Most people do not enjoy packing, particularly if the house being packed up is large. But NOBODY likes one's household goods to be damaged en route due to poor packing. It is critical to the success of the move that the contents of your home be packed correctly and protected while in transit. Learning good packing techniques will reduce the chance of damage.

Doing your own packing can save you a considerable amount of money. If you wish to pack up the contents of your home yourself you will need to know what moving supplies to buy, and also how to pack each item safely and securely to prevent damage.

This guide contains useful tips and information on what to pack, what not to pack and how to pack up many different items. For example, how you pack your pots and pans will be very different from how you pack up your heirloom china. Keep in mind that you can purchase all moving supplies from any moving company or moving supply company.

If you do not have the time to devote to packing and can afford a packing service, your moving company will be able to pack your household goods along with your furniture. It is critical to book this service in advance and not on moving day. The movers will provide the packers and the packing materials and the contents of your home will be professionally packed, usually on your moving day, or the day before. Remember, this is what these people do for a living and they have enormous knowledge of packing and know all the best techniques to protect your household contents.

You may also request that the moving company do a partial packing. Consider having your movers pack delicate items such as dishes, crystal, and other fragile pieces. You can reduce the risk of damage by letting the agent do the packing for these fragile and valuable items while reducing your costs by doing the bulk of the packing job yourself.

Also keep in mind that if you pack yourself, you probably won't be covered by any insurance that you have -- the insurers don't want to take the risk of insuring items that you packed yourself, since you're not a professional.