Packing Patio Furniture: What Moving Supplies Will You Need?

With the warm summer weather comes patio season. Do you wake up with the sun, put on a pot of tea and sit outside to take in the sunrise? To enjoy the same lazy weekend mornings at your new home, you’ll need to pack up your patio furniture. Don’t leave it until the last minute!

Our professional movers have put together an essential packing list for the moving supplies you’ll need to pack patio furniture for a move. We’ve also included a few extra steps to help you out along the way.

Moving supplies you will need:

Cleaning supplies: If it’s been warm and sunny outside, no doubt you’ve been using your patio furniture daily. The first step is to wash it all down. You don’t want to track in any dirt or grass to the new house.

Packing tape. Clear or brown packing tape works best on corrugated cardboard boxes. Duct tape doesn’t stick as well and scotch tape is much too weak.

Bubble wrap. If your patio table has a glass top, you’ll want protect it for the move. Remove the glass portion of the table top carefully and place it down gently on several layers of bubble wrap. Then fold over another few layers and securely tape it all down.

Picture boxes. Glass tops are very fragile, especially when loaded onto the back of a moving truck. Picture boxes are traditionally used for storing and moving pictures in frames or mirrors, but it’s the perfect fit for a glass table top. If you get the right size picture box, it should slide right in, bubble wrap and all. Be sure to label it FRAGILE, preferably in a bright red marker.

Toolkit with screwdriver. If your chairs and table can be taken apart, try doing so. Make sure to keep all the smaller pieces together. Keep screws, nuts and bolts in a plastic bag, then tape it to the base of the chair or table.

Moving blankets. If your chairs and table don’t come apart into separate pieces, your movers will just load them into the truck at the very end, all in one piece. Make sure the company you hire supplies moving blankets to protect from scratches.

photo credit: wicker furniture via flckr

This is part 2 in our Summer Moving Series:
Part 1: 5 Tips to Safely Pack a Lawn Mower for a Move
Part 2: Packing Patio Furniture: What Moving Supplies Will You Need?
Part 3: Home Maintenance Moving Checklist: To-Do Before and After Moving
Part 4: Moving Tips for Summer Heatwave Safety