Moving blankets are an essential component of any professional moving company’s repertoire, whose importance cannot be overlooked.. Any movers you hire should be equipped with the appropriate number of moving pads to ensure your items are wrapped and protected to your satisfaction. In this article we will go over what exactly is a moving pad, how many your movers should be equipped with, and how to utilize these pads to protect your belongings on your upcoming move.
What is a moving pad?
A moving pad is a very thick and durable large blanket made from a blend of polyester mesh and woven cotton material. This polyester blend makes for a very durable pad that will absorb any energy that may result with contact from walls or other furniture items. The woven cotton provides the thickness that allows moving pads to be so useful. A batting is utilized in the pad to provide a thicker and more full blanket. Moving pads are generally categorized by weight, with the total weight of a dozen being used to identify different padding grades. As you can imagine, the thicker the moving pad is the more protection it has to offer. Thicker moving pads usually weigh around 50 pounds per dozen, or 4.16 pounds each. A lighter pad would be 24 pounds/dozen, or 2 pounds per pad. These lighter pads are generally referred to as storage pads and are better suited for protecting items that are going to be sitting in storage for a period of time. When moving items from one location to another, where lots of turns, bumps, or stairs may be present, thicker pads will be required to ensure protection. Moving pads are just one tools that your movers should be equipped with on moving day. For more tools your movers should be equipped with on moving day check out our other article, 4 Essential Tools Movers Should Always Have.
How many pads should my movers have?
This question has no definite answer as it depends on how many fragile and vulnerable furniture items you need moved. Our team, as a rule of thumb, will keep approximately 50 thick furniture pads on our trucks for every move performed. In most cases this is far too many, but we would always rather be prepared. We find that most one bedroom apartments only have between 8-10 major furniture items that will require padding. This means, on average, that a one bedroom apartment will use between 10-15 furniture pads as some furniture items will require multiple pads. Naturally, as most people do not live in an apartment, more furniture pads will be necessary for larger homes. For a three bedroom home we find the average number of pads used to be between 24-36 pads total. Here is a useful guide for determining the number of pads you may need for your move. Another rule of thumb our team utilizes is about 12 thick furniture pads per bedroom you are to move.
How to correctly utilize pads?
Good news, utilizing furniture pads is a rather simple and straightforward procedure. Most furniture pads will come as either a large rectangle or a square. This makes it easy to simply drape the pad over your desired piece of furniture, ensure all edges of the piece are covered, and secure the pad with either tape, furniture wrap, or giant rubber badns. Securing the pad in place onto the furniture item is essential as you do not want the pad shifting or falling off during transit.
When securing the pad onto the furniture piece we recommend not having the tape or furniture wrap touch the furniture items at all, but instead wrap tightly around the pad that is covering the furniture item, securing it into place. Furniture wrap is a roll of thin plastic stretch wrap that can be rolled around furniture pads to secure them into place. They are often used in the place of tape as they provide more surface area in which to bind to the pad. Here is a video of how to properly secure a moving pad onto a furniture item using large rubber bands.
Simply drape the pad so that it covers the top part of your furniture item and hangs over to the bottom edge and then wrapping the corners around the sides of your piece will provide the most protection. At this point simply take your furniture wrap, tape, or large rubber bands and wrap it around the pad snugly, securing it into place.
If used correctly furniture pads will greatly reduce the potential for any damage, scratches, knicks, or indents on both your furniture items as well as your old and new home. Any professional moving company you hire, and spend good money on, should be equipped with the appropriate amount of furniture pads for your move. The presence and utilization of moving pads is a bar that can be used to distinguish between a professional moving company and amateurs that may not have the experience necessary to properly protect your items.
Where to get furniture pads
Furniture pads are readily available at most box supply and packaging stores. Although not the thickest of pads, U-Haul also has their own line of furniture pads. The internet is filled with sites selling pads of all sizes, thickness, and varieties. Stores like Harbor Freight, Home Depot, and Lowes will also have some choices when it comes to furniture pads. Surprisingly, we find that ebay.com has some of the most competitively priced and high quality pads on the market today.
Finding second hand or used furniture pads is always a great way to save some money as pads can be somewhat pricey. You can always sell your used furniture pads after your move as well to make some money back.
Whether your looking for pads for your DIY move or are preparing for your moving day make sure to check our blog for all of your moving resources or visit our quote page to get your free estimate.
