The Movers.com Blog

Unconventional moving supplies? Get 'em while they're hot!

If you live in a cookie-cutter home with unlimited time, money, and resources, it’s quite simple to purchase brand new moving supplies and pack your belongings with the finesse and glamour of a Martha Stewart Living magazine spread.  Unfortunately, reality is rarely so blissful and it’s sometimes necessary to forego the packing paper in favor of, say, yesterday’s news.  Here are the top ten unconventional moving supplies we’ve thought of here at Movers.com.  A quick note: we don’t endorse or recommend using these methods instead of real packing supplies (though we’d like to think that these are a bit more fun and adventurous than the standard cardboard cartons, bubble wrap, and packing peanuts).

1. Microwave - When I was moving out of college my junior year, I ran out of boxes.  Unfortunately, I was moving myself and didn’t have much cash to spare for additional boxes.  I decided to make do with the closest things that ressembled boxes, the most obvious being a microwave oven.  When thoroughly cleaned, mobile parts removed, and interior covered with moving paper, a microwave is essentially a box with a hinged door.  In a bind, it can be used to pack books, mementos, or other small items.
2. Not-so-skinny jeans - Perhaps you’ve lost a lot of weight and your old skinny jeans sag.  Or maybe your denim is bursting at the seams.  Either way, use scraps from old jeans to wedge between packed items.  Or wrap an entire pair around a favorite lamp or statue–just make sure that any metallic embellishments don’t scratch your precious item.
3. Fresh mulch - This is a great alternative packing supply for outdoor items, though the odor and grit would probably ruin a lot of fine antiques.  If you want to transplant your gnomes or pink plastic flamingos, place them in a box surrounded by fresh mulch.  Larger boxes will quickly become heavy when filled with mulch, so reserve this for medium to small cartons only.
4. Aluminum cans - Wash and dry your aluminum cans as thoroughly as possible.  Use them to line the bottom of a box before adding padding.  They will provide a layer that gives and bends in addition to other padding.  A bonus: when you’re done moving, you can easily recycle them and feel good about your eco-friendly move.
5. Big sneakers - Perhaps you wanted to secure your fine glass animals or holiday ornaments in a packing job that would make Fort Knox jealous.  If so, you could wrap them as normal and then carefully place the wrapped item into an old (albeit clean) sneaker.  Wrap this once again for added support before carefully placing into the box.  The extra support will keep your items secure and safe. (next page)

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