Best boxes for packing/moving

[MrsPepperpotAgain]

Any recommendations for good companies / boxes to use? I've just googled and blown away by how many options there are.

B&q have some big square ones for moving at £2 each. They would be too big for books though as they would weigh a ton!
Are you using a removals firm? Ours are lending us ours for a month after we move included in the price but some companies will sell them.
Otherwise, ask at stores if they have any and be prepared to reassemble them.

Ah, I hadn't realised that some firms lend boxes - thanks for that thenewaverage. I'll look into that. I was hoping to avoid trawling round supermarkets for boxes, polter, though banana boxes do sound good for books. Boxes can become fiendishly heavy with books.

Get the movers to pack for you if you can afford the extra cost - it is relatively small in the scheme of things and makes things a lot less stressful.

Don't get huge boxes and don't overload them. Mix books with lighter things. One person should be able to comfortably lift a box on their own.

Thanks wowfudge. I will ask how much they charge for that when i get quotes. Do they come to your house before the day to pack?? Or is it all done on the day of the move? That probably seems like a daft question, but the thought of leaving it all to the day itself makes me nervous that it wouldn't get done in time.

I keep thinking about having them do our packing, but I think I'm too particular- I need to do it myself so I know where everything is on the other side!
Definitely like the banana boxes for books, that's a great idea.

We put books in the very strong PVC supermarket bags. They held just right amount to carry. Packers did the rest.

Banana boxes are the best. Strong, with handles and stack well. Not too big so you can put lots of books, etc, in.

I bought some of those large plastic boxes on wheels with lids from Argos. They were about £6 each and were perfect for those things you don't want ruined like kitchen stuff. Because they are on wheels they are easy to move around too. Plus they stack together so you can pop them in the loft for next time.

Our removal company came to pack at lunchtime the day before. Stayed until 5 ish, left with just our bed, DDs cot, and the kitchen to do on moving day. Was brilliant - I was 6 months pregnant so really not in a place to help. We lost 1 wine glass where they packed a heavy candlestick on top. Am sure we'd have lost much more if we'd done it ourselves.

PS for some reason I thought they would have a specialist female packing team, as in both my marriage and my DPs it is the wife who packs for holidays! No it was just the removal men. Much more efficient than me as they didn't get caught in the sentimentality of anything they picked up.

Where in the country are you? My hall is currently full of about 60 good quality empty boxes I was going to offer free to anyone who can pick them up.

I can highly recommend getting packers though. It massively reduces the stress of moving day.

Just found this little tip on Pinterest - thought I'd share
Ps. Unless you want to waste several hours of your life, do not look up 'moving house tips' on Pinterest.

Thanks all for your replies. I'm going to ring places tomorrow for quotes and see how much it is for them to pack. If it's a lot more then I won't be able to justify it, but the reduced stress it would mean is so appealing.

Purple, I'm in Glasgow - are you?? A long shot, I know.

And i'll definitely be avoiding pinterest for now - too much of distraction!

Sadly very not Glasgow! Really good luck with the move.

Never mind, purple - thanks anyway. Hope you find a new home for all your boxes.

I bought a pack of moving boxes from Argos (when I'd exhausted all avenues of free boxes) and they were actually really good!

To answer your question OP, the movers come the day before or earlier to pack. Ours did one and a half days before moving day. It depends how much stuff you have.

If you have a lot of books, then I'd recommend file boxes for moving them. since they are designed to hold paper you can't make them too heavy to lift! They also make good loft storage if your loft is dry. The advantage over banana boxes being that they are lidded.

But - I'd second getting the packers in if you have the money to spare. It made a huge difference for us the last time we moved.