When you’re about to move, your checklist of to-dos will become a never-ending pain. Every little detail needs to be taken care of and we understand that how much ever you organize, it all turns into a big headache as it gets closer to D-day. When you hire a full-service moving company, packing and the subsequent tasks get taken care of. But that’s also expensive and you can save a significant amount by tackling the packing bit.

But, packing can also get complex when there are items that you haven’t tackled before. One of those is electronics. Doesn’t seem like a big deal? It really isn’t if you do it right, but you have to do it right since they can get damaged easily.

To help you pack your electronics properly before you move, we’ve given you a few tips and tricks that you can use. Go through them and start the process!

1. Gather All Your Packing Materials

The first step to any moving-related task is always to gather all your packing materials depending on the items you want to pack. When it comes to packing electronics, we suggest you have the following in place before you start packing:

  • Sturdy cardboard boxes of different sizes
  • Packing tape
  • Packing paper or newspapers
  • Bubble wrap, if necessary
  • Markers for labeling
  • Zip ties or twist ties
  • Plastic bags that are thick

Have all these materials already? Then you can skip this step. Also, don’t forget to gather these packing materials based on how many electronics you actually have to pack, don’t overbuy. At the same time, if you want to try to avoid some harsh environmental impacts, then try securing cardboard boxes and other packing materials from recycling centers or other department stores where they might have these lying around.

Also Read: Best Packing Materials And How To Use Them

2. Don’t Forget The Original Boxes

Many of us tend to throw out the packaging that items come in when we buy them. However, the story is quite different when it comes to electronics, specifically because their boxes need to be kept for warranty and other purposes. For older electronics, however, you might not always preserve the original boxes they came in. After all, they take up a lot of space.

If you’ve saved these boxes, you’re in luck because putting the electronic items back in their own boxes is the easiest fix to packing them. The boxes they came in are custom-made to fit them without causing any damage, so it’s the best way to pack them. If you don’t have original packaging then remember this tip when you start buying new electronic gadgets – always keep the boxes!

3. Prep Your Electronics

Before you decide to pack your electronics, you have to prep them first. There are a few things you need to do for this process and we’ll outline them for you down below:

  • Go Through The User Guides: Always remember to go through the user guides of the electronics that you’re about to pack before you pack them. These guides usually come with the item when purchased but if you’ve misplaced them, you can always check online. A quick Google search will give you details on how the electronic item has to be packed in the case of a move. You’ll even find instructions on how these gadgets can be stored.
  • Eject All Important Parts: By ejecting important parts, all we mean is that it’s necessary that you take CDs and DVDs out of various devices. Also, make sure to take your toner cartridges or printer cartridges out before you pack your printer and store these in an airtight bag.
  • Backup Your Data: When it comes to computers and other devices that have data on them, it’s best to backup all the data onto an external hard drive. If your device gets damaged during transit, at least you’ll have a backup of your data. You can also transfer your data to cloud storage if that’s an option.
  • Unplug Them All: You must unplug all the electronics you wish to pack at least 24 hours before the move. Why, you ask. It’ll help make sure that none of your electronic devices are still heated up. You don’t want to be packing a device that’s majorly overheated.
  • Remove All The Batteries: A very important step before you pack is removing all batteries from your devices. Why is this step important? Leaving your batteries within electronic items when your moving can cause unnecessary corrosion or other forms of internal damage.
  • Get The Cables In Order: Imagine reaching your new home and opening your packed boxes to reach for an electronic item but you can’t get it to start because you cannot find its cords. Or worse still, you dumped all the chords in a box and now you have to sit and untangle that mess! You don’t want to be doing that amidst all the other moving work. At the same time, twisting your cables around smaller devices isn’t the best idea since you might end up causing damage.

To make this process easier, follow these pointers:

  1. Take pictures of the ports in your devices that the cables are inserted into so that you know which cable goes where when you have to assemble everything again. This is specifically true of televisions and media consoles.
  2. You can also use another method to organize the whole thing better. Once you take the cables out, one by one label each cable based on its purpose. For example, if it’s meant to go inside your TV’s HDMI port, label it as that. You can also just add color-coded stickers to these cables and the matching port to make things easier for you.
  3. Once you’ve done the above, coil the cables neatly and secure them with a zip tie, rubber band, or twist tie. This will ensure that the cables don’t get tangled into a huge mess.

Also See: Pack your TV for Moving | How To Move A Washing Machine

4. Get The Right Kind Of Storage

If you’re planning to store your electronics, especially devices like computers, stereo equipment, or televisions, you must get the right kind of storage unit. What we mean is that such electronics need to be placed in climate-controlled storage units, specifically if they’re going to be stored in locations that can experience extreme cold or hot temperatures.

For example, the cold can make items like CDs crack or compress other components of bigger electronic devices. Extreme heat, on the other hand heat, does the opposite and expands components causing damage to the external body of an electronic device.

5. Wrap Your Electronics Securely

You must wrap your electronics like you’d wrap anything else, but be careful to use linen or packing paper instead of packing chips. There’s a simple reason for that – packing chips can cause harm to your electronic devices since they tend to hold large amounts of static energy. You can also use bubble wrap to wrap your electronics, especially those that are extremely fragile.

When you’re packing larger items, specifically those that have screens, try to avoid newspapers since their ink can bleed onto the screen. Newspapers also tend to cause tiny scratches on screen surfaces so keep that in mind too! If you’re packing a desktop screen, place a towel under the screen and then proceed to wrap it in bubble wrap for extra protection.

Did you know? Bubble wraps are usually used to pack electronics because not only do they provide ample protection against impact, but they also keep excess heat and static energy away.

6. Placing Your Electronics In Boxes

We’ve come to one of the last stages of packing your electronics, and that’s prepping your boxes well before you place your packed electronics in. Try to add as much padding as possible to your cardboard box before you place your electronics in. Also called cushioning, you can add extra-thick layers of packing paper or linen to create a cushion at the bottom and top of the box.

Once you’ve placed your electronic items inside the box, carefully stuff all empty spaces with packing paper or bits of cloth. This will ensure that your electronics don’t shift inside the box during transit. Also, remember to firmly close the box with packing tape after you’re done placing everything inside.

Tip: Adding silica gel to your box can help prevent any kind of moisture from accumulating on your devices and causing corrosion.

7. Unpacking Your Electronics

We decided to put in a section on unpacking because moving electronics doesn’t stop at just packing them. If you don’t take enough care while unpacking your electronics, they can get damaged so you’ve to be extremely careful. This goes without saying but, don’t let your mover stack boxes with electronics one on top of the other.

When it’s time to unload, take these boxes to their respective rooms. This process will be easier if you’ve already made an indication of where each box of electronics should go. Once unloaded, start unpacking and do it carefully. Look through the box thoroughly to confirm that you haven’t left any loose screws or parts behind.

As you start assembling and setting your electronics up, don’t just throw the boxes away before you’ve fully set everything up. Many times people leave things like cables behind in the boxes and realize it too late, so don’t make that mistake!

Additional Tips For When You Pack Electronics

Here are a few things you can keep in when you start packing electronics:

  1. Make a list of the fragile electronic items that you’ll be packing so that once you’re done packing them, you’ll remember to put a “FRAGILE” sticker on the box.
  2. Change your passwords or at least make sure that they’re all secure and hard to come up with. Even though the likelihood of your personal data from your devices getting stolen is rare, in the event that your device gets stolen, it’ll be secure.
  3. You can download tracking apps on your electronics if possible, in an unlikely scenario that it gets misplaced or stolen during transit.
  4. Get temporary insurance for your electronics, especially the valuable ones that are new or in good condition. Let the insurance last from the packing to the unpacking stage if you’re hiring movers.
  5. Tape all breakable parts that your devices have to the body of the device. While you might not be able to take it apart, loose parts might only dislodge and break if there’s a lot of shuffling during transit.

Informative: How To Pack Glasses For Moving | Where To Donate Electronics Before You Move?

Conclusion

Packing your electronics can seem stressful but it’s really not. Follow our guide and be careful with all your electronics from the time you start packing till you unpack and set it all up. Also, as we mentioned before, go through user manuals because they’ll have very specific information about the handling, packing, and storing of the particular electronic item.

FAQs

Is large or small bubble wrap better?

Large bubble wrap is better when you pack fragile dishes since it gives greater protection against shocks and impacts because the bubbles are filled with more air. Small bubble wrap, on the other hand, can be used to pack items that you don’t want to be scratched.

What temperature is bad for electronics?

Anything that goes above 120 degrees can lead to damage, which is why it’s best if you don’t let your electronics get overheated. Also, remember that overheating just makes your devices slower in the future.

Can I bring a TV on a plane?

Yes, you can. TVs count as checked baggage and you can count it as being part of your carry-on weight. But we recommend that you check with the airline you’re traveling with beforehand to make sure that the television will fit in overhead storage or under your seat.

Is it worth to hire movers?

Yes, if you don’t have enough time or help, then hiring movers is your best bet. If you go with full-service you’ll get everything from packing to unpacking that too with damage coverage, which is a big deal if you have high-value electronics and other items to move.

Can you just buy a router and have internet?

Of course not. The router is just a device that helps you to connect your devices to the internet without the use of wires. For the router to actually give you internet, it’ll have to have an ethernet cable plugged into its WAN which your internet service provider will do.

See also: List of Best Moving Companies in the U.S. | How To Make Packing Easier