So we are (sort of) moving ourselves--any tips for loading a pod?

[AmyAnne]

Thanks to those who responded to my question about movers. After a lot of research we have decided to go with the pod, mostly because it works best for us logistically to be able to set the date that our stuff will be delivered. I am a little nervous about loading the pod ourselves. We will have lots of manpower help form DH's colleagues but I worry about everything ending up broken. Anyone have any tips to share?

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I haven't heard anything good about the Uhaul pods. We used 1800packrats for multiple moves. I called the local office, and they seem to get better deals than the online contacts do.

Make sure the drivers set the pods as level as possible, and if you have more than one, have them set far enough apart that you can open doors on them! (yep, had to have the driver come back after he left, because he set one so close, it wouldn't open the door fully)


Wrap everything very well. Use sturdy boxes. Put a tarp over the top of the boxes on top (let it hang down the sides) and use moving blankets if you're worried about leaks. Use a good lock.

Make sure to pack it so it's balanced. Put the washer on one side, dryer on the other, for example, not side by side. it needs to be equal on all sides, so don't forget to pack back to front evenly too. Also, don't pack the back to the top, and then not pack the front the same way....things will fall down when they move it. Try to keep it as even as possible.

 

[UCFGrad01]

^^ All of that.

It also helps if many of your boxes are a uniform size.

Pack the stuff in boxes VERY well. Use clothing to wrap breakables (hey the clothes have to get moved too!). Pack your dishes standing on end, wrapped up, and with a foam plate in between each. Pack each box to the top, this will reduce the risk of them being crushed. Be cautious not to make them too heavy though.

 

[Firefly09]

Load your mattress first. We skip the "protective" bags they sell at the moving places just buy plastic sheets in rolls at the hardware store (like drop cloths for painting). We wrap our mattress up, tie some rope around to give us hand holds and put them in against the back wall.

 

[kuhltiffany]

We did a cross-country container move last summer. The guys who packed the containers did it like a puzzle, filled all available space side to side and top to bottom to prevent things from shifting. I was amazed how everything got here safely!

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

We had help only from our friend that loads trucks for ups. Couldn't have slid a piece of paper in that pod when he was done! The only damage was from my husband not listening and making sure the surfaces of furniture was covered with blankets and towels so that when they rubbed together or if something fell it wouldn't scrape. Ours was a short move and it went very well. Good luck.

 

[AmyAnne]

Thanks for all of the tips. I'm not especially worried about the stuff that will be in boxes -- we are packing breakables in boxes within boxes mostly, and I finally found a good use for all of the beanie babies we still have (they work great to fill in the small spaces). I am mostly worried about irregularly shaped furniture, like the dining table and chairs. I will be sure to have enough sheets/blankets/towels, but any other tips?

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Sofas can be placed on their ends (standing upright), to take up less floor space. I always put them in corners.

Use rope/bungie cords to tighten things down. Most pods have places to tie them down. We did in sections, using good rope and "spiderwebbing" each section. I did try to keep like things together...for example, all the boxes for DD#2's bedroom were all packed in one stack, DS's boxes in another. It wasn't always possible, but it did help with unloading when it was!

On one move, bikes went on top of everything else, bungie corded tire to tire (laying flat) and then bungied to the wall. On another, we had room to place them lower. (That pod had the washer/dryer in it, along with our grill, lawn mower, clean trash cans, tools, shovels, camping gear, and other garage items. Stuff we couldn't fit in the other two pods, but was too big to move in the car.)

We packed the tvs in their boxes under the computer desk. It's solid wood, and has heavy wood on 3 sides. Surrounded by pillows and bags of stuffed animals for cushioning. Stacked the dining room chairs on top of the desk. The table was more difficult, it's round. Luckily we can unbolt the top of it off, and lay it sideways (used it to block the opening of the computer desk....too big to fit under, but big enough to protect everything underneath it), and tucked the heavy base against the wall, then put all of DS's plastic 3 drawer compartments on top of it. (He has 4 of them filled with his old toys/blocks/etc).

I actually pulled the clothes out of the drawers, stuffed them into garbage bags, and used them for fillers (also did this with the hanging clothes; I just ziptied the hangers together and "hung" them on the spiderweb ropes between sections). I put other things in the drawers (for example, one drawer had silverware and baking sheets (silverware in small thin box), cookware/pots and pans in other drawers.

I took all our pictures and put them in a plastic tote, along with all our important information (bank/credit card stuff, birth certificates, etc) , and took them in the car with us. Just in case.

 

[UCFGrad01]

You can rent furniture blankets from U-Haul pretty cheaply. The rolls of plastic wrap help on corners too. Packing well and tying things down are your best defenses - as long as things stay pretty still, the chance of damage is fairly low.

 

[Sagginit]

I have never used a pod but have done quite a bit of moves over the years unfortunately.

If possible don't take your hanging clothes off the hangers. Get the largest garbage bags possible (like heavy duty leave ones) and poke a hole in the bottom. You can put the hangers through and then tie up the end. I always slide these in on top of the boxes as there is usually a gap between the top and room. I just had my husband do it in his move in and helped my roomate do it on her move out and they were both amazed at the time saved. Plus when you get to the new home you can easily find clothes, what a relief if you have to go right back to work. I second uniform box sizes, but some small ones may help you fill the holes (like shoe boxes as other said can go in furniture nooks).

Just recently we did a 3 trip car move for my husband to move in (using just a car admittedly took time but since he had almost no furniture to move the saved money was worth it). One thing I did that I have never done before is we used large paper shopping bags for pillows, seat pads, and some blankets. You could use a garbage bag too to keep items water safe. We moved a wire wine stand table and a desk chair. Once in the backseat it was easier to cram the bags around and in the nooks than boxes. I always wrap furniture in blankets and if you have tvs without boxes you can buy bubble wrap and then a roll of giant saran wrap to secure it. If you can partially take apart things like tables and desks that helps too. My dining room table was moved in a small van when I bought it used from a relative by taking off the table top and taking out as many leaves as possible.

Giant plastic tubs can get heavy with things like books, but I like them better than boxes for things like electronics (desktops, stereos, even my window AC can fit in one). I save Styrofoam from packaging during the year and use it to fill in gaps (or as others have said if the item is clean you can fill in gaps with things like socks and dishtowels to get the most out of it). If you are worried about really delicate items like China you may want to pick up a few of these, I have never had them buckle under weight and they can be used at the new home for off season storage. I fit almost as much stuff in my Honda with my husband as he did in a friends SUV as I was so efficient in my use of space.