Must-Have Tools for Moving

When it’s time to move one’s business, apartment, or home, it’s easy to focus on the items

indoors. Beds, nightstands, chairs, possessions, trinkets, desks, and plates all take center stage.

Are there some items you might be forgetting about?

Spending time thinking about the right tools for an easy move can enhance your moving

process. Whether it’s knowing where to find sturdy cardboard boxes, or knowing what types of

sliders to ease the moving of heavy objects, taking the time to think about what’s needed for a

smart move will pay off in the end. Here are just a few items you can buy, repurpose, or

borrow that will make the moving process faster, easier, and more efficient.

Dollies

Unfortunately for some people, it’s near the end of the move that they start to worry.

Everything that is light and small has already been packed away, and hauled off to the truck.

The house or apartment is practically empty. What’s left is the couch, the bed, the huge

dresser, or some other massive item of a ridiculous weight. If only intimidation made moving

easier!

The perfect tools for moving large items include sliders and dollies. While dollies may not work

for truly big ticket items, dollies can help to ease the pressure on short moves, as well as aid

the carrying of big boxes and large but compact pieces of furniture. Dollies are also often fun to

use!

Before you purchase anything, it might be possible to borrow a dolly from a friend, neighbor, or

family member. Ask around to see what’s possible and how to save those hard-earned dollars.

Sliders

When the piece of furniture is not just heavy but huge, sliders can come in handy. Sliders are

small, sturdy materials that can be placed under the feet of furniture to help slide the furniture

across the floor. The type of slider purchased will depend on what type of flooring one has.

There are different sliders for moving furniture across carpet, and others for moving furniture

across tile and wood floors. Use slick-surfaced sliders for moving across carpet, and textured

sliders for moving across wood and tile.

As with dollies, there are ways to fashion one’s own sliders without buying new ones. Some

people have been able to accomplish the thing that sliders do, or to fashion one’s own sliders,

out of household items laying around. For these, try Frisbees, blankets, towels, and other

similar items around the house.

Quality Boxes

Cardboard boxes are staple materials when it comes to moving. But it may take a bit of work to

find quality boxes that are worth moving your stuff. For lightly used boxes, some supermarkets

and grocery chains allow their lightly used boxes to be taken by patrons. Call your local grocer

or supermarket to find out if that’s an option. Cardboard boxes can always be purchased at the

local home supply store.

It might sound ridiculous, but lots of companies are innovating with cardboard box products.

Some companies have created boxes that fold out with an iron rod across the top, allowing the

mover to cart their clothes still-hanging on the rack, as if they were still in the closet. Another

great idea for boxes is easily folded boxes that require zero tape and come together easily.

Check out the home supply store or order boxes online to see what other high quality boxes

may come in handy.

Fillers

For the more fragile items, all kinds of materials will be needed. For fragile things, several types

of packing must happen: the item must be covered to avoid any chipping or bumping of the

item, any protruding extensions of the object must be reinforced with lots of stuffing around it,

and, finally, if multiple fragile objects are being placed in one box, all of the empty space in that

box must be filled with packing material to prevent the items from moving around in the box

and hitting one another. Just like the sliders, many of these items can be found at home.

When drawing up a list of things to buy, consider purchasing bubble wrap, packing noodles,

and heavy-duty packing paper. But common household items can be repurposed easily, too.

Instead of bubble wrap, consider using cloth and blankets to cover fragile items and reinforce

their extensions. For styrofoam or plastic noodles as well as packing paper, consider using

newspaper or any other papers you might throw out or recycle otherwise.

Vehicle

Finding the right vehicle to use can be the simplest part of the moving process. It’s always

helpful to hire a Tucson moving company to help, because once the professionals arrive, you

won’t need to use many tools at all, and the vehicle will be both provided and operated by

expert movers. If you haven’t hired a moving company to help, consider renting a moving truck

from a local, trusted business, or using your own or borrowing a truck.

To find out more or for a free moving estimate, visit MyTucsonMovers.com.