How to Create the Best Moving Labels for Boxes

Making labels for moving boxes can be creative if you decide to make original tags on your own. Buy all the necessary materials – papers, scissors, glue, tape, and markers, and decide where to place the labels, what colors to rely on, and how to organize containers in different categories. This process might take some extra time in the beginning, but it will make the whole relocation much easier and less stressful.

What Types of Labels to Use? Choose Your Own Moving Labels for Boxes

It is not only important to decide how to organize all the categories when sorting your inventory, but it is also important to find the right types of labels and proper supplies. This can depend on the types of containers you’re using for packing.

For example, if you are using cardboard containers, it is suitable to write on them with markers, but how do you label plastic storage containers? Using stickers might be a better solution if you’re packing stuff in plastic containers. No matter the case, here are some most common labeling types to choose from when finding the right box labels for moving.

Sticky Notes Can Be Helpful – They Are Usually Colorful and Easy to Use

If you want to rely on sticky notes, this can be a great way to make your own labeling stickers. Sticky notes are great because they usually come in different colors and are sticky already. Just ensure they are secured on the container without risk of falling off – it depends on their glue and how sticky they are. In order to be sure nothing will fall off, you can secure them by adding plastic tape on top of their surface after writing on a note.

DIY Printable Stickers and Labels Are Also an Option

The second labeling method is printing your own labels so you can stick them on containers. Wonder how do you label furniture? You can rely on the same method. Just print out the name of the room on printable vinyl paper. For example, mark the table that belongs to the kitchen or a chair that goes to the bedroom, and you shouldn’t have any problems.

Once the relocation process is done, you can easily take them off. Just don’t stick them directly on some delicate surfaces, such as glass, because you want to avoid glue stains that might stay there. The same rule applies to containers – simply print out any label you want and tape it to the box, but remember that you should stick the same thing to every side of the box and add the information if it’s important for some specific side to go up.

Buy Labels in a Store and Use a Premade Sticker to Label Every Box

The third and probably the most simple solution is to buy stickers at the store, but there is a small problem with this one. You might not always be able to find every category from your relocation binder list written on premade stickers.

Suppose you’re making some complicated sorting system of your own and have some specific logistics for organizing your inventory when relocating. In that case, it is best that you stick to the previous two types of labelings. You can also rely on a combination of all three types – for example, depending on the type of objects.

What Supplies to Use When Making Your Labels?

If you want to get creative and make some system of your own, using materials from your household or buying something in the nearest shop, you’ll need to get supplies such as:

• Paper,
• Scissors,
• Glue,
• Tape,
• Markers,
• Sticky notes.

Get Waterproof Permanent Markers

When choosing the right markers for labeling, you don’t want to go with some low-quality cheap ones. Invest in a quality waterproof marker, especially if you’re relocating during the winter and there is a chance that the color on containers might get wet from rain or snow. You might as well consider winterizing your cardboard containers. It is important that you choose a darker color – deep blue or black should work just fine, as well as red.

Avoid some light colors, such as yellow. This color is good for highlighting stuff in books, but it won’t be clearly visible on a cardboard box. You want to stick to simple handwriting with large letters. It is also recommended that you write the name of the room or the category of objects on every side of the box. That way, once they are placed inside the relocation truck, it will be easy to know which box goes where without the need to turn every box upside down while searching for the label.

How Do You Label Boxes When Moving? Best Tips and Information for Packing and Shipping

Organizing a move is a complex task – there are many things to handle and often not enough time. No matter if you’re having a last-minute move or have enough time to plan every step ahead, it is essential that you make a to-do list and know your priorities. Wasting time on packing fragile items won’t be necessary at all if you don’t mark these containers properly.

No matter how good the packaging of fragile objects is, if the box containing them isn’t labeled correctly, you and your helpers won’t act carefully enough with this container, therefore, its content might break. At the end of the process, you’ll end up with a bunch of destroyed items, and that is definitely not the way you imagine an efficient move – this can also be a disaster for your relocation budget and savings.

This is why when talking about priorities, it is important to acknowledge the meaning of packing labels for moving. Labeling is one of the most important things, not only for good organization but for the safety of your belongings as well. Many wonder how to label boxes correctly, which supplies and colors to rely on, what to write on them, and so on. This article will help you learn all about the labeling process and some of the best relocation hacks and tricks in order to have a successful and stress-free move.

Should You Put Your Name on Moving Boxes?

Putting a name on boxes before shipping is not always necessary – this depends mostly on the way you organize your move. For example, if you’re hiring cross-country movers and planning to keep some of your belongings in storage, you might as well want to put your last name on these containers. This is not the only situation when this step is recommended.

You could also organize your move as a combined shipment and know that your belongings will be transferred between two different trucks. You should have an inventory list by your side once you get to your new home so that you can immediately check if something goes missing. If that’s the case, it will be much easier to locate your stuff and get it back if the containers are labeled with your last name.

The truth is that you should trust the chosen long-distance moving company, especially if you learned how to avoid relocation scams, but you can never be too careful – it’s better to be prepared than to cry later over accidents you could’ve easily avoided.

Pro Tip: Don’t Forget to Mark Which Side Goes Up

Another important thing when marking the sides is that you should also draw an arrow to mark which side goes up in case of packing some fragile objects. For example, when you are packing glasses or shoes, if you put different quality pieces in the same box, the rule goes like this – bigger and heavier pieces go on the bottom of the container while you keep the lighter ones on top of them.

In case you or someone who’s helping you mix these sides, the heavier pieces might cause cracking on the lighter ones that should stay on top of them. This is why you can simply avoid potential problems by writing which side goes up.

Organize Your Containers by Categories – By Rooms or Types of Objects Inside and Label Them Accordingly

What to write on packing boxes? Depending on your personal belongings and the stuff you plan to relocate, you should make your own labeling system and get suitable supplies. For example, if you’re relocating a whole house where you live with your family, it is recommended that you organize stuff by room.

You Can Try Using These Simple Organization Examples

For example, your son’s stuff can all go in containers marked as Jake’s room. If there are plenty of them, you can go further on with details and write: Jake’s clothes, Jake’s books, Jake’s games, and so on. This way, your helpers will know that once you get to your new home, they should leave everything in Jake’s new room, and he will have some sense about organizing his stuff later on once he starts to unpack after relocation. There are plenty of things to do after relocating, so there is no need to waste your time sorting your belongings when you can do this before the move.

If, on the other hand, you’re relocating alone, there is no need to mark different person names on containers. In case you’re relocating from a house to a small apartment, marking rooms won’t be necessary either. Once the professional long-distance movers bring all the belongings to your new home, it won’t really matter where to put them if you only have one large living room and a bathroom and don’t know how to organize everything inside.

If this is the case, you probably won’t have many furniture pieces moved, either. The only important thing is to clearly mark boxes containing fragile objects (when relocating a TV, for example) and a container with essential items that you’re going to unpack as soon as you get to your new home.

You Can Use Color or Number Scheme as Well

Besides these, there is another labeling system you can choose – making your own code scheme. How do you color-code moving boxes? This might be the most complicated one, but it can be easier if you don’t want to write details for the content of every box for whatever reason. There are usually two coding systems – numbers and colors.

You can make a color scheme and mark each container with some specific colors of your choice, making a personal agenda where you’ll mark which colors represent a specific category. For example, the blue color will usually represent the bathroom inventory. Green can be the color for marking your books, orange for your clothes, and so on. The same system can be redefined and used with numbers.

For example, living room stuff and all the containers packed with living room items can be marked with number one, bedroom stuff with number two, and so on. Once you organize everything in these categories, you can give your movers instructions about numbers and colors so that they know which containers go in which room. This video might give you some ideas about this labeling system.

With Professional Cross Country Moving Services, You Can Also Get a Free Quote

Moving cross country can be much easier if you get professional relocation services, so there is no need to hesitate to hire a team of assistants. They can assist you with amazing packing services and mark your containers as well, in case you still need their assistance even after reading this relocation guide. With their convenient relocation tips, moving across the country will be a piece of cake. If you just need to use their storage services or another kind of assistance, you need to know how to prepare for movers, and you’ll move safely and have a nice and pleasant experience. You can also get a free quote if you want to calculate the move’s potential price.