10 Professional Packing Tips From Hercules Movers

After thousands of moves across Cambridgeshire, our crews have packed pretty much every kind of household possible — Victorian terraces in Romsey, family homes in Trumpington, student houses in Mill Road, listed properties in the city centre, and large country properties out towards Royston. These are the ten habits that separate a smooth unpack from a chaotic one.

1. Use double-walled boxes

Supermarket boxes collapse, split and rip — especially when they've been stacked five high in the back of a van for an hour. Proper double-walled removal cartons cost a few pounds each and protect everything inside them. Always buy more than you think you need; we have never met anyone who packed too few books.

2. Heavy items in small boxes

Books, tools and crockery go in small boxes. Bedding, towels, lampshades, cushions and soft toys go in large boxes. Mixing the two is how backs get hurt and how boxes split mid-carry. A useful rule of thumb: if you can't comfortably lift the box one-handed, repack it.

3. Wrap fragile items individually

• Plates upright, wrapped in paper, in a divided dish-pack
• Glasses upright with paper crushed inside the cup
• Mirrors and pictures in dedicated picture boxes
• TVs in their original box or a flat-screen carton
• Lampshades in their own boxes, never with books or hardware
• Vases and ornaments wrapped, then nested with bubble wrap

4. Label boxes on the side

Once boxes are stacked, top labels disappear. Write the destination room and a brief contents list on at least two sides. Use a fat marker, not a biro. Colour-coded tape (one colour per room) speeds unloading enormously — we can supply this as part of our packing services.

5. Pack a first-night box

Kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, toilet paper, bedding, toothbrushes, basic toiletries, a phone charger or three, and any medication. This single box is the difference between a relaxing first night and a frantic one. Travel with it in your own car, not in the truck.

6. Photograph electronics

Before unplugging the TV, router, speakers, home office setup or the kids' gaming console, take a photo of the cable arrangement. Future-you will be very grateful when nothing turns on at 11pm in the new house.

7. Drawers full, contents secured

Most modern furniture can be moved with light contents inside drawers if they're taped or shrink-wrapped. Heavy items should still come out — books and tools especially. Wardrobes are best emptied; wardrobe cartons let clothes hang straight from rail to rail.

8. Empty fuel & sharps

Removal companies cannot legally transport petrol, paint thinners, large gas canisters, aerosols, fireworks or open paint tins. Dispose of them at the Milton or Thriplow recycling centres well before moving day. The same applies to garden chemicals and old camping gas.

9. Keep documents with you

Passports, deeds, birth certificates, jewellery, watches, cash and medication should travel in your own car — never on the moving truck. Pack them together in a single dedicated bag or document folder so nothing is mislaid in the chaos.

10. When in doubt, ask the pros

Our professional packing services in Cambridge can pack a typical three-bedroom home in a single day using the right materials and the right method for every item. For valuable, fragile or short-deadline moves it almost always pays for itself — and your insurance is automatically valid because we packed it.

Bonus: the unpacking phase

Unpack in the same order you packed — kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, then living spaces. Break down empty boxes immediately or you'll lose entire rooms to cardboard. We collect empty packing materials for free for a month after your move.