When moving, one of the worst things you need to worry about is packing. There is always just so many things to pack! And when you add all the proper ways you need to pack them, as well as added padding and security, this can easily turn into a nightmare. This is why many people decide to ask for help from packing service NYC. While they take care of the packing, you can do other things in your move. However, there are some things that even your movers will not take with them – or will need special care for transport. These include perishable goods – like foods and plants. So, how do you pack them? Are there ways to sort these goods, and does each “category” require special care? In this article, find out our best tips on packing perishables for the move.
Decide what to toss and what to keep
When looking into online packing guides, one of the most common things you will find is that you should always toss away any food. This is because, sometimes, the law will forbid or limit the amounts of food you can transport, so the moving companies won’t even deal with it. However, you might find yourself in a situation where you have your fridge full of meat, or some expensive dairy etc. So, what do you do? Do you really just toss this aside?
Well, the answer is no. There are different things you can do to ensure your perishables arrive at your place. However, if you are using professional movers, then you need to discuss what you are transporting with them first. A thing to do, though, is to check the expiration dates on your supplies. You should get rid of everything that’s nearing its expiration. Whether you eat it or toss it away is yours, but why waste time packing perishables for the move when you probably won’t be eating that afterward? The other thing you need to eliminate are the supplies you are almost done with. These are also easy to get rid of, so do it.
Divide your goods when packing perishables for the move
Now that you are left with the essentials you will want to pack, it’s time to divide them. So, how do you divide these goods? Well, when you look at the perishables with longer expiration dates, you can easily notice three different groups:
- dry goods,
- canned goods and
- frozen goods that might be the biggest difficulty when packing perishables for the move.
As you can imagine, each one of these three will require you to do certain things. They all need to be kept differently, and thus, you will need to pack them differently for transport. So how do you pack them?
How to pack dry goods
These are goods like macaroni, cereals, and rice – very popular when packing for college. Then, you’ve got spices, herbs, and condiments, as well as gelatin, flavorings, bouillon cubes, etc. As you might imagine, the biggest difficulty here would be spilling these. Not only will they be hard to clean up, but they can also leave your other items with a strong, specific smell (depending on what you spill).
First, you need to seal anything that is open with a tape. Put smaller bags together in a box, and seal the box as well. This way, if something spills, it has a high chance of staying inside the box. Don’t forget to cover all the holes in the shakers. Finally, seal those with tapes too. This is an easy start to packing perishables for the move, so you should probably do it first when packing these.
Canned goods need some thought
When it comes to canned goods, you need to be careful. These often require you to think through before moving to pack perishables for the move. Think about whether or not you really need these items. Since some Inwood movers can charge based on the weight of your items, and cans can get pretty heavy, the move costs can climb up fast.
The second difficulty with these items is how to transport them. You need a sturdy box that will keep them in place and a lot of tapes to secure it. You can find these in grocery stores, but it’s a smart idea to also pay extra to get some nice padding for the cans. They can bump into each other within the box and get damaged.
Frozen goods
Some of the biggest packing mistakes can occur when you are trying to pack frozen goods. These need special care since they need to be kept in low temperatures. Sometimes, when there are a lot of moves happening, the movers will pack a couple of houses together in a truck. Because of this, it can take up to a couple of days for your items to reach your new home. You can see how that can be a problem for these goods.
So, when you are packing perishables for the move, and those perishables happen to be frozen goods, first make sure to talk to your moving company. These items need special handling, and your movers need to be aware of that. Some of them might not even allow frozen goods in their truck! You might need to transport them inside an unplugged device (like a freezer), or a third party to carry them for you. Think about this when you need are planning your move, and they won’t cause you any trouble.
