for movers. If you’ll be moving during one of these periods, then you’ll want to arrange everything well in advance.
It’s easy to rush into loading the moving container in an attempt to expedite the process and get everything out of your old home. But it’s important to consider when to load items and where to place them in the container, so that you can fit as many items as possible into the container, maintain safe weight distribution and not have to re-pack the container because of a mistake.
Packing Supplies for Loading a Moving Container
Now that you have packed everything, you will need a few different supplies for loading your moving container.
- Stretch wrap to protect furniture from damage while it’s being moved out of your home and during transit.
- Paper pads
- Furniture pads
- Dollies
- Loading straps to secure items for transit. (Remember: Be careful tightening the loading straps because excessive force can cause damage to your items.)
How Should I Load Items?
As you consider how you want to load and position items on the moving container, keep these general principles in mind. Before you start moving things, protect items with paper and furniture pads to prevent scratches and other damage during transit. If you have upholstered furniture, use stretch wrap to protect from dirt as well as damage. Appliances, furniture and other heavy items should be on the floor, so there’s a stable foundation. If there are any open spaces, you can fill those with smaller moving cartons
If you’re unfamiliar with how to load a moving container, allowing professional movers to load, place and stack items can be the best decision. If you’re loading your own moving container, keep in mind that weight needs to be evenly distributed throughout the container. When you place a heavy couch on one end, there should be a similarly-sized appliance available to place on the other end of the container.
What If I’m Storing My Moving Container?
Properly packing and loading items is even more important if you’ll be storing your moving container. Many of the precautions that you should take while loading your container to protect items during transit will also keep your items safe in storage. But, if you’ll be storing items for an extended period of time, you should cover the items towards the top of the container to reduce exposure to light.
When you’re done loading the moving container, you’ll be one step closer to being finished. If you need help with anything or everything, from packing to moving to loading your moving container, Lint Van Lines has a full staff of professional movers who can make light work of it. We serve the Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Des Moines areas for local, regional and international household moves.