How to Correctly Load a Moving Van

Moving is stressful. It would be great if you could just hire someone to move your things for you, but hiring a moving company or even moving to load your van can be expensive. Correctly loading your moving van can make your move less stressful, and make the moving process smoother.

Instructions

1. 

   When loading a moving van, the biggest items go first. This seems difficult to do, as often we pack as we move, so we are filling boxes with the contents of our dressers before we even consider loading the dresser. By adding the largest items first, you allow for more to be packed in one trip. Correctly loading a moving van is similar to taking a jar and filling it with sand and rocks. If you put the sand in first, you won't be able to fit as many of the rocks, but if you put the rocks in first, the sand can seep down in the small spaces between the rocks and you can fit them both. Well, when loading a moving van, your dresser, bed, couch and chair are the rocks, and that lamp and box of picture frames are the sand.

2. 

   When loading a moving van, use boxes for anything that can fit in a box. It seems like commonsense to use boxes to move, but often finding enough boxes for everything becomes quite a chore and many simply decide to just throw individual items into the moving van. This is a mistake. Putting items into boxes allows for them to not only be protected, but also stacked inside the moving van. Stacking allows more items to fit.

3. 

   Pack and have a plan before you move. This almost seems like it should be step one, but if it were, you'd probably already have all the little things loaded into the back of the moving van first and then attempt to load up your couch next thinking that was your plan. By the time you came back to read Step 2 of 'How to Correctly Load a Moving Van,' it would be too late! This step fits just fine where it is. Packing before you move allows you to properly gauge just how much space you will need and allows you to plan out how much time you anticipate a move will take. For many people on moving day, the most time consuming action of the day is waiting around, because everything was not ready to be moved!