Moving supplies

The moving supplies list: what you need

Cardboard boxes, in two or three sizes. Small ones for what’s heavy — books, dishes, tools. Medium for almost everything else. Large only for what’s light and bulky: pillows, comforters, clothes. A moving box doesn’t have to be new, but it does have to be dry, intact and close properly.

Wide packing tape. This is the tape for moving boxes: brown or clear, made for packing. You’ll go through more of it than you think — the bottom of every box gets two strips in a cross, and so does the top.

Packing paper. Plain, unprinted wrapping paper is the best thing for dishes and glasses. It’s the supply you’ll run out of fastest.

Bubble wrap. For what’s truly fragile: bowls, pictures, mirrors, glass pieces. You don’t need to wrap everything in it.

Markers. At least two, thick-tipped, with ink that doesn’t smear. They’re what you use to write the number and the room on each box.

Labels, if you’d rather not write on the box — or if the boxes are reused and already carry writing from past lives.

A box cutter or scissors. To cut tape now and open boxes later.

What you already have at home

Some of your moving supplies are already in your closets:

• Towels, dish towels and bedding — perfect padding for boxes of dishes, and they have to make the trip anyway.
• Suitcases and travel bags — moving bags you already own. Clothes go in them, and rolling suitcases are good for books: they take the weight and roll on their own.
• Baskets, drawers and storage bins — they can travel full, covered with plastic wrap or a cloth.
• Socks — a glass inside a sock is an old trick that works.
• Blankets and throws — your own moving blankets, to protect furniture, tabletops and mirrors.

Packing paper or bubble wrap?

Paper is cheaper, takes up less room in the box and works for almost everything. Bubble wrap protects better against knocks, but it’s bulky. In practice: paper for everyday dishes, bubble wrap for the fragile pieces and anything with glass.

Newspaper works as filler, but not against light-colored dishes or fabrics — the ink rubs off.

What’s not worth buying

Very large boxes, which end up too heavy to lift. Thin office tape, which peels off. And store-bought filler, if you have enough towels and clothes.

One last tip: keep your supplies in one place

Gather everything in a box or basket that goes with you from room to room: tape, markers, scissors, paper. Half the time lost packing is spent looking for the marker.