There is a wide range of moving and packing products both to make your move safer and easier. With so many products on the market it can be hard to determine which supplies you need and which ones you can move without. Here we will cover the most popular moving and packing supplies used by movers today.
Click HERE for the printable version of this moving and packing supply checklist.
Moving Equipment
Moving without the proper equipment can be dangerous as well as inefficient. There are moving tools and supplies that can help make any moving situation easier, safer, and faster. Save your back and invest in some moving equipment. Moving equipment includes hand trucks, protective equipment, and other important tools.
Moving Carts
- Hand Truck
- L shaped wheeled cart with a handle used to transport heavy items.
- Good for moving boxes and small furniture or appliances.
- 4 Wheel Furniture Dolly
- Flat surface 4 wheeled cart used for transporting furniture, appliances, and other heavy items.
- Good for wheeling larger furniture and appliances.
- Platform Truck
- A wheeled cart with a flat deck and no sides.
- Good for transporting boxes, loose items, or small appliances.
- Appliance Dolly
- A heavy duty hand truck with built in moving straps to move appliances and other heavy equipment.
- Specifically used for moving large appliances such as refrigerators, washers, and dryers.
- Furniture Lifters
- Device used for lifting heavy items onto moving carts or sliders.
- Uses a long handle for leverage to lift heavy items with ease.
- Furniture Sliders
- A durable piece of plastic or rubber with a cushion.
- You can place them under the legs of furniture to be able to slide the piece without damaging the floor or yourself.
Protective Gear
- Moving Pads
- Also called furniture pads or moving blankets, are a protective covering used to cover furniture and other items during a move.
- Shrink Wrap
- A thin plastic wrap used to package and secure items.
- Great for securing moving pads onto furniture and other items.
- Floor Protectors
- Runners made of plastic, rubber, or other protective material to safeguard floors while moving.
- Can also be used for smoother moving across long carpet or gravel.
- Road Cones
- A cone shaped marker used to direct traffic away from an area.
- Use to mark off your moving area or space for your moving truck.
- Furniture Covers
- Furniture shaped cloth or plastic coverings used to protect furniture from damage or debris.
- Fabric furniture covers are great protection when storing furniture in storage units for extended periods.
- Moving Gloves
- To protect your hands during the move.
- The best moving gloves are comfortable, flexible, and have some kind of non slip surface.
Straps and Tie Downs
- Ratchet Straps
- Device used to secure cargo while in transport.
- Comes with a built in ratchet for tightening perfect for end of load security.
- Rope
- Basic tool to secure the load at the end of the moving truck.
- Bungee Cords
- A stretchy band with hooks at both ends used to secure goods.
- Use like you would rope or straps to secure items in the truck or at the end of the load.
- Forearm Lifting Straps
- Set of straps used to lift items using your forearms.
- Shoulder Dolly
- Set of lifting straps with a harness to lift and maneuver heavy items using your body.
- Takes some practice to get the straps just right, but these can be very convenient during a move.
- Moving Bands
- Large heavy duty rubber bands used to secure items during a move.
Other Equipment
- Measuring Tape
- A flexible ruler used to measure length, height, and width.
- Take measurements of doorways and bulky furniture to verify clearance.
- Piano Dolly
- Wheeled cart specifically designed to carry the weight and structure of pianos.
- Typically used by professional piano movers.
- Piano Skid
- Also called a piano board is a special platform made to secure and transport pianos.
- Typically used by professional piano movers.
- Basic Tool Kit
- You may need a basic tool kit to disassemble furniture, remove doors, or other moving related tasks.
- It should contain screwdrivers, allen wrenches, pliers, and a hammer at minimum.
- Pad Lock
- If you need one to lock up a storage unit or the moving truck.
Packing Supplies
This section will cover packing supplies. These supplies will typically be used during the box packing stage of the move. Packing supplies include boxes, cushioning materials, and other materials necessary to pack and secure your goods for moving.
Standard Boxes
- Small Box
- Good for packing small heavier items like books, Knick knacks, collectibles, glass dishes, small appliances or electronic equipment.
- Medium Box
- Good for packing medium size and weight items such as pot and pans, decor, toys, bathroom supplies, shoes and accessories.
- Large Box
- Good for packing lighter and larger items like clothes, linens, stuffed animals, and large kitchen items.
- X-Large Box
- Good for packing light bulky items such as pillows, comforters, and bath towels.
Packing Material
- Packing Paper
- Also called newsprint is paper that comes in sheets or rolls and can be used to wrap and protect items as well as crumpled to provide cushioning in and around boxed items.
- Bubble Wrap
- Bubble wrap comes in large or small rolls and can be used to wrap and protect breakables before boxing.
- Cushioning Foam
- Cushioning foam comes in rolls or pouches and can be used to individually wrap breakables before boxing.
- Packing Peanuts
- Small pieces of cushioning material used to fill empty space in boxes around fragile items.
Specialty Boxes
- Dish Pack
- Dish packs are sturdy boxes that have cardboard separators built in for speedy packing and extra protection.
- Glass Pack
- Like dish packs, glass packs are sturdy boxes with built in cardboard separators that make packing more efficient and keeps your glasses safe.
- Wine Shipping Box
- Sturdy tall box with protective foam insert specially made to ship wine bottles.
- China Storage
- Special hard case dish packing totes made for packing fragile dishes like fine china.
- Picture/Mirror Box
- Made to fit framed objects like artwork, pictures, mirrors and other similar shaped objects.
- T.V. Box
- Extra large boxes made to fit common size flat screen televisions and some even come with convenient styrofoam bumpers.
- Lamp Box
- Tall thinner box made to fit tall lamps but can also be used for golf clubs, tall decor, telescopes, or other long thin items.
- Book Box
- Small extra sturdy box made for withstanding the weight of books.
- File Box
- Also called a bankers box is a sturdy box made for holding and organizing documents and files.
- Legal Tote
- Legal sized file box.
- Wardrobe Box
- Tall moving box with a built in clothes hanging bar made to pack clothes straight from the closet, efficiently with no wrinkled mess.
- Laying Wardrobe
- Long flat box to lay clothes flat.
- Sport/Utility Box
- Made to fit odd shaped, sports, or outdoor equipment.
Covers and Bags
- Mattress Bag
- Made from plastic or fabric, mattress bags are made to fit mattresses and keep them safe from damage and debris.
- Dust Cover
- Large plastic covering used to cover furniture or other items from dirt, dust, or debris.
- Rug Bag
- Rug storage bag used to keep and protect rugs after rolling.
- Vacuum Seal Bag
- Special bag with a vacuum seal capability to take air out of the bag which preserves the item and conserves space.
- Shoe Bag
- Plastic or fabric bag made for keeping pairs of shoes separate, safe and clean.
- Amazon Moving Bags
- These large easy to carry reusable bags are designed to carry anything that won’t fit or doesn’t go in a box. They can even be used in place of boxes for any non breakable items.
- Zip Close Bags
- Also known as Ziploc bags, these come in different sizes which can be helpful in moving. Small bags can hold hardware from dismantled furniture while large ones can hold bottles with liquid to keep from leakage.
- Trash Bags
- Can be used for packing clothes or other soft items or for trash.
- Garment Bag
- Durable bag made for protecting suits, dresses, and other fragile clothing pieces.
Boxing Supplies
- Packing Tape
- Tape made for packaging and shipping.
- Duct Tape
- Strong tape to hold items together.
- Electrical Tape
- Tape for any loose wires.
- Fragile or Red Tape
- To mark boxes with fragile or breakable items inside.
- Colored Tape
- If you like to color code by room for your move you can use colored tape.
- Moving Labels/Stickers
- Pre printed labels for moving boxes typically with names of rooms on them for convenience.
- Markers
- To mark the contents of boxes.
- Scissors/Box Cutter
- Used in moving for getting into boxes and other various purposes.
Other Packing Supplies
- Rubber Bands
- Use for keeping wires and other small items in a group.
- Straws
- String necklaces through to keep from tangling.
- Twist Ties
- Use to keep small things together.
- Air Tags/Luggage Trackers
- Pack with your belongings if you’re moving long distance to track them while in transport.
- Painters Tape
- Use to tape mirrors and glass surfaces in case of breakage and to secure doors on furniture without damage.
- Moisture Pack
- Use to place in portable storage containers or moving trucks to absorb moisture and prevent mildew.