How to Pack a Pod for Moving

 Portable storage container companies like PODS, Pack Rat, or Upack —offering the moving truck in addition to personal storage—are an excellent alternative to traditional moving services. However, due to the manner in which portable storage containers are collected and shipped, you have to know how to pack a pod for moving the right way in order to be certain that your furniture arrives safely to its destination.

​Pods storage containers  have been revolutionizing the way people are moving as of late. Portable storage containers give people the flexibility of moving out or in over a period of days or weeks thus removing the stress of the time constraints ordinarily associated with moving from house to house. While hiring full-service movers or getting a rental truck may appear to be easier options, those methods of moving also tend to be more costly and less efficient than using a pod for moving. 

How it works

​The storage container company you decide to go with will deliver the pod to your home and place it in a location that can be easily accessed for loading and unloading. The pod can remain at your home for as long as you need it or are willing to pay for it. This should give you plenty of time to get the pod loaded with your furniture. Once you have the container filled the company will come back to pick it up and deliver it to either your new home, apartment, or to one of their storage facilities which are generally indoor and weatherproof. 

Getting Prepared

Before you load the storage container, you should take the time to prepare and organize your things. Good packing practices will ensure the safety of your belongings during transportation. Pack using a variety of different sized boxes in order to get the most out of the amount of usable space inside of the pod.  However, make sure you don't over-pack your boxes. As a general rule of thumb, the heavier the items that you are packing, the smaller the moving boxes you're going to use. 

Next, you should wrap all of your furniture and fragile and breakable things in moving blankets secured with plastic wrap to give them a little extra cushioning.  As a final point, you want to take the time to disassemble and furniture item that can be broken down into smaller more easily manageable components such as bed frames and tables. Taking the legs off of a table can save a tremendous amount of space inside of a portable storage container.

Loading the Pod

The order in which you load a pod for moving is absolutely critical to the success of your move. When loading a portable storage container the idea is to build "furniture walls" going from side to side and top to bottom before front to back. For example, the first thing you would traditionally load on to your container first would be something heavy and wide like a bedroom dresser or armoire. This will provide you with a sturdy base that you can safely stack boxes or smaller and lighter furniture items on as you build a wall toward to ceiling of the pod.
Using moving blankets as you load will greatly lower the chances of damaging valuable pieces of furniture. Professional movers sometimes roll up extra moving blankets to fill random gaps to prevent shifting inside of the pod. 

A nice even furniture wall.

Throughout the pod, there are anchoring hooks where you can use bungee or ratcheting straps if necessary. Once you have a fairly even wall going across the back quarter of the pod you can place a taller item like a box springs or bookshelf in front of the first wall to add additional support to the items you stacked. You want to continue making furniture walls in this manner until you reach the front of the container by the door. The final wall close to the door should be marginally shorter than the rest so that you won't have an issue opening the door when the container reaches its destination. 

Protect Your Stuff

If your container will be sitting outside for a while, you'll want to safeguard your belongings against changes in weather that can lead to pest infestations, mildew, and mold. We suggest using humidity absorbers, which can be purchased online or from a home hardware store.  Also, keep your container safe with a heavy-duty padlock at any time you aren't around. Sometimes the portable storage company may provide the lock themselves or sell you one when you order the pod.

​Conclusion

Commitment to using good pod loading practices is imperative to the overall success of your move. Taking the additional time to organize your things will ensure that your furniture arrives at the new location undamaged.  Load the container in the right order so that everything fits together in makeshift walls of furniture. Don't forget to use moving blankets throughout the load to take up any additional gaps and to cover your more delicate possessions. Finish the load with moisture absorbers and a strong padlock for security and you're good to go. By taking the time to load your pod for moving correctly, you'll save valuable time and prevent damage which saves money.