Today I have a guest post from an awesome company called City Stash.  If you are looking for a self-storage unit and you live in the DC or San Fran area then look no further.  OR if you are needing some tips for packing boxes for storage and/or moving, this post will be a life saver!

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How to Pack a Box

Here are five essential tips on how to pack a box.  After all, it’s a box. You just toss some of your stuff inside and call it good, right? Not exactly. If you’re moving —whether it’s across town or across the country — taking such a cavalier stance toward packing is a recipe for disaster. So to prevent such a moving disaster from happening, keep these simple packing tips in mind.

(1) Group Items by Size and Weight

This is the kind of tip you shouldn’t need to hear from me. Nevertheless, here we are. When packing, it’s vital that you avoid haphazardly tossing fragile items and heavy items into the same box. Things will shift around when your boxes are in transit. That means your bronze bust of Deion Sanders will soon turn your set of Bruce Springsteen commemorative coffee mugs to dust if they’re left to just slide around in a box together. You’ll also want to avoid packing any box so it’s heavier than 50 pounds. Unless your moving buddy is Deion Sanders, that box won’t be going anywhere.

(2) Think Like a Pyramid

Be it an Egyptian pyramid or a cheerleading pyramid, one strict rule always applies: The heaviest parts always go on the bottom. If you mess this up, there’s a good chance you shouldn’t be taking on tasks of any sort without close supervision. This is “square peg in a round hole” kind of stuff. Don’t put heavy things on top of lighter things. That said…

(3) Don’t Overdo It with the Protection Look

Let’s get real here for a moment. Lots of box-packing tutorials will preach the value of packing peanuts and bubble wrap and all sorts of other precautionary measures meant to keep your valuables in tip-top shape during a move. And most of those tutorials have been created by companies that sell packing peanuts and bubble wrap and all sorts of other pocketbook-gouging, must-have, moving-day accessories that are designed to ensure you spend as much money as possible to keep your valuables in tip-top shape. While it’s true that you definitely want to take precautions with your breakable items, as well as anything of value that depends on its outer beauty to keep said value, if you’re individually wrapping your plastic cooking utensils or anything of the like in sheets of bubble wrap, you’re just wasting your hard-earned money.

(4) Don’t Underdo It with Box Space

Just as it’s essential not to go overboard with the packing peanuts and bubble wrap, don’t be overly generous with the amount of room you leave inside a box either. Half-filled boxes not only provide more opportunities for items to shift violently, but they also tend to break down in transit. Your action figures aren’t alive. They don’t need that much air.

(5) Labels Are Mandatory

Whatever wisdom your favorite jazz-fusion band has shared on Twitter about not letting yourself be labeled, it definitely doesn’t apply to moving. You should label everything. At the very least, label every box. What info should a label include? How about which room the box should end up in at your new place, whether or not the contents are fragile, and if the box is heavy. It’s just common courtesy to let the kindhearted (easily coerced) people who agreed to help you move (and now bitterly regret it as they haul box after box up to your new place) know which rooms the boxes should go. That way they won’t have to consult you every time they take another box off the truck. Labeled boxes make moving day about 12 times more efficient for everyone.

And even if you’re moving all of your stuff on your own, you’ll be glad you set aside some Sharpie time on the front end when it comes time to unpack and settle in. Use these tips and pack those boxes well, ye restless souls. We admire your wanderlust, and we salute your transient spirit. Hopefully these tips will help you settle into your new place even faster — and with all of your beloved paraphernalia intact.

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Great tips right?  I am so thankful we have a couple of years until we’re going to need to be packing up again!  Moving can be daunting but with these great tips you can insure that your valuables are kept in tip-top shape.  Thanks City Stash!

Looking for a self-storage unit in Washington, DC or San Francisco? Moving to a new apartment or simply need to declutter? We do storage different.  We deliver empty boxes and containers into your home or office free of charge. You pack them with your stuff on your own schedule. Then, our friendly crew will pick them up (along with just about anything else you need to store) and transport it all to our climate-controlled storage facility. Whenever you need your items back, simply log in to your online account and place a redelivery order for any individual item or your entire stash. Best of all, you only pay for the space you actually use.  CityStash is Taking the Self Out of Self-Storage®.