The Weird Stuff That’s Actually Hard to Pack When You’re Moving
Everybody talks about packing dishes. Wrapping glasses. Protecting the TV. And yeah, those things matter. But the items that really trip people up during a move? They’re the ones nobody writes a checklist for. The half-finished craft projects. The oddly shaped collectibles. That one shelf of things you’d be devastated to lose but can’t exactly describe to an insurance adjuster.
Moving is full of those moments where you pick something up, stare at it, and think, “How am I supposed to pack this?” It’s a fair question. And it doesn’t get asked nearly enough before moving day shows up.
Collections Aren’t Just “Stuff in Boxes”
If you collect anything, you already know the problem. Vinyl records can’t be stacked flat, or they’ll warp. Model kits have parts that snap if you look at them wrong. Lego sets that took forty hours to build aren’t going back together if they fall apart in transit.
That last one comes up more than you’d expect. People spend real time and money on display-quality builds. Knowing how to pack legos for moving can mean the difference between opening a box at your new place and finding your Death Star intact versus finding a pile of grey rubble. Plastic wrap, ziplock bags for loose pieces, and custom padding inside the box all help. Some people even photograph their builds before disassembly just in case.
Point is, collections deserve the same level of care as anything fragile. They might not break like glass, but the time invested in them makes the damage feel just as bad.
The Kitchen Drawer of Chaos
Every household has one. That drawer full of batteries, takeout menus, random Allen wrenches, a candle lighter, and maybe a warranty card from 2019. Nobody packs this drawer with intention. It just gets dumped into a bag and tossed on top of something else.
Here’s the problem with that approach: small items migrate. They end up in the wrong box, under couch cushions that got wrapped at the last second, or just gone. If you’ve got anything actually useful in that drawer (and there’s usually at least one thing), bag it and label it now. A gallon-sized ziplock bag and a marker take ten seconds and save you from tearing open fifteen boxes looking for a screwdriver on your first night.
Artwork and Framed Photos
People tend to pack these last, and it shows. A framed photo of your family wrapped in a bath towel and sandwiched between two couch cushions isn’t a packing strategy. It’s a gamble.
Glass frames crack easily under pressure, and canvas artwork can dent or puncture if anything shifts during transport. The FMCSA’s liability guidelines explain that items you packed yourself may be harder to claim if damaged, which is worth keeping in mind. For framed pieces, use corner protectors and wrap in bubble wrap with cardboard on both sides. Mirror boxes or picture boxes from a moving supply store work well and don’t cost much.
And don’t lay artwork flat in a stack. Stand it upright, like records. Less pressure on the glass that way.
Electronics Beyond the TV
Everybody protects the TV. Few people give the same treatment to the router, the gaming console, the printer, or the external hard drives sitting on a desk. These are all sensitive to impact, dust, and static.
If you still have the original packaging, use it. Manufacturers designed those boxes to absorb shock during shipping, and they work well for moves too. If you don’t, wrap each item in anti-static bubble wrap (regular bubble wrap can generate static and mess with electronics) and place it in a snug box with padding on all sides.
Back up your data before the move. Sounds obvious, but people forget. A dropped hard drive is a frustrating loss. A dropped hard drive with no backup is a disaster.
Plants, Oddly Enough
A lot of people don’t realize that many moving companies won’t transport live plants, especially on long-distance hauls. The USDA has warned that invasive pests can hitchhike on plants and outdoor household items during a move, and some states have specific restrictions on what vegetation can cross their borders.
If you’re driving to your new place, plants can ride with you. Keep them upright, out of direct sun, and don’t leave them in a hot car for hours. For short moves, this works fine. For cross-country trips, you might have to get creative with timing and car space.
The sentimental ones (that fiddle-leaf fig you’ve kept alive for three years) deserve the effort. The rest? Sometimes it’s easier to gift them to a neighbor and start fresh.
Cleaning Supplies and Hazardous Materials
This catches people off guard. Bleach, aerosol cans, certain paints, and even nail polish remover are classified as hazardous materials by most moving companies. They won’t load them. And they shouldn’t, because a leaking bottle of bleach in a sealed truck can ruin an entire shipment of upholstered furniture.
Transport these yourself in a separate container, or just replace them at the new place. Not worth the risk.
The Real Trick Is Starting Early
The annoying truth about packing is that doing it well takes time. The weird stuff, the fragile stuff, the sentimental stuff. None of it packs well at midnight the day before the truck shows up. Give yourself a few weeks. Start with the things you won’t miss, and work your way toward the daily essentials.
The difference between a smooth unpack and a frustrating one usually comes down to what happened during the packing stage. A little thought up front saves hours of searching, repairing, and replacing on the other end.
