Choosing the right packing materials for your office electronics

Packing up your office is a mighty task. Whether it’s your home office or your business is moving buildings, there will always be a fantastic collection of office electronics you will want to keep safe for the move. With such a high price tag, it makes sense to take some time to consider how to choose the right packing materials for office electronics to ensure they arrive safe and undamaged and can be easily set up to get you back to business in no time at all. As specialists in removals and transport, our team has put together the list below to help you choose the right packing materials to keep your electronics safe and sound for your upcoming move. 

Consider the bigger picture

When you look at your office, it may not seem like you have that much in the way of electronics to pack for your move. This is where you need to take a step back and consider what kind of space they will take up when each piece is securely packaged and ready to go. It may end up being a little more than you originally thought. Once you have an idea of how many electronics you need to move – from your favourite laser pointer to your dual computer screens – you can start to consider what kind of materials you should invest in to ensure their safe passage to your new location.

Bring out the original boxes

It is a common fact that the average person hates to throw away a good box. If this is the case in your home or office, you may be lucky enough to have a couple of the original boxes stashed away that you can pull out for your move. Even if you didn’t keep the original packing materials, the box is a good start for keeping your electronics secure in packaging that was made to fit. 

Securing your cables before your move

Moving an office means that it is inevitable that you will be moving more than just one cable. Especially if you have wired network connections for your printer or phone system, how you choose to pack these cables could mean the difference between a simple reset for your office once you arrive in your new location and having to call an IT specialist to rewire your networks. Something as simple as labelled bread ties or colour-coded stickers can be really effective in matching the right cables to the right ports within your office setup, and cable ties are the easiest way to avoid Christmas-light-like tangles on the other side of your move.  

The best packaging for computer screens

As one of the main features in most offices, the first thing you will want to get off your desk and ready for your move is your computer screen. While many people would think that a towel or a household blanket may suffice, you will need materials that are a little more sturdy and easier to secure to protect your screen if you want to make sure it arrives in its new location with no damage. Materials like Styrofoam and bubble wrap are readily available from most moving and stationery stores in bulk, and they stick nicely with tape, so they won’t move while in transit. Once your screen is securely wrapped in padded packaging, it is a good idea to add an extra layer of protection using cardboard cut out to fit the front, back and sides of your screen as the final touch. 

How to move your PC unit

PC units can be heavy and expensive, so you need to take great care when moving these items. The first step will be to find a sturdy box for your unit. The last thing anyone wants is the bottom to fall out of an old or weak box, resulting in severe damage or total destruction of your computer during your move. You should wrap the unit in plastic wrap to ensure no buttons or inputs are damaged inside the box during your move. Boxing your PC up will keep it secure, but you should remember to include some padding within the box to ensure that no bumps along the way cause any damage to your hardware. For padding, you can use scrunched-up newspaper or buy packing peanuts that are designed to pad the bottom of your box. Once your PC is in your chosen box with padding in the bottom, the last stage of packing should be placing air-filled plastic around the unit to complete the packing process. 

Packing materials you need for your printer

While packing computers and screens is about protecting them from damage, there is a little more involved with packing a printer securely for transport. Printers need to be transported completely level, as turning them on their sides can cause print heads to run or leak. First, you need to remove any paper from the printer before taking your ink cartridges out and storing them in individual zip-lock bags. You should then tape all doors and levers closed securely, much like they were when the printer was new. After all this is done, place your printer into a waterproof plastic bag. Even without the ink left in the printer, the print heads can sometimes run if the printer is placed in the wrong position. Styrofoam and bubble wrap are recommended for packing your printer before placing it in a sturdy box with air-filled plastic to stop it from moving. 

Packing smaller office electronics 

With the bigger items taken care of, it is time to handle the residual bits and pieces from your desk. These can often include desk lamps, phones, speakers, webcams and a whole range of other things, depending on your job. The best advice experts can give about how to choose the right packing materials for office electronics is to take your time with each item and consider the potential damage that can be incurred during transport. Wrapping items individually and placing them together in a larger box can be a convenient way to find everything you need on the other end, but packing each item in its own secure box is the best way to ensure that no damage occurs during transport. With a keyboard and mouse, for example, having other items in a box with these things can cause damage to buttons and keys, which may mean they don’t work properly when you get them set back up. 

Choose earth-friendly packaging

Traditional packing materials for office electronics have always been plastic-heavy. Most packing stores, stationery stores and post offices now carry alternative collections of sustainable packing materials so you can ensure that your items are kept safe and secure during transport without doing any damage to the environment in the process. Though the environmentally friendly alternatives can be slightly more expensive than regular packing materials, they can also be helpful after your move as they can be placed into recycling bins or even dissolved in water to help with the trash side of unpacking too. 

Consider a quality removalist like Adlam Transport to ensure that your office move is taken care of by experts in the game who care about your possessions and will take the time required to ensure that your items arrive in their new location safely.