The World of Cardboard Boxes
If there’s one thing that’s always part and parcel of moving house, it’s the cardboard box. It’s simply inconceivable that anyone could consider relocating without, at some point, stocking up on them. They’re a trusty staple of the removals world, without which the whole process would be far harder. Remember those student-era moves, when you’d try to do it all with bin-liners, only to discover that hardback books have a tendency to tear through them, leaving your precious possessions falling out in the road? Shudder. So here’s to the cardboard box, an invention that almost rivals the wheel for its combination of genius and simplicity. Of course, when we think of the cardboard box, we tend to picture the standard, square-shaped variety, but there are many more styles out there, most of which could come in handy during your move. Here’s a little run-down of our favourites.
Book Boxes
As the name would suggest, these sturdy, small and usually rectangular boxes are perfect for books (and similar items). Owing to the considerable weight of books, which is more than you’d realise when you’re holding one, the book box is never particularly large. One of the rookie errors of moving house is to fill a vast cardboard box with books and then find you cannot pick it up, let alone carry it into a vehicle.
Flat Boxes
Get one or two of these prior to your move, because they’re great for items like DVD players and laptops.
Wardrobe boxes
These beauties allow you to pack clothes without having to fold them. It’s a box with a rail inside and it saves huge amounts of time. It’s at the more expensive end of the cardboard box range, but it’s money well spent.
Mirror carton
Items like mirrors, photographs framed with glass and removable glass table-tops require their own, very protective kind of cardboard box. The mirror carton comes with padding to keep everything safe.
Mattress carton
This comes in a variety of sizes because so do mattresses. For every kind of bed, from the humble crib right up to the king-size, there is a corresponding mattress carton.
Dish barrel
Kitchenware is one of the heaviest of items involved in a move. The dish barrel is reinforced, so it’s an ideal solution not only for crockery and china, but also for little antiques, the bases of lamps and crystal.
