When moving house, it’s common sense that your belongings need to be kept in safe condition when travelling. Packing them in a box any old way just won’t do; being careful and thoughtful is the way to go. Blankets and packing paper are the staples of a good move. However, these staples can be made slightly more complex. Let’s take a look.
Blankets
Blankets are great; there’s no question about it. Besides their most established use of keeping us warm whilst watching a movie, they are also useful in transporting people’s possessions. Most removal companies who use big vans and lorries will have heaps of blankets in the back ready for this task. Being a removal man in a past life, I understand the necessity of wrapping items in blankets. Much like making the bed, there is an art to it. What we must understand is that it’s more than just a case of tucking in everything tightly and making the corners neat.
Blankets are most beneficial when used for large furniture rather than plates, pots, and pans. The type of furniture well suited for blankets are cabinets, wardrobes, mirrors, desks, armchairs, and beds. However, you must be careful when using blankets that are not your own. In fact, it may even be a sensible idea to purchase some. I advise this because there are some health issues you may have to think about.
Comfort
The first is the material used. You may be allergic to a certain fibre used in the making of these industrial type blankets. Some of the loose material may be transferred onto your other furniture such as pillows and sofas, which will render them pretty uncomfortable and impossible to relax on.
Health Issues
Closely related to the above is the issue of cross-contamination in regards to dust mites. These horrible little insects can cause real havoc, not just for your furniture as they eat away at the lining of the material, but also with the trail they leave behind (believe me you would rather I didn’t go into specifics). These trails can induce asthma attacks, upset stomachs, and in severe cases blindness. I would recommend that, if you choose to use the removal companies’ blankets, you should boil and wash and boil them again to close oblivion first. This will exterminate anything living in there and also wash away any dust and grime that may have settled.
Eco-friendly
As mentioned, blankets are great for larger items, but there is a more practical alternative for the smaller items, and that is packing paper. Packing paper sold by most removal companies is a smarter alternative to newspaper. It is biodegradable, which means it is a lot gentler on the planet and is normally made from recycled paper, saving on the amount of trees cut down per year. Packing paper is a hell of a lot easier to use than newspaper. Whilst newspaper can be the lazy-easy option, it can cause problems.
Clean Hands
Newspaper has a habit of smudging. If you have sweaty hands, which I’m guessing you will during the move, then expect your hands to be covered in yesterday’s headlines. The ink they use is also extremely toxic and shouldn’t be swallowed. If you don’t wash your hands of the ink stain before you go for your deserved break of tea and ham sandwiches, then the ingestion of this chemical will be harmful and might mess up the rest of your day.
If you have any whites such as shirts and trainers, then don’t wrap them in newspaper either. The same goes for white plates and cutlery. It will smudge and stain and is a pain to get out. Always opt for packing paper. Packing paper can be recycled and may even be great for origami. When you have moved in and the stress is out of the way, how about learning this ancient Japanese art? Who knows, you may just find your calling.
This article was written by Nicholas Holmes on behalf of Removal Boxes – dealer of high quality removal and packing boxes in the UK. They offer top notch removal boxes, including cardboard boxes, storage boxes, packing materials, and moving boxes.