Heavy things in small boxes

Books, tools, tinned food and records go in the smallest box you have. Bedding, cushions and lampshades go in the biggest. The instinct to fill the large box with the heavy items is the one that breaks backs and boxes.

A box you cannot lift comfortably is too heavy, whoever is carrying it.

Fill every box to the top

Empty space is what lets contents shift and break. Fill the gaps with paper, towels or linen until the box is firm, then tape it so the lid does not flex.

A firm, full box also stacks. A soft one collapses under whatever goes on top of it.

Wrap plates on their edge

Plates travel standing on their edges like records in a rack, not stacked flat. Wrap each one, pad the bottom of the box, and pad the top before closing it.

Glasses and stemware want a divided box and paper inside the bowl as well as around the outside.

Label the side, not the lid

Boxes get stacked and a label on the lid disappears. Write the room it is going to and one line about what is inside, on the side, in something that will not smudge.

Mark the fragile ones on more than one face so nobody has to turn the box to find out.

Keep the small parts with what they came off

Screws, brackets, allen keys and remote controls go in a bag taped to the underside of the furniture they belong to. Reassembly is where a good move turns tedious.

Some things should not be packed at all

Movers cannot carry flammables, gas bottles, aerosols, paint, fuel or fireworks, and will not take open food that can leak or spoil. Plan to use them up, give them away or dispose of them before the day.