Packing shoes for Moving

Whether you have a few pairs of shoes or too many to count, it’s important to pack them properly when you’re moving. Throwing them into a box may be the quick way to do it, but it isn’t the most effective. You could end up with damaged, dirty, or even moldy shoes! Packing shoes the right way ensures they arrive in good condition.

How to pack shoes for your upcoming move

1.    Gather your supplies

You’ll need small or medium boxes, packing paper, tape, and a marker.

2.    Sort your shoes

Choose which ones you want to donate, sell, and keep.

3.    Lightly clean them

This will help get rid of dirt, dust and pebbles stuck to the shoe. Did you know that leather shoes can hold onto moisture? Moisture trapped inside a moving box can result in mold, so make sure shoes are clean and dry before packing.

4.    Use shoe boxes

Wrap the shoes in packing paper, place your shoes inside, and tape the shoe boxes shut. Then put the shoe boxes in moving boxes, filling any gaps with packing paper.

If you don’t have enough shoe boxes to pack all your shoes, follow the steps below to pack them into moving boxes.

To pack shoes without their original boxes…

1. Stuff packing paper into your shoes to help keep their shape. For taller shoes and boots, stuff packing paper all the way up the shaft. Avoid using newspaper though – the ink can transfer to your shoes and leave a permanent mark.
2. Create a “shoe burrito” to provide the ultimate in protection. To make the burrito, lay one shoe on the edge of the packing paper and wrap until it’s covered. Then add another shoe and continue wrapping. Tuck in extra paper as you wrap the shoes, then tape it up to keep the package secure.

How to fill moving boxes with shoes

• Create layers. Pack any shoe boxes first, starting with the heavier ones. Then make a layer of wrapped shoes on top of the shoe boxes. After this base layer, lay boots horizontally toward the top of the box to avoid crushing them. Fill any gaps in the box with crushed packing paper.
• Keep it light! We recommend no more than 40 pounds of shoes per box to ensure you can easily lift the box.
• Label the box. For example, write “Brittney’s Shoes” on the box (top and sides) so you can quickly locate the box after unloading.
• Load on top. Protect your boxes of shoes from being crushed by loading them at the top of your stacked boxes.

And that’s it! Your shoes can now move to your new home safe and secure.

Now, let’s get you moving!

-Cheap Movers Los Angeles Customer Care Team-

How to prepare before your movers arrive!

It’s time!

So, it’s finally happening – you’ve done an extensive research on various top-rated moving companies and you’ve chosen a full-service mover that happened to give you the best offer in terms of price and conditions. And if you’ve opted for the extra service of having your home packed up by professionals, you may be now wondering what tasks you are supposed to complete before those moving experts arrive at your home.

Are you expected to do anything at all before your packing crew makes an appearance on the scheduled day and time? And if yes, how to prepare for professional packers in such a way as to make Pack day and Move day easier for everybody, especially for yourself and your family?

It’s important to remember that although the process of moving from one home to another is brimming with move-related tasks of all sort, it’s the packing job that matters the most as it is, without a doubt, the most time-consuming and laborious task you’ll need to take care of in order to have a fairly successful house move.

So, if using professional packers is the right decision for the sake of your prized possessions, and for your own sake too, then preparing for professional movers the right way should be your number one priority.

Here are the top 10 things to do before packers come to pack up your things.

1. Purge your home of useless items

It won’t make much sense to pay for having items packed professionally and then transported safely to your new home only to never use them again. Since the total weight of your shipment will determine, to large extent, the price you’ll need to pay in the end, you must get rid of all things that you won’t ever need again before professional packers come knocking on your door. The majority of experts agree that if a person has not used an item for over a year, then that person should seriously consider parting with that item as its uselessness is becoming more and more obvious with time.

Don’t waste money and time if you can help it – go through your things and set aside the stuff you shouldn’t bother moving to your new place. Decide on the spot what you will do with each item – sell the ones that still have any market value, give away some of them to family members and close friends, donate still usable things to various charitable organizations, or throw away for recycling the worthless stuff.

Learn more: Clutter unwanted: Get rid of stuff when moving

2. Dispose of anything packers won’t pack

Just don’t tell your packing crew you have more than 50 types of house flowers waiting to be packed up.
Another way to prepare for professional packers is to part with any items that your packing crew won’t agree to pack for you. That’s right – even though you’re paying for the professional packing services you’re about to receive, there are a number of hazardous items that moving companies are not allowed to pack up and transport for safety reasons. It’s the law, so there’s no point in trying to persuade your packers to make an exception. And you shouldn’t either as such non-allowable goods could really endanger the safety of the entire relocation operation.

There are three major categories of household items your team of professional packers will refuse to deal with:

Hazardous items such as corrosive, explosive and flammable materials, including weapons and ammunition, chemicals, oils, cleaning fluids, paint, etc.
Perishables such as frozen, refrigerated or fresh foods. Don’t forget to use up your food supply prior to the arrival of your packing team.
Plants – due to their extreme fragility, the transportation of your leafy friends is your sole responsibility. Consider gifting your plants to friends or donating them to local hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.
3. Inventory all your possessions

Now that you’re left only with the personal belongings you will be moving to your new house or apartment, it’s time to create an itemized checklist that will detail everything that is quite ready to be packed up by the pros. A household inventory will prove to be a great idea for two main reasons: 1) you will have a detailed list of all the items in your shipment and will check the delivered items against it in search of missing or damaged things, and 2) you will be able to file an insurance claim with your insurer, if any, or file a damage claim with your mover if you do find any of your delivered goods damaged or missing.

You can create a home inventory list by either using the traditional pen-and-paper method (mark down the type, quantity and current condition of each item, and leave and extra column for comments), or taking advantage of modern technology to complete your house inventory checklist in no time (MoveAdvisor – the free mobile app that will help you organize your move – will inventory your entire home in minutes).

4. Establish a No-Pack Zone

What to do before movers come to pack? One of your priority tasks is to select one room where you will place all the things that will be traveling with you to your new home. Clearly, that room will be a no-pack zone for your professional packers – make sure you let them know that you intend to pack and move those items yourself before they begin work.

Just to be safe, write DO NOT PACK on a piece of paper and attach it to that room’s door. If you can’t afford to spare an entire room for whatever you’re planning to take with you, at least cordon off one section of a room, and again – make sure it’s easily identifiable as a no-pack zone.

The usual things that people choose to pack and move by themselves include mostly essential items /see below/: important documents, electronic devices, valuables of all kind, medicines and so on.

Packing advice: How to label moving boxes like a pro packer

5. Prepare those essentials boxes

No two essentials boxes are the same.
Preparing for professional packers include packing up a few essentials boxes out from the things you’ve already placed in the no-pack area. The smart idea behind organizing such essentials boxes is that the moment your furniture pieces and your household items are packed up by the movers and loaded into the moving vehicle, you will cease to have access to them until you are reunited with them once more at your new home. And until that moment in time, you will still need a number of important or even life-saving things to have at arm’s length.

What should you pack in your survival kits? Anything that you think you will need to survive a day or two without your stuff. Here are some common sense suggestions: prescription medicine, non-perishable food, bottled water, plastic kitchen utensils, towels, bed sheets, spare clothes for each family member, toiletries, favorite book or games, essential tools.

Also, include valuables such as jewelry pieces, family heirlooms, important documents, expensive electronics, and so on.

Great advice: Your own packing timeline for moving

6. Call a family safety briefing

An excellent way to prepare for professional movers and packers is to ensure the safety of all family members, including any pets you may have under the roof. Hold a family meeting to talk about what to expect when the packers arrive and what major role each member will have during that hectic and dangerous phase of moving out. Soon enough, you will need to welcome complete strangers in your home for a packing job that can last not only hours, but entire days. And then, all of a sudden, safety becomes a major concern.

The moving process will turn out to be an unwelcoming and stressful disruption for everybody in your family, and the arrival of professional packers is just the beginning. So, make sure everyone is pretty safe to avoid making your move traumatic as well. Keep your kids and pets 100% safe, preferably in a room as far away from the packing action as possible. Arrange for trusted persons to stay with your loved ones while your hired packers do their job.

7. Prepare household appliances to be packed

While inventorying your entire apartment or house, you should have also included your household appliances in the inventory checklist. And if you did, then you must have made an informed decision to let professional movers pack up and move those large electric appliances all the way to your new residence. And considering their formidable dimensions and considerable weight, such decision also means increased moving costs as well.

Unplug any large appliances you intend to have packed – refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers, electric or gas cookers, and empty them. If you find the necessary time, you can also choose to clean them prior to their packing and moving. If not, you will have to do all that after the move – something that may be the better option altogether.

Either way, your appliances should be ready to be wrapped up and protected before the professional packers for moving show up at your door, so get down to work.

8. Pre-pack small items

Before your movers come to pack, pre-pack some special items of yours to sleep better that night.
How to prepare for professional movers and packers? It’s a great idea to take care of the small stuff that you can easily pack up yourself. Although you’re paying professionals to pack up your household goods for you, sometimes it’s much better if you choose to pre-pack some small items the way you want it. So, take a look around your home and see what items may actually benefit by being pre-packed so that even more time is saved in the end.

This tactical move can be especially useful when packing collector’s items – things you generally insist on handling yourself due to their high value – both sentimental and monetary. You may not be a professional packer yourself, but you should know best how to pack up your precious collection of small fridge magnets for increased peace of mind.

Good to know: 9 packing mistakes you must never make

9. Take tons of photos

Should you hire professional packers? If you can afford to do it, there are many great reasons to hire professional packers: they bring high-quality packing materials, they bring they experience and resourcefulness, they pack things fast while also taking all the safety measures you can think of, and they are also properly insured – meaning that they will accept the liability for any damages when they pack your boxes.

Nevertheless, being extra cautious won’t hurt – on the contrary, it can help you resolve an issue in your favor after the move. Take out your trusted digital camera and take plenty of photos of your household items before packers come to pack. Concentrate your photographic skills on valuables and antiques, and make sure you produce numerous close-up shots as well.

In case any disputes arise between you and the moving company that has serviced you, those photos can serve as proof of your items’ condition before the professional packing has started.

Read also: Common moving day mistakes to avoid

10. Be a thoughtful host

Once the packing crew arrives at your home, things will change with lightning speed – quality packing boxes of various sizes will be delivered, including the necessary protective blankets, bubble wrap and other padding materials, and your hired men will get down to work. Depending on the size of your home and the quantity and nature of items for packing inside it, the entire packing marathon can last from several hours to a couple of days. /How to find the best movers near me?/

What to do when movers arrive? To show your packers and movers that you’re a good host, here are a few important pointers to consider:

Show the professional packers around and tell them exactly what is expected of them.
Offer your hired workers bottled water and some snacks, and show them where the bathroom is.
Do you tip professional packers? If you’re happy with their work, there isn’t a single reason why you shouldn’t. The standard tip is around $20 per person for an 8-hour job of packing, but it’s up to you decide if they deserve more, less, or none.
Let professional packers do their job but keep the communication channel and be ready to answer any questions they may have regarding the packing process.

-Cheap Movers Los Angeles Customer Care Team-

GET A FREE MOVING QUOTE!

Where to get free boxes? Are your boxes move-worthy?

You get what you pay for…

It’s always nice to get something for free, especially when you’re getting ready for a costly house move. It can be really tough to estimate just how costly your move will turn out to be, but one thing you can be sure is that it won’t be as cheap as you would like it to be.

Before you start the packing marathon, the question of where to get free moving boxes will momentarily take center stage, and that’s perfectly understandable. Why should you pay for something when you can find it for free?

After all, when it comes to packing materials, cardboard boxes are known as the biggest packing expense because of the great number of containers you will need to have your items packed up and ready for transportation.

Find below useful information on how to get cardboard boxes free of charge, including a checklist of all the places that give free moving boxes. But before that, let’s say a few words about why you shouldn’t get too excited about the prospect of scoring free moving boxes for your upcoming residential move.

Inspect the goods!

Whenever you have the rare chance not to pay for something, be it an object or a service, you should seriously consider taking that opportunity. Yes, you should consider it instead of going for it blindly simply because you do want to avoid some of the usual traps that come with free stuff.

The idea for free moving boxes sounds really nice and tempting but there is a catch too! Here’s what you must know when looking for free moving boxes:

Good overall condition. There are several good ways to get your hands on free packing boxes /see below/ but the fact that you won’t be paying for those cartons doesn’t mean that you should automatically agree to take all of them. Sure, your goal is to save money by not purchasing brand new cardboard boxes but if any of those containers break during a house move due to their poor condition, then you risk of damaging whatever items have been packed inside. The risk of sustaining a personal injury or causing property damage is also greater should you choose to use free moving boxes with substandard quality. So, be careful not to get too greedy and accept only cardboard containers in good overall condition to prevent bigger problems in the end.
Strength. It’s hard to determine just how strong a box is unless you put to the test during the packing task later. Nevertheless, the cardboard containers you are offered for free should look sturdy enough with no holes of any kind, and no torn, ripped, or weak spots either. The lids should be present as well. Take a closer look at the seams of the packing boxes as they the places that get worn out the fastest
Cleanliness. One of the major differences between new packing boxes and used cardboard boxes is just how clean they are. Because of their unrivaled level of versatility, cardboard containers can be used for storage and transportation of all kinds of things both animate and inanimate – vegetables, fruits, small animals, or even chemicals. Inspect carefully the free cardboard boxes for moving you are offered and make sure they are clean enough to serve you well. Infestation is a serious problem when it comes to second-hand boxes so if you have your doubts, don’t risk it.

Be somewhat picky when collecting free moving boxes. It always feels nice to get something for free but sometimes the risk is not worth it.
Dryness. Another thing to look out when inspecting free moving boxes is how dry they are at that moment in time and whether or not they seem to have withstood water damage in the past. Look for wet sports or any signs of mold growth on them – if you do find anything suspicious, don’t accept the box or boxes no matter how desperately you want to save on packing supplies. Ultimately, your health and the well-being of the prized possessions you plan to move to your new home are worth more than that.

Purpose.

Try to keep in mind what the cheap or free moving boxes will contain and select the containers according to their purpose. Large boxes should be used for lighter items, while medium-sized and smaller ones should store heavier things such as books, for example. People often disregard this safety rule when packing up for a move, and then often wish they didn’t.
See also: 10 things people forget to do when moving house

Extra risks of getting free cardboard boxes…

By now you should be well aware of the 3 major risks of using second-hand moving boxes:

If your boxes are not strong enough, they may break under the weight when being carried around and the items inside them will probably break too when they hit the ground.
If your boxes are not clean enough, they could damage the items inside them or even be harmful to your health and the health of the people around you, especially if there’s some kind of vermin or cockroach infestation or mold growth.

• If your boxes are not dry enough, they will have a number of weak spots that may easily compromise the integrity of the cardboard, and that will lead to serious Moving day safety concerns.
  However, there are a couple of somewhat hidden risks as well when you choose to find free moving boxes or to get cheap moving boxes.
• Lost time. Your mission to find cheap or free moving boxes may be successful in the end, but how much time did you lose in the process? Don’t forget to factor in the hours or days you’ve spent because the time factor is one of the most important ones during a residential move. If you manage to save money by collecting free moving boxes but lose 2 entire days (or more!) during that hunt, then maybe you didn’t save much in the end, did you?
• Extra expenses. Driving around your neighborhood or city, or visiting various businesses in your area in search of free cardboard boxes will not only cost you time, but it will incur extra costs as well, like gas money. The energy and efforts you invest into obtaining those free packing boxes for moving won’t even be included in the rough estimate.
  Good to know: All you need to know about hiring professional packers

  Best places to get free moving boxes

  Ask friends, coworkers, and neighbors if they have good cardboard boxes they no longer need. Their response may surprise you in a good way.
  Now that you have all the information you need to decide whether looking for cheap or free cardboard boxes will be worth it, let’s take a closer look at the best places for free moving boxes.

  Friends and neighbors

  Each successful house move leaves plenty of cardboard boxes that get thrown away even though they can be re-used at least one more time. So, if you know somebody in your neighborhood who has recently moved, then you can simply go to that person and ask them if they have any cardboard boxes they won’t need anymore. Oftentimes, good neighbors will gladly give you the packing containers they were planning to recycle anyway.

  It’s easier with friends unless they live like 3 time zones away. Ask your circle of pals about spare boxes, either face to face or by using the power of social networks – a brief Facebook or Twitter post can help you collect more moving boxes that you’ll actually need, sometimes much more than going around and checking with local businesses.

  Online

  The Internet is a good place to get free moving boxes provided that the people who happen to offer such packing and moving containers live in your area, or are able to ship those cardboard containers to you at minimal shipping costs. Otherwise, the whole online search won’t be worth your time and efforts.

  Notable mentions when you’re searching for free moving boxes online are:

  Freecycle. This famous site has more than 9 million registered users worldwide /Freecycle membership is free/ who offer all types of no longer wanted items completely free of charge. Just do a local search and see if anyone who lives near you offers cardboard boxes for moving. Yes, they should be free.
  Craigslist. No introduction is needed for Craigslist – just search for moving boxes and see who offers such in your location. Additionally, it’s worth checking if other types of packing supplies are offered as well, such as second-hand Bubble wrap or used but still usable packing paper.

Local businesses

Retail stores and medium-sized local businesses that get frequent shipments of goods delivered directly to them will have plenty of cardboard containers in all shapes and sizes. Such local businesses are required to dispose of those corrugated cardboard boxes in an environmentally-friendly way – that is, to recycle them properly. And as you can imagine, if somebody can spare them those cardboard recycling efforts, then that’s even better for them.

Find below a pretty detailed list of places that offer free cardboard moving boxes. Go to a few large retail stores, speak with their managers, and see what they will tell you. Basically, the worst that can happen is for them to say No, so you can only win from your decision to save money on packing materials. And considering the average costs of moving house, your smart decision to look for free moving boxes, combined with other cost-saving tips and tricks, will let you save big on your upcoming residential move.

Where to get free cardboard boxes near you?

The city or town you live in should be able to offer you a number of good places to get free moving boxes – all you have to do is take a closer look.
Large supermarkets. Big grocery stores get deliveries on a daily basis so they are probably your best chance of going home with enough cardboard containers to last you at least 3 house moves in a row. Get in contact with a few big supermarkets in your area and see if they will be willing to part with the excess of boxes, and if yes, whether they have any requirements about the pick-up time.

Shopping centers. Shopping centers house numerous individual stores that also tend to have more cardboard boxes than they know what to do with. Shoe boxes can be ideal for fitting the smaller items you own.

• Home electronics stores. The boxes you can find in such electronics stores are almost always clean as they have been used for transportation of electronic devices. Some of these containers can be too big, but hey, that’s okay – you can always cut them up and use the cardboard itself for various protective purposes.
• Bookstores. Again, the containers you will find there are as clean as they can get. Also, cartons for transportation of books are usually stronger /double-walled/ which should come very handy for your collection of books or for some other heavier things in your home.
• Liquor stores. Specialized liquor stores usually have stronger boxes designed to withstand the extra weight of glass bottles. Some of the containers they use will be made of plastic, and that’s even perfect provided that you can convince them to give them to you free of charge.
• Recycling centers. Well, most cardboard boxes end up right there in various recycling centers. The good news is that not all containers that go there are in bad shape. So, if there’s a recycling center in your vicinity, maybe a quick visit there first will save you loads of time and efforts. Just remember to be fairly picky about the condition of the boxes you agree to take home with you.

As mentioned above, getting something for free is great, but there’s usually another price to pay for that – your time. It’s definitely a good idea to contact a few reputable local movers and see what offers they will give you – they may be able to offer you cheap moving boxes, or they can offer you a really good package price for a packing service that will include the cost of all packing materials.

Should you find yourself in need of boxes and packing materials, give your local Cheap Movers Los Angeles a call and one of our friendly relocation coordinators will be more than happy to assist you!

Let’s get you moved!

-Cheap Movers Los Angeles Customer Care Team-

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