When moving, there are a lot of moving hacks you can employ to make your move easier. Some of our favorites involve using a surprisingly simple but overwhelmingly helpful household item – saran wrap. Either household plastic wrap or the professional-grade moving wrap used by movers like ourselves should be part of your toolkit for tackling your next move. The beauty of plastic wrap is that while it sticks to itself, it won’t leave a sticky residue or destroy the paint job on your furniture like tape will. Here are 5 surprising ways you can use plastic wrap for your upcoming move:
1. Keep Your Silverware Contained
Instead of packing up the contents of your silverware drawer, you can keep all your spoons, forks, and knives contained using saran wrap. Simply remove your utensil holder from the drawer and wrap a few layers of plastic wrap around the whole thing. Now you can set your silverware tray into a box and all your cutlery will stay contained for the duration of your move, making unpacking a snap.
2. Make Bottles Leakproof
At some point, you’ve probably moved or traveled with a bottle full of liquid, only to get to your destination and find that it’s leaked all over in your luggage. Rather than ditching all your liquids in contemplation of your move, make them leakproof! Remove the caps from your bottles, and place a layer or two of plastic wrap over the opening, securing with a rubber band. Then refit the cap, and voila, your bottle is ready to transport. This is the perfect solution for everything from bathroom products to kitchen ingredients like olive oil and vinegar.
3. Organize Your Hardware
To make things easier to move, we recommend disassembling large pieces of furniture like beds and bookcases. While this keeps your belongings safe, it also makes it easier to physically lift and load furniture onto the moving truck. One of the biggest pains of furniture disassembly, however, is keeping track of all the tiny bits and pieces that hold it all together. Instead of coming up short on screws, nuts, and bolts, place all the hardware into a plastic bag, seal it shut, then use saran wrap to affix it to the bed frame or piece of furniture. Now you’ll have exactly what you need to reassemble each piece in one convenient place.
4. Keep Drawers Closed
Maneuvering furniture through awkward hallways and stairwells, that are a hallmark of moving in Manhattan, often requires tilting and turning to make things fit. While this isn’t a problem with a table or chair, this does pose a challenge for moving dressers with sliding drawers. We find it’s easiest to move dressers and wardrobes when the drawers are locked into place with a few layers of plastic wrap. Close all the drawers, and using a professional-grade plastic moving wrap, wrap the furniture several times to keep them secure. Now you’ll be able to lift and handle these bulky pieces of furniture without having to worry about the contents spilling out in the process.
5. Secure Moving Blankets
It’s important to properly protect your furniture during transport to keep it from getting dinged and scratched during the move. While we always bring our own moving blankets to pad customers’ furniture, if you are renting a truck, you may want to ask the rental company to throw in a stack of moving blankets to keep your possessions protected during transport. To keep moving blankets in place during the move, you can secure using, you guessed it, cling wrap. For this, you will need plastic wrap made specifically for moving since it’s thicker and will hold up better. Simply cover furniture with a moving blanket, then wrap several layers of plastic wrap around it to hold in place. Now your furniture will be protected for your move!
