With years of professional packing services, we've come up with some general tips. If it is heavy …put it in a small box.  If it is light, you can use a larger box.  Remember, someone will have to carry what you pack!!  Books, files, canned goods etc. weigh a lot.  If you fill a larger carton with heavy objects it may have to be re-packed so it can safely be carried out of your residence and into your new residence. Tape cartons shut three times and nothing will fall through the bottom!  When you build a carton, tape the bottom seam three times to make sure nothing falls out when it is lifted.  The first taping should cover the seam uniformly… right down the middle.  The next should favor one side of the seam and the last should favor the other side of the seam. Lots of newsprint is an inexpensive way to insure good packing.  Use it liberally!!   Crumple newsprint and line the bottom of the carton.  Also use it to fill the sides of the carton for a nice tight fit.  Top your packed carton off with another generous dose of crumpled newsprint.  The contents of a well-packed carton will not shift or rattle when shaken.  Don’t over-do it or you will wind up with more boxes (and expense) than you need … but if you do err, err on the side of caution. Don’t save a little money on your packing and then spend more than you saved to replace broken items.   Packing non-breakables is a lot of work but can save you money on your moving bill – no question about it.  If you are willing to invest the time to correctly pack books, linens and other non-fragile items, we encourage you to do so.  But, the packing of important breakables should usually be left to the pros.  Don’t let your desire to save a few packing dollars create a problem when a valuable piece of china or crystal goblet is damaged in transit.  Some things are just better off being packed by people who do it for a living. Moving boxes are made for moving, liquor boxes are made for liquor!  Loading a moving van properly to prevent shifting is a difficult task to say the least.  Moving cartons provided by moving companies are designed uniformly to facilitate this process … they are built to certain widths and depths to help fill in the “jigsaw puzzle” as the truck is loaded.  Free boxes from the grocery or liquor store, that do not “nest” perfectly in the truck; can many times be more of a hindrance than you might think. The more info you write on the outside of the carton now, the easier it will be at unpacking time.  Be sure to write the name of the room the contents were taken from and some descriptions of what is in the box on the side of the carton.  You will be happier at unpacking time if you know a lot about what is in the box … before you decide if and where to unpack it! When in doubt, leave it to Morgan Manhattan packers.  We didn’t become one of America’s oldest and most distinguished moving companies for nothing!  If you are unsure about how to pack anything securely and safely, just put it aside and let one of our trained, certified packers do it for you.  You will be very glad you did when you get it back at your final destination.