What Packing Supplies Do I Need?

When it comes to protecting your valuables in storage, the right choice of packing supplies can make a world of difference. Not only do you need quality products that will keep their structure and shield your belongings from temperature fluctuations, humidity, moisture, dust, dirt and grime (possibly for months or even years to come), but you also need the right sort of container for the type of items you’re planning to put into storage.

For high quality packing and moving supplies, visit our online box shop.

Use this handy checklist to plan your packing materials

With so many choices to make and very little time to weigh up the pros and cons of each option, how do you know what packing supplies you need to adequately contain and properly protect your stored items.

We asked our storage specialists to help us out, and they came up with this handy checklist that you can use to ensure you’ve got all the right packing supplies and are ready to get started in no time.

Packing supplies checklist

1. Boxes

Ubiquitous in all storage situations, the humble box is useful for a wide variety of items including files, documents, books, crockery, ornaments, bric-a-brac, electronics, small appliances, kitchen utensils and much more.

To ensure your items are properly protected, use only professional-grade moving and archive boxes that are purpose-built for storage. These will retain their shape and structure where inferior boxes may buckle, bend and split open. They will also be more resistant to damp, mould and mildew than other boxes.

Use smaller boxes for heavier items and larger boxes for larger items.

Where possible, select purpose-built boxes to protect sensitive items, such as Port-a-robes (for transporting clothing), wine boxes, archive boxes (for documents) and slider boxes (for transporting TVs and artworks).

Cardboard boxes are okay for short-term storage of linens, bedding, doonas, table cloths, and similar fabrics but are less than ideal for long term storage as they tend to discolour these items.

To determine how many boxes you need, make an inventory of all the items you want to store, then visit our box shop or talk to our friendly team for advice.

2. Furniture covers or blankets

Offering protection against dust, dirt and grime as well as dents, scratches and tears during transit and storage, these are ideal for covering larger items.

Blankets and covers provide protection while still allowing airflow. This is vital to prevent furniture, such as couches, mattresses, tables, chest-of-drawers and wardrobes, from smelling musty and/or being invaded by mould and mildew while in storage.

3. Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is ideal for wrapping and protecting fragile items, such as glassware, ornaments, crockery, china, and artwork. It prevents dents and scratches and offers some protection against the impact that could break fragile items if the box is accidentally dropped.

4. Packing paper

Ideal as a light-weight material for filling gaps in boxes, packing paper keeps objects from shifting and colliding, causing chips, dents and breakages during transit.

5. Moving tape

Good quality moving tape is essential to seal off boxes and ensure that they remain closed and keep their shape. It also helps to stop pests and moisture from entering the box.

6. Marker pens

Clear labelling is vital, not only to ensure that you can find your stored items easily, but also to alert movers and remind you and your family of which boxes contain fragile or sharp objects.

Whereas adhesive labels might lose their grip over time and fall off, using marker pens to put these warnings and descriptions of the contents, as well as which room it belongs to, directly on the box will ensure that your box stays clearly labelled for years to come.

7. Packing knife

You’ll need one of these when you’re ready to unpack your boxes. A good quality knife will help you to slit open your boxes without damaging them or the contents. Keep one handy in your storage unit, along with some moving tape, for those times when you want to retrieve an item or two and seal the box back up again.

Ready to start packing? Head over to our convenient online box shop where you’ll find everything you need to safely and securely pack your belongings at affordable prices.

For answers to all your packing supply or storage-related questions, talk to our friendly team today.