Electronics and Books

Two Very Different Packing Challenges

Electronics and books might seem like an odd pairing, but they share something in common: both are items people own a lot of, both are easily damaged by poor packing, and both have specific techniques that make the difference between arriving safely and arriving broken.

TVs are the single most expensive fragile item in most households. Books are the single heaviest category of items most people own. Getting both right avoids the two biggest problems on moving day — breakage and back injuries.

How to Pack Your TV

Modern TVs are large, thin, and deceptively fragile. A screen that looks robust mounted on the wall can crack from a relatively minor knock during transit. Taking a few minutes to pack it properly is always worth the effort.

TVs Up to 60 Inches

If you still have the original box, use it — it’s designed to protect that exact TV and nothing will do a better job. Most people don’t keep the box, though, so here’s the alternative approach:

1. Wrap the TV in bubble wrap — one or two full coats around the screen and back. Use wide bubble wrap (120cm rolls are ideal for TVs) rather than narrow rolls. Trying to wrap a 55-inch TV with a 30cm-wide roll is slow, fiddly, and leaves gaps in the coverage.
2. On the van, the TV goes into a specialist padded TV bag. Our vans carry these as standard — they accommodate screens up to 60 inches and provide a padded envelope of protection for the journey.
3. The TV is then wrapped in blankets on the van for additional cushioning. But we want it properly protected before it leaves the house, because the transition from the living room wall to the van is where most damage happens — navigating doorways, stairs, and tight corners.

TVs Larger Than 60 Inches

For bigger screens, we add extra layers:

• Multiple coats of bubble wrap around the entire TV.
• A cardboard front panel — a flat piece of cardboard (cut from a flat-pack box) taped across the screen for rigid protection against direct impacts.
• Blanket wrapping on the van as standard.

Edge-to-Edge Glass TVs (No Bevel)

TVs with glass that extends right to the edges — no plastic bevel or frame — are particularly vulnerable because the glass corners and edges are fully exposed. For these:

• Foam padded corner protectors go on first. Cut them to fit the corners of the TV and tape them securely in place.
• Then bubble wrap over the top of the corner protectors.
• Then the cardboard front panel across the screen.
• Even if the TV is going into a padded bag on the van, edge-to-edge glass screens need this full treatment. A single knock to an unprotected glass corner can crack the entire panel.

Choosing the Right Bubble Wrap Size

This is a detail most people overlook, but it makes a real difference. Bubble wrap comes in various widths — 30cm, 50cm, 75cm, 100cm, 120cm, and more. For wrapping a TV, wider is always better.

A 120cm-wide roll covers a 60-inch TV in clean, overlapping passes. A narrow 30cm roll requires multiple strips laid side by side, which slide around, leave gaps, and take three times as long. If you’re buying bubble wrap specifically for a large TV, invest in a wide roll — it’s easier to use and gives better protection.

How to Pack Games Consoles and Electronics

PlayStations, Xboxes, sound bars, streaming devices, routers, and other electronics should all be treated as fragile items.

If you have the original box, use it. The moulded packaging inside was designed to protect that specific device during shipping, and it’ll do the same job during your move. This is one of the few situations where keeping original packaging genuinely pays off.

If you don’t have the original box (and most people don’t):

1. Wrap the console or device in bubble wrap — at least one full layer on all sides.
2. Place it in a small/heavy box (30×50cm).
3. Fill all remaining space with scrunched packing paper so there’s absolutely no movement inside the box.
4. Label the box fragile.

Cables and accessories: Disconnect all cables, coil them neatly, and secure each one with a small piece of tape or a cable tie. If you have multiple devices with similar-looking cables, label each cable (a small piece of masking tape with the device name written on it works well). Pack cables in the same box as the device they belong to, or in a clearly labelled separate box.

Remote controls should go in your essentials box (Lesson 5) — you’ll want the TV remote the moment you sit down on the first evening.

Desktop Computers

If you use a desktop PC, back up your data before the move. Hard drives are sensitive to vibration and impact, and while modern SSDs are more resilient than older spinning drives, a backup is cheap insurance.

Wrap the tower in bubble wrap and transport it upright if possible. Pack the monitor like a small TV — bubble wrap, cardboard screen protector if needed, and a well-padded box. Keyboards and mice can go in any general box.

How to Pack Books

Books are heavy. A large box fully packed with books can easily exceed 25-30kg — far too heavy for one person to lift safely and heavy enough to break through the base of a weaker box. This is why we always pack books in the small/heavy box (30×50×30cm). A box this size, fully packed with books, stays at a manageable weight for one person to carry.

The Jigsaw Method

Books come in all different sizes, and the key to a well-packed book box is treating it like a jigsaw puzzle.

Sort books roughly by size before you start. Group similar heights and widths together. This makes it much easier to pack them tightly and create flat, even layers that stack properly.

Start with larger books laid flat on the bottom of the box to create a stable base. Then fill in around them with medium-sized books stood upright. Smaller paperbacks and odd sizes fill the remaining gaps. Vary the orientation — some flat, some upright — to find the combination that fills the space most efficiently.

Handle special or valuable books with care. First editions, signed copies, leather-bound books, or anything with sentimental value should go in flat, face up, with a sheet of packing paper between them and the books above. Don’t wedge them into tight gaps where the covers or spines could get scuffed.

The Two Rules of Book Boxes

Rule 1: Don’t overfill. The box lid must close flat. If books are sticking up above the rim, the lid won’t sit properly, and the box can’t be stacked. A box that doesn’t stack safely is a problem on the van and in storage — it topples, crushes the box below it, or shifts during transit.

Rule 2: Don’t underfill. A half-empty book box is equally problematic. The weight shifts to one side, the unsupported cardboard sags under stacking, and the box loses its structural integrity. If you can’t fill the box entirely with books, top it up with other items — a cushion, folded clothing, or scrunched packing paper. Whatever fills the void and gives the box a flat, solid top.

The finished box should feel dense and solid when you pick it up, with no shifting weight and a perfectly flat lid.

Pro Tip from Jay

“The TV is usually the most expensive single item we move, and the most stressful for customers. My advice: don't rush it. Get a wide roll of bubble wrap, take your time, and make sure those corners are properly padded — especially on the edge-to-edge glass models. And with books — small box, every time. I've seen a fully loaded large box of books go straight through the bottom. It's not pretty.”

— Jay Newton, Director