If you’re standing in the middle of your house staring down all of the furniture, tools, clothes, appliances, and general stuff you’ve accumulated in your current home over the years and wondering how the heck you’re supposed to move it all from point A to the point B, one of the biggest questions you might have is how many boxes you need for a move. It can be hard to know just by looking around your house what and how many packing supplies to purchase. Although moving boxes play an integral role in the vast majority of moves, it is surprising how they are almost an afterthought for homeowners who are packing up their possessions.
This is truly unfortunate because using the right types of moving boxes can completely transform your move, making the entire process more streamlined and efficient. With any move, the task of procuring the right boxes will usually be up to you unless you purchase boxes from professional packers and movers. Moving can become very expensive even before you take boxes into account. For those on a budget, it may make sense to opt for used boxes. While getting an exact estimate will be difficult, there are a few general guidelines that will ensure you purchase enough, but not too many, boxes.
When it comes time for your move, you’ll find plenty of local movers Los Angeles that provide not just moving services but also packing and unpacking. It’s worth considering since local movers are usually not liable for damage in any boxes that you pack yourself. For some people, the risk of damage is lower than the expense of professional packers and movers. Others simply prefer to handle the work on their own, as part of the process of downsizing and categorizing household items. That’s why we reached out to our professional packers and movers to ask for advice.
According to our LA movers, the first thing you need to do is to consider your lifestyle. Logically, if you’re a minimalist you won’t need as many boxes as someone who is a bit of a packrat. So let’s see where you fit.
According to our LA movers, the first thing you need to do is to consider your lifestyle. Logically, if you’re a minimalist you won’t need as many boxes as someone who is a bit of a packrat. So let’s see where you fit.
You are a minimalist– If you tend to be a minimalist in life then this will come in quite handy when you’re boxing up your stuff to move. You are a deliberate decorator who only shows off the items you really care about. Your desire to keep things simple and your appliances multifunctional will come in handy as you pack. According to our local movers, you will only have to get a few small boxes and wardrobe boxes to pack everything in your house, maybe even without the help of professional local movers. You are probably going to need the fewest number of boxes in each category with more medium boxes and fewer wardrobe boxes.
You are a packrat- If you hold on to every birthday card and knickknack that’s given to you then you’re going to need quite a few boxes to hold them all when you’re moving. You might be more inclined than others to keep sentimental items like birthday cards and notebooks. Your walls are lined with pictures and every surface is dancing with knick-knacks. You are going to have more belongings than someone less attached to these items, so prepare to be on the higher end of our box estimates, especially with small and wardrobe boxes. You will want to invest in a bunch of small boxes, a larger amount of wardrobe boxes, and maybe a few medium-sized ones to hold all your things. You can buy it all from your local movers.
Somewhere in-between – If neither one of these sounds like you, don’t worry. There’s a whole sliding scale between the two. Wherever you lie, from hoarder to minimalist, take stock of your belongings and you’ll get a good idea of how many boxes you need to move. You live somewhere in between being a packrat and a minimalist? If so you’ll need to do a few calculations to figure out how many boxes you need. Take inventory of all the things that you have to pack up. Not only will taking inventory tells you how many boxes you need but you’ll know what kind to pick up as well. For example, if you have no fine china then you won’t need to invest in the dish barrel boxes that are meant to carry it. Don’t have any fine china but you have 50 pairs of shoes? Lower your number of dish barrel boxes and up the number of large packing boxes on your shopping list.
The second thing you need to bear in mind is that there are many different types of moving boxes, and here our professional local movers Los Angeles will list the most important ones:
Small moving boxes– These are usually used for books so often that you may even hear some local movers referring to them as book boxes. Typically, you’ll want to use small moving boxes to transport items that are smaller but tend to be on the heavier side. In addition to your books, you may want to use these boxes for transporting small records, electrical appliances, canned items, and other possessions that may be on the smaller side but still weigh a decent amount.
Medium moving boxes– Usually, these boxes will measure about 3 cubic feet, and they will serve as your workhorse boxes to hold everything but the kitchen sink. Speaking of the kitchen, they tend to be especially good at transporting kitchen products. From your pans and pots to your blenders and other accessories, medium-sized boxes are very versatile, so it will be easier both for you and your local movers Los Angeles. As is the case with all moving boxes, you’ll want to monitor the weight and make sure that each box is properly marked with its contents, giving you or your packers and movers an advantage when it’s time to unpack those items.
Large moving boxes- These are excellent for transporting lighter but larger items. A great rule of thumb is to make sure that objects are getting lighter as the boxes are getting larger. Because larger boxes tend to be pricier and people often overestimate how many they will need, you probably want to take a good look around your home and calculate how many of the large boxes your move will require. It’s best if you leave your local movers to do that. Keep weight in mind, however. Although your professional packers and movers will have tools on hand to help, ensure that the weight of the box is reasonable. All local movers Los Angeles will tell you that larger boxes packed with heavy items can often present hazards and even break.
Wardrobe boxes– For those who possess a large collection of clothing, and even those with a more modest wardrobe, these boxes can truly be a miracle. Since you’ll be able to hang your clothes in the box, you won’t have to worry that your clothes will become wrinkled on the trip over to your new house. This is also an excellent time-saving option as it will allow you to simply transfer the hangers from the box to your new closet without having to worry about rehanging your entire wardrobe. Yet another bonus is that these boxes are constructed to accommodate the considerable weight of clothes with hangers. Anyone who is contemplating a serious move will want to look into purchasing wardrobe boxes, according to our local movers.
Dish packs– When you’re moving, it’s easy for stress to mount up and make certain chores like packing up the dishes seem less important than they really are. If you are packing without local packers and movers, take the time to plan, allowing yourself to put away fragile items correctly. You may be surprised by this, but one of your enemies is space. When you pack all of your items so that they are tightly secured, you reduce the chances that they will jostle around during the move, causing damage to your valuables. In this scenario, bubble wrap will be your greatest ally. Because kitchen items are delicate, factor in time to properly pack your dishes when you’re moving. Although you may be pressed for time, this task must be done correctly and properly packed up the evening before your move. If it helps, use the local movers’ checklist to make sure that you’re not forgetting anything important. There’s nothing worse than arriving at your new home and discovering that your plates have broken. Dish packs allow you to separate dishes and other delicate items so that they will remain in excellent condition while you move. When you’re aiming to keep all your kitchenware in pristine shape, packaging your precious items with a dish pack is the only way to go.
Plastic bins– There are many reasons why you may want to opt for plastic bins instead of cardboard. Some people just prefer the look and feel of plastic bins when they’re moving. There are a few companies offering plastic bin rentals, which makes the process very convenient. However, one downside is that it can be more difficult to pack oddly shaped items into plastic bins, and you may find that it’s pricier to purchase plastic boxes. For people who are packing away some of their goods in a storage unit, these types of bins can provide an excellent solution for long-term storage. Although your storage facility may be insured for disastrous events, you certainly don’t want your wedding dress to get wet if something in the building goes wrong. Packing precious items in air-tight plastic bins rather than cardboard boxes will help protect your belongings from the elements.
Also, you need to be aware that you don’t need only boxes for your upcoming move. There are many other packing supplies you will need to buy or get from professional LA movers. So, what packing supplies do you need for your upcoming move?
- Packing tape- This is something you really don’t want to run out of when packing boxes. Tape rolls are 54-110 yards long. This sounds like a lot, but if you’re taping the top and bottom of every box, you’ll quickly fly through it. To be safe, have one roll of tape for every 30-60 boxes — and always splurge for the dispenser. Trust our packers and movers, it will be worth it.
- Paper and bubble wrap– Do you have two sets of dishes and a bar’s worth of glassware? If so, you will want 14 lbs of paper and 80 feet of bubble wrap to protect your breakables. At a minimum, our packers and movers Los Angeles recommend purchasing 3 lbs of packing paper and 20 feet of bubble wrap.
- Markers– Labeling is a must, whether you are moving with or without local movers Los Angeles. And for easy labeling, markers are a must. Luckily, they’re useful for more than just moving day, so you can never really have too many. For packing, however, be sure to have 1-4 markers on hand. This is especially important if your friends and family help you pack. Passing the marker back and forth is fun, but having your own is better.
So, it’s finally time for you to move from one place to another. You start the packing process and you don’t have near enough boxes. How many boxes does it take to pack up an entire home? There are so many deciding factors that go into it that you’re sure to be a little off. But according to our professional local movers, the answer is always more than you think. If you have a lot of knickknacks and other things, you’d be surprised at how many boxes you’ll use up. This rule applies no matter if you live in a studio or a three-room house. Use our local movers’ guide for your next move so you don’t get too many or too few packing boxes to work with. And do you need a little help packing up your house? Our professional La movers make it look easy! When you use Mega Movers Fontana to pack, you’ll get professionally-trained packers and movers to carefully pack your most precious belongings. Use our experienced team of local movers to pack just a few rooms or your entire house for you. Get your free moving quote today!