How much packing supplies do you need

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Determining how many packing supplies to prepare for the packing process is always difficult. If you prepare a moving inventory list before you go hunting for packing supplies it will be much easier for you to determine the exact number of boxes that you will need. On the other hand, if creating the moving inventory list seems like a big hassle, there are ways to determine the approximate amount of the moving supplies without knowing the exact number of your household items. Of course, the easiest way to avoid counting your items, supply hunting, and packing is to hire packing and unpacking services.

Nevertheless, some people have trouble accepting that strangers will go through their items, so many of them decide to pack alone. And if you are a person who plans to pack alone, surely you would like to find a way to know how much packing materials to prepare for this process.

Woman thinking how much packing supplies do you need while packing
If you don’t want people to go through your belongings, you might want to pack by yourself

Which packing materials will you need to pack your home?

First, you need to know what packing materials you will need to prepare. Of course, there are expensive and cheaper materials. Plastic moving containers are much more expensive than cardboard boxes, for example. But how to determine which boxes to use? Cardboard boxes are strong and good enough for every standard household move. Plastic boxes are necessary when you have fragile items that you want to protect. Or if you have sensitive items that you plan to store in a storage unit. Even the best storage units can sometimes have a higher humidity level. If you are storing items that are sensitive when exposed to increased humidity, you will have a problem. Clothes for example are a good example of items that should be put in plastic boxes. If you choose this, just make sure that the clothes are dry before you do this. In any case, it would be best that the majority of your boxes are cardboard, and to get a few plastic ones, as well.

Besides boxes, you will need a few other things. Plastic bags, bubble plastic, stretch wrap, packing tapes, and moving blankets. Unfortunately, the list of packing supplies required to properly pack a home does not end there. Then again, bear in mind that movers Tupelo MS will not only pack your items with great care. But, they will also provide all those materials if you decide to use their packing and unpacking services.  

List of packing materials required for packing a home

  • Cardboard boxes are the most important thing to think about when you are trying to calculate how many packing supplies to prepare for packing your home. There are usually four sizes, small, medium, large and extra-large.
  • Wardrobe cardboard boxes allow you to hang your clothes inside the box.
  • Mirror boxes are specially designed to keep your mirror safe inside the moving truck.
  • Dish packs are good for packing your kitchenware.
  • The mattress box will keep your mattress clean and safe during a move.
  • Plastic containers are also important, especially if you are planning to store some items in a storage unit.
  • Bubble plastic is also important to prepare. You can find it on sheets or a roll. This is a must if you have fragile items that need extra protection.
  • Stretch wrap is one of the essential packing materials. Prepare a few rolls for your move, as well.
  • Large plastic trash bags are something that can always be useful during a move. Make sure that you get a few rolls of trash bags, too. They are very versatile and universal, therefore they can be used for packing and storing a variety of items.
  • Moving blankets will help you to protect your expensive furniture, so get a few of those.
  • Packing peanuts can be good to fill in the gaps inside the boxes. But they can sometimes cause lots of mess. And, to protect yourself and the items that peanuts are supposed to shield, put peanuts in small plastic bags instead of pouring them directly into the box. Even though your kids will have a blast playing with them, cleaning them can be difficult, since they will get everywhere.

Don’t forget the labels

Labels and permanent markers will help you to mark boxes with fragile items. Labels are easily overlooked as something that is not important, but they are. They will make unpacking tremendously easier, especially when using the color-coded system. Each room gets a color, and each box from that room will have a label with that color. If you decide to use this approach, make sure to inform everyone about this. There will be no use to it if your moving helpers won’t know what a certain color means.

Couple carrying labeled boxes
Labels are very important

How much packing supplies you will need depends on a few factors

Of course, the amount of moving boxes required to pack a home depends on the size of your home. But two houses of the same size are going to need a different amount of packing supplies. Because it also depends on how many people are living there.

However, two houses of the same size and with an equal number of tenants can also require a different amount of packing supplies because of different lifestyles. Some people like the minimalistic approach when decorating their home, and they will need a significantly smaller amount of packing materials than those who live in a cluttered house of the same size.

Another thing that could affect the size of your inventory and thus the required amount of packing supplies is the location of your new home. If you are moving to Florida, you can get rid of the part of your winter clothes, for example. That can significantly lower the required amount of packing sullies.

Of course, the time you spent in your current home could also be a significant factor. And with all those different factors you can’t tell exactly how many packing supplies you will need to prepare. Luckily, there are some approximate estimates. The best thing you could do is to follow the approximate estimates, but if you feel like you have a bit of clutter on your hands, you could get a few extra clothes. It is better to be prepared than to search for boxes a few days before the move. In the ideal case, you will start packing a few months before moving, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

How many packing supplies you will need for a 400-700 square feet home?

Of course, these are just approximate estimates, but for a 400-700 square feet home, you will need to prepare 7-15 small cardboard boxes. Medium boxes are most important to have, so prepare around 20 of those. Large boxes are good for packing lighter items, like beddings, for example. Six of those should be enough for a home of this size. You can also get 2-3 extra-large boxes if you have some light oddly shaped items. No matter the number of items you have, you should always try not to overpack your boxes, even if that means getting a few extra. It will be easier for some Memphis movers and packers to carry easier boxes than heavy ones.

Camera on top of packing peanuts
Don’t overpack your boxes

How many packing supplies you will need for a 700-1250 square feet home?

For the 700-1250 square feet home, you will usually need to prepare 17-23 small boxes. Around 25 medium boxes should be enough. As well as 10 large boxes. Again, if you have some weirdly shaped objects, usually toys, you can prepare several extra-large boxes. You could have a minimal amount of items in a large home, r a lot of clutter in a small home. It all depends on the type of person you are. But one thing is for sure before you hire some moving companies in Lakeland TN, you should declutter. Apart from having fewer boxes to pack, you will also have fewer unnecessary items in your new home. Moving is the perfect time to get rid of things that don’t bring you joy, so use the opportunity to do it.

How many packing supplies you will need for a 1200-1700 square feet home?

For larger homes, prepare at least 40 small cardboard boxes. If you have a large library, for example, you can add to this amount. In addition, no less than 50 medium-sized cardboard boxes are required to pack an average home of this size. Those also replace small boxes, but you have to be careful not to overweight them. You can easily put too much weight into small boxes, thinking that they are small, and they cant be heavy. Small boxes are good for electronics and other fragile items. Just make sure to put only a few items inside, ideally only one. Electronics would be best in their original box, but who keeps those, right?  Also, prepare at least 20 large boxes and 10-15 extra-large ones. Larger homes tend to have more items, which will result in more boxes. If you get more boxes than Spyder Moving Services TN needs, you can always give them to someone or save them for another time.

Person packing an item in packing paper
The larger the home, the more packing supplies you will need

You won’t have to worry about how many packing supplies to prepare if you hire packing services

Packing on your own has some advantages. You can take as much time as you want. The strangers will not go through your personal belongings. And that’s about it. On the other hand, hiring local movers MS means that you won’t have to worry about how many packing supplies you need. You don’t have to pack your items and they will be professionally packed. Apart from usually providing packing materials, they also use the best packing techniques possible. Good packing supplies and good techniques will ensure maximum safety for your items. And that should be your ultimate goal, to keep your belongings safe. This is even more important when moving long distances. A longer distance traveling means that more damage can happen, and that also doesn’t diminish the chance of something happening during a local move. Moreover, hiring professionals means that you do not have to unpack at the destination. And your movers will even clean the rubbish left after unpacking. There are so many benefits to hiring moves, that only a person that has never used these services will say that it is not good. So think, do you want to pack on your own?