Are you about to move house? If so, make sure you plan the whole process in advance. Apart from picking the moving date and hiring a removal company, you need to make sure your belongings are packed safe enough for the journey. Packing clothes or books may be easy but when it comes to electronics, things may get trickier. Find out how to pack electronics for moving to keep them safe.
Electronics transport – why is it so challenging?
If you look around your house, you’ll quickly realise how much electronic equipment you actually have. It starts with a TV or two, but that’s just the beginning. A laptop, a PC, a video game console, an audio system… the list goes on. But the number of devices is not what makes moving electronics so difficult. As innovative and multifunctional as they are, they’re also quite fragile and susceptible to damage. Sometimes all you need to break a laptop is to drop it on the floor or spill some water on it!
When it’s removal time, all those devices have to be moved quite fast to a new location. That means they have to be:
- put into boxes,
- brought to the moving van,
- transported to the new place,
- moved inside to be unpacked.
On each of those stages, they can be damaged, no matter how hard you try not to drop or scratch them in the process. That’s why you need to ensure their safety on the way to your new home.
What is the biggest risk for your electronics during the removal?
During the removal, you need to make sure that your electronics are well secured from:
- mechanical damage – which can be a result of dropping the package while carrying to the van or hitting some bumps on the road,
- water – even a small amount spilt on the back of your TV or a DVD player can cause irreversible damage,
- extreme heat or cold – just imagine what could happen to your laptop’s battery if you left it for long enough in the scorching heat outside!
These factors are responsible for most damage that can happen in the process.
How to secure electronics for moving – ground rules
If you want to make sure that neither your TV nor the laptop is damaged when you move houses, follow the basic rules that are listed below.
Use original boxes if possible
If you’re one of those people who save electronics’ original packaging, you may consider yourself lucky! Using the boxes and packing materials that were provided with a device by its producer is the safest thing to do. Why so? The answer is simple: your TV or video game console has been shipped in it from the factory and went through many warehouses until you got it without being damaged. So make sure to use the original materials every time you can!
If you don’t have the original box, don’t worry! You can easily gather essentials, such as sturdy carton boxes, a lot of bubble wrap and a roll or two of Scotch tape. They’ll be enough to pack any electronics you own.
Make sure the device is turned off
That rule applies mostly to laptops since they can be put into sleep mode instead. Not only does it drain the battery, but also makes the notebook more susceptible to a short circuit.
Unplug any accessories and cords
It may seem that it’s easier to leave them plugged in but they may cause trouble during the removal and make the packing more challenging. If you don’t want to mix up the cables and accessories or lose them, make sure you:
- unplug the cords one by one and label them (you can use post-it notes or some sticky paper tape for it!),
- roll the cords and zip-tie them – that way they won’t get tangled,
- either pack them together with the devices they go with or put them into one box, but in separate, labelled zip lock bags. That way they won’t get lost!
Remember about wrapping your electronics
No matter if you need to pack the TV securely, or move a gaming console, you need to wrap them in bubble wrap or, alternatively, newsprint. Those materials will prevent scratching the device’s case or screen in the process. They’ll also provide additional shock absorption.
Pack every device separately
Don’t put a laptop and a computer monitor in one box. Use two separate boxes instead. If you don’t your devices will damage each other, especially when you hit the road.
Use extra protection
Make sure you secure the space between the boxes with electronics. To do that, you can use special moving pads, sheets, towels or blankets.
Secure the TV and other electronics inside the moving track
Remember that the TVs, monitors and similar devices should be put in an upright position and, if possible, elevated. You also need to make sure the moving van is equipped with special straps that prevent the boxes from moving inside the vehicle.
Get help with packing TV and other electronics for moving
As you can see from the description above, packing electronics can be tricky. If you’re not sure you can do it properly – have it done by professionals from a good removal company. Their team can not only provide you with the right packing materials but make sure all your belongings are well-protected at every stage of the removal.