Almost any home in the country will have several different pieces of electronics lying around: computers, televisions, tablets, DVD players, Blu-ray players, sound speakers, video game consoles, and more. You may have a couple of pieces that only cost a few hundred dollars or you have high tech equipment that costs thousands and thousands.
In either case, you need to make sure that all of the equipment is packed away very carefully before the movers arrive. Some people may be tempted to just throw all of the electronics into a box and hope for the best, but this is a good way for things to get broken. You certainly don’t want to unpack the Playstation to find that it no longer works. Here are a few things you need to avoid when packing up your electronics for a relocation.
Not Labeling Cords
One of the best tools you could purchase for moving with electronics is a label maker or even just label stickers and a marker. You need to make sure you label everything that you disconnect from electronics or you could have a big mess when you arrive at your new home. If you have to leave anything in storage for any amount of time, you will likely forget what goes to what equipment, and even a few days’ span can leave you scratching your head.
If you don’t want to actually mark the specific cords with a label, another option is color coding. Small round, colored dots can be placed next to the port on the equipment and then stuck to the corresponding cord.
Packing Computers in Bubble Wrap
The majority of packing materials you could use when moving your home often will create static electricity. That’s not a problem when wrapping up china or glassware, but it is a very big issue with computers.
Static electricity can actually ruin the hard drive in desktops and laptops. To avoid this expensive type of damage, be sure to wrap computers in towels or sheets. If you must use bubble wrap, look for the non-static kind (it’s usually pink).
Leaving Things Inside
If you are moving in a hurry, you may be tempted to just unhook that DVD player or video game and throw it in a box, but there is one thing you are forgetting. You should never leave a disc of any type in the drive. This includes in DVD players, video game consoles, or CD players. If you do and the equipment is shaken in anyway while loaded in the moving truck, the disc could be lodged into the machine and you may not be able to get it out. This can completely ruin the device itself.
When you are getting ready to move, you have a lot of packing to do before the movers arrive, but don’t get in too big of a hurry. Take special care of your electronics to ensure everything arrives at your new home safely. Avoid the things above and you can expect a much better experience.