How To Pack A Living Room

How To Pack A Living Room

The living room serves both as a casual and formal room in the home. It is where people gather to relax, and also where guests can be welcomed and made to “feel at home”. The living room, or family room, can often contain many aspects of ones life, books, furniture, television, stereo system, photos and decorative items. Packing up all these components requires time and organization.

Books | CD's, DVD's, Cassette Tapes and Records | Mirrors, Pictures and Framed Artwork Rugs | Furniture | Stereo Equipment Televisions

Organize

Like other rooms in the house, first thing to do is go through all the items. Sort through what you want to keep, discard, sell or donate. The living room may take longer than other rooms, so give yourself enough time.

Packing

Begin by packing the items you do not use regularly and any room decor. These items may include:

Books – When packing your books, be sure to use book boxes or small moving boxes. Books are heavy and this prevents overloading. Books can be packed flat and stacked or with the spine facing downward towards the bottom of the box. This will prevent damage to the books.

Wrap books of value and photo albums in packing paper and place firm cardboard between each book. You can line a box with bubble wrap or balled up packing paper prior to placing these valuable books into the boxes, this adds protection.

Books can move around while in transit, fill any empty spaces with wadded paper, as this will prevent damage.

Video - How to pack books

CD's, DVD's, Cassette Tapes and Records – Using small boxes is recommended when packing CD's, DVD's and records. They should never be packed flat. Line a box with paper, and keep them upright. Support the stack at both ends with either cut to fit cardboard or large books.

If you still own cassettes, it is best that they are in their cases during transit. For extra protection, wrap each cassette individually and place in a box lined with padding, waded paper or moving peanuts can be used. Cassette tapes can be packed vertically or horizontally.

Mark these boxes "FRAGILE"

Video - How to Pack CD's & DVD's

Mirrors, Pictures and Framed Artwork – Depending on the size, larger mirrors and pictures can be wrapped and packed in picture/mirror moving boxes. These are specialty boxes that are padded and provide protection. For smaller framed pictures, mirrors and artwork, they can be packed in a moving box. Be sure to not overload the box and keep weight at 40lbs or below. If you have any open spaces in the box, pad with extra paper, bubble wrap or peanuts. If any of the items are of high value, you may want to consult with a company that specializes in the shipping of fine art. If you are hiring a moving company, they can provide special crating for these pieces.

Video - How to Pack Mirrors and Artwork

Once all the smaller and fragile items have been packed, you can begin with the larger pieces.

Rugs

It may be an opportunity to have your rugs professionally cleaned before you move them. If you do opt to clean them, more than likely, they will be returned to you already rolled and wrapped, ready for loading. Easy!

If you will be preparing the rugs yourself, the recommended method is to have them rolled. You can ensure they remain rolled by wrapping them with shrink wrap. Using tape in addition to the shrink wrap will reinforce the wrapping. Another option is to secure the rolled rug with plastic ties and place them in large specialty plastic bags.

Video - How to Prepare your Rug for Moving

Furniture

If you are hiring a moving company, most will provide wrapping of large furniture. This will include blankets (or moving pads) and shrink wrap. Using this method will protect your furniture from any dirt, dust or damage.

If you are moving yourself, or the moving company does not provide this service, make sure you wrap your furniture prior to moving day. Moving pads can be purchased online. You can also rent them. Wrap each piece individually using the moving pads and then tape or shrink wrap to secure the moving pads. Corners will need extra protection, pad them with cardboard to prevent them from breaking and potentially damaging other items while in transit.

Video - Prepare your Furniture for Moving

Stereo Equipment

If you have a complex high end stereo system, you may want to have a professional installation company come and take it down, and pack it for you. They will also be able to recommend installers, if they cannot do it themselves at your new destination.

If you will be packing the system yourself, it will require some preparation:

• Wires - Organize the wires and cords. Unplug all wires from the outlets. To prevent tangling, tie them together using string, zip ties or rubber bands. If they can be removed from the stereo, place them in a box and label the contents.
• Speakers – It is recommended to use a padded box when packing speakers. If you are unable to use a padded box, wrap each speaker with padding before placing in the box. Make sure to fill any spaces with additional padding. If your speakers are too large to fit in a box, wrap them with moving pads and secure with tape or shrink wrap.
• Stereo – If you still have the original box that your stereo came in, this is the best packing option as it is designed for your stereo. If you do not have the original box, there are also electronic boxes that can be purchased. Again, fill any empty spaces to ensure no movement occurs while in transit. For added reinforcement, tape the box with a few layers of packing tape.

Video - How to Packing your Stereo

Televisions

TVs vary in size and you may have a few different sized ones around your home. For smaller televisions, you may find a box big enough that it will fit in. Make sure you pad the box and/or television to protect it from damage. Large screen televisions will usually need to be crated, unless you have the original box. If you have hired movers, they have TV boxes for Flat Screen televisions. They will also pad the inside of the box using moving pads.

Video - How to Pack your TV

Now, if your couch is still in the room, and available to sit on, relax and take a deep breath. Next time you watch a movie or listen to music, you’ll be all settled in to your new home.

Recommended Reading
How To Pack A Bedroom
How To Pack A Bathroom
How To Move A Business Office