Moving Tips

Dishes and Fragile items

Cushion the bottom of the box with wades of bundled or rolled up paper.
Wrap each piece individually. Newspaper or unprinted soft paper is ideal for this purpose.
Bundle flatware in-groups of three and wrap each bundle.
Place a few layers of paper between each piece of china.
Cushion the top and sides with paper to prevent shifting. When you shake the box, you should not hear anything move. The steadier the contents, the lower the risk of damage.

Clothing

Make sure your dresser drawers are completely empty.
Put hanging clothes in wardrobe boxes.
Use the bottom of the wardrobe boxes for shoes.

Pictures

Please make sure that you box your own pictures or paintings. Safeway Van Lines sells picture boxes.

Lamps and Electrical Items

Wherever possible, pack electronics in the original cartons. If the original boxes are not available to you, pack the items using bubble wrap and make sure that it is packed in a correctly sized box.

Code wiring with tape for easy installation.
Stereo: fasten down the tone arm and dust cover.
Compact disk: Check instructions to secure the laser.
Personal computer: Backup important files. Insert an old or blank disk in the floppy disk drive. "Park" the hard disk (program often included on diagnostics diskette.)

Helpful Hints

Tape the bottom of every box. Tape the top closed tightly. Run two strips of tape along the side and one strip down the center. (If the box is still not strong enough, apply more tape to the sides.)

Use small boxes for heavier items and larger boxes for light-weight bulky items.
Wrap small or fragile items individually.

Stuff the top, bottom and sides of boxes with paper. This prevents shifting, rubbing, and possible breakage.

Pack boxes to the top. This prevents them from being crushed when they are stacked.
Stuff boxes with fragile items with wads of paper. Do not pack items too tightly, however when you shake the box the contents should not move.

For your ease, number each box and make a list of what is in each box. This will make unpacking process much smoother. You may want to make a note on the box as to which room it belongs.

Make an inventory of your property. Safeway Van Lines does not accept liability and will not move certain items.

DO NOT PACK the following items:

Money, securities, valuable papers or jewelry. Keep these items with you at all times. Alternatively, you may prefer to leave these items in a security deposit box at bank.
Flammable items such as our aerosol cans, paint, gasoline, etc.
Perishable items, such as frozen foods, produce plants, etc.