Now is not the time to think outside the box.
Get the right stuff for your stuff: the right boxes and supplies paired with the right packing methods are crucial in the success of your move. At NorthStar Moving, we know discovered the best items to make your move successful and eco-friendly. Correctly packed, our boxes when paired with our moving supplies are specifically designed to keep your items safe during storage and transport.
Got enough boxes?
Your budget, your belongings and your schedule will thank you for spending the extra time in advance determining the amount of boxes you’ll need. Use the chart below to get an idea of how many boxes you’ll need. (Keep in mind the longer you’ve lived in your home, the more stuff you will have accumulated.)
Type of Dwelling |
Approx. No. of Boxes |
Studio |
10 – 20
|
1 Bedroom Apartment |
20 – 40
|
2 Bedroom Apartment |
40 – 60
|
2 Bedroom House |
60 – 80
|
3 Bedroom House |
80 – 100
|
4 Bedroom House |
100 – 120
|
Larger |
120+
|
Not all boxes are alike.
Meet your new BBF (best boxes forever). Here’s what they’re called (by the way they are tired of just being thought of as boxes) and here’s what they do:
Materials |
Description |
Size |
Book Box (1½ cft) |
Good for small items or for packing books and magazines |
16” x 12” x 12” |
Medium Box (3 cft) |
Good for toys, clothes, shoes etc. |
18” x 18” x 16” |
Linen Box (4½ cft) |
Good for bed sheets, pillow covers, blankets, Towels etc. |
18” x 18” x 24” |
Dish Pack Box (5.1 cft) |
A corrugated box, good for fragile items such as: dishes, glasses, vases etc. |
18” x 18” x 27” |
Lamp Box (3.3 cft) | Special box for any size of lamps from table lamp to floor lamps. | 12” x 12” x 40” |
King / Queen mattress Box | Special box for mattress or box spring (Adjustable to fit either Queen or King Size) | 84” x 35″ x 7” |
Regular Mirror / Picture Box | A corrugated box specially made for packing pictures and mirrors. | 37” x 26″ x 4” |
Large Mirror / Picture Box | A corrugated box specially made for packing pictures and mirrors. | 48″ x 32” x 4″ |
Wardrobe Box (10 cft) |
A box with a hang bar for dresses, coats, jackets etc. |
20” x 19” x 45” |
Most boxes are brown, ours are actually green.
Our boxes want to do their part in saving the environment. Most of the time, moving your home can be bad for the environment, but here at NorthStar Moving with the help of our friendly boxes, we’ve changed all that. We provide options for eco-friendly packing and moving materials:
Boxes: NorthStar Moving’s boxes are certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Certified Sourcing standard, which means their fiber comes from responsible and legal sources. Yep, we’re an official supporter and advocate of the SFI. Our moving boxes are proud to be made of 100% recyclable materials and are specially designed to protect your fragile items. Our dish packs even have double thick walls to ensure your kitchen breakables arrive in one piece
(if packed the right way).
Going green can save you green!
Here’s how to actually save some money on boxes. Our clients can return to us any of our 100% recycled moving boxes. We inspect the boxes for quality, sort and re-stock them and even give the client back 25% of the original cost of the box.
We offer our used recycled moving boxes to our clients for a 25% discount off the price of a new recycled moving box.
Yes, you read that right. If you do both, you’ll get 50% off! This offer is available to all of our local and California intrastate clients.
Green Materials
Eco-bubble: We offer biodegradable eco-bubble to our clients instead of bubble wrap as bubble wrap can take hundreds of years to decompose. In a much shorter amount of time, Polycell eco-bubble will biodegrade into carbon dioxide, water and biomass.
Packing Paper: While ordinary newspaper works fine for some purposes, be aware that the paper’s print will run. For items you want to keep clean, you can purchase unprinted recycled packing paper from us. Our packing paper is made up of recyclable materials and takes up less space in your boxes.
Our list of green initiatives doesn’t stop here. That’s probably why we’ve actually won awards for our green practices. Most of our fleet of red NorthStar Moving trucks runs on biodiesel fuel and we have an in-house government-certified weigh scale saving trips to an outside scale. Learn about more ways we are going green.
More Materials
Tape: Every box needs to be taped, top and bottom, with 2 – 2 1/2 inch gummed or masking tape to give it additional strength and prevent opening, so you’ll need approximately one roll of tape for every 15 to 20 boxes.
Blankets: All furniture should be wrapped in blankets for its protection. When hiring NorthStar Moving, we’ll provide the use of blankets free of charge.
Original Packing: Whenever it’s available, use the original packing material for your electronic items such as computers, stereos and screens.
Brown Paper Pads: The use of moving blankets is free for the duration of your local, intrastate or long distance move. When you need to keep the blankets for a longer period of time (for example, move into your storage) or cannot return them (if you are moving internationally), you can either purchase moving blankets, or go for a more economical alternative: brown paper pads. They are 3-ply paper pads, can often be reused several times and provide great protection for your furniture.
Shrink Wrap: Used for extra protection against dust and other materials if you plan on storing your items for a long period of time, and for bundling items together. Wraps around any item without leaving any sticky residue.
Masonite: Wood hardboard made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood fibers with high bending strength. Used for carpet and marble floor protection. The boards are laid to create a path that allows heavy items to be rolled over without sinking into the flooring material.
Floor Runners: Rug runners used to protect hardwood and marble floors.