Not everyone can afford to get a removals company round to do a full packing service, and for this reason, it is essential that you are aware of how to pack properly, so that nothing gets damaged whilst you are in transit during your move. Should you decide to do the packing yourself, you will find that removals companies rarely offer protection or insurance plans for damaged items. This may seem like a bit of a scam, but in fact it makes a lot of sense. The removals staff will be used to moving well packed boxes, and will be treating them with care whilst also understanding that they need to be put under certain pressure in order for the move to work well. For instance, a remover will be stacking boxes in the van; if they have not been packed properly, this may well lead to issues regarding crushed boxes, or tape coming unstuck and items spilling out. A removals company will not expect this, and therefore cannot safeguard against it, nor take responsibility for any damage that happens in such circumstances. If you are concerned that you want your items to be protected, but you can’t afford a packing service nor outside insurance, then packing properly is the only option available to you!Start by getting the best materials for the job. Sure, you can go online and find all sorts of boxes for free, but they will usually be second hand and well used. If you can find cheap unused boxes then get them by all means, but sacrificing structural integrity for the sakes of a few pounds is not wise at all! Used boxes may have creased in places that makes them weak, so stacking them could well cause serious issues. Your removals service will often be able to provide you with great removals boxes, which they will often give you at a discounted price if you ask them. Self storage facilities will also be a great place to get such materials. Avoid using too much bubble wrap in unnecessary places, as it takes up a lot of room in the packing boxes and can be a waste of space. Use bubble wrap for delicate items, but wrap less fragile things in newspaper or tissue if they still need protecting. When placing things in the boxes do so in a way that keeps everything tightly locked together, so that nothing shifts around in the van. The vibrations from the engine will make things resettle, and you need to avoid anything changing position too vigorously, as this can result in breakages. Fill up any excess space in the boxes with scrunched newspaper to aid this.Label your boxes cleverly to avoid confusion or accidents. Put a small guide to what is inside for your own sakes, so that you can find things easily if you have to in an emergency. Label the boxes with the state of the contents, ‘heavy’ or ‘fragile’ for instance, as well as the name of the room that they are going to. Having the boxes deposited in the rooms that they need to be in by the removals company will ensure that you are able to unpack them easily when the time comes to do so, as everything will be in place already! Having written what is in the boxes in brief on the side, the hope is that no one will use your precious glassware to hold a door open during the move!