How should I pack for a sea shipment

I have begun the packing process.  It is amazing the amount of stuff you never thought you had.  We are planning on renting a container to be sent by sea in June.  I'm not sure how I should pack.  What I mean is because it is being sent by sea should I take extra precautions regarding damp or rust.  I would love to hear advice/suggestions on how to pack or how not to pack.  

Thanks,

Kathy

Hi Kathy,

Our moving company just requested that everything be clean and dry before they packed it.  I didn't notice any dampness or rust during unpacking, so I don't think moisture was a problem.  

HTH,

Stephanie

I forgot to add that they would only take dried and canned foodstuffs, nothing fresh (obviously!) or in glass containers, because of breakage.  The peanut butter (Jif!) in plastic jars was OK, too.

Stephanie

You should pack just like you would within the States - boxes..  Don't worry about special protection.  Although my armchair arrived with some very repulsive smell to it - everything else was fine. I do recommend you having a "B" pile of stuff because you won't know how much is going to fit into the container.  Once they get everything you want, there might be loads of more room and you can have them get your "B" pile of stuff in there too. I gave away all my big plastic storage boxes/lids, hampers, laundry baskets... because they take up so much room but I wish I saved them till I saw how much room we had left in the container - lots! I was also tempted to run out and buy some USA priced furniture to fill the container but no one would wait for me to shop!  They sealed it up and took it to the Boston port.  haha!

Hi Kathy,

I haven't noticed if you have asked anything else, but if you're coming from the US to the UK there are some other very useful threads on what not to pack at all.  ... Like furniture, because most British houses are too small to accomodate American furniture, and most electrical things because the UK runs eveything in 220V 50Hz electricity, not the 110V 6Hz of the US.

Enjoy yourself, ....packing is just great fun!  

Richard

Hi Kathy,

I haven't noticed if you have asked anything else, but if you're coming from the US to the UK there are some other very useful threads on what not to pack at all.  ... Like furniture, because most British houses are too small to accomodate American furniture, and most electrical things because the UK runs eveything in 220V 50Hz electricity, not the 110V 6Hz of the US.

Enjoy yourself, ....packing is just great fun!  

Richard

I agree about the electrical things (except for lamps, those will be just fine if you get UK light bulbs and plug adapters.)  I disagree about the furniture.  All our furniture fit just fine.  I will say that we lived in a smallish, older house in the US, so maybe that made a difference.  I measured our doors at our old US house, because we barely got our sofa through it in the US.  As long as we had at least 29" doorways in our UK house we would be just fine.  

We didn't take along our US king size bed, mostly because it was almost 10 years old and due for replacement (just mattress, box spring and frame.)  We planned on buying a new bed in the UK based on the size of the room.  Lucky for us, we were able to buy a super-king (US king)!  

Anything I had questions about, I measured and had the measurements with me when we were house-hunting.  I got a lot of strange looks from the estate agent, but I was happy!  FTR, not one house that we looked at would have been too small to accomodate our furniture, but then again, we didn't have a lot of big, huge stuff either.  

Stephanie

....I agree about the electrical things (except for lamps, those will be just fine if you get UK light bulbs and plug adapters.)  .....

Are you sure about the lamps?  In the US all lamps seem to take a screw bulb, whereas British bulbs are almost always "bayonet fit", there are very few screw-fit bulbs sold in the UK.

.... All our furniture fit just fine.  I will say that we lived in a smallish, older house in the US, so maybe that made a difference.  .....

True, our 2 bed house in London was expansive compared to the two room closet that we rented while we were living in New York.  I guess that it depends what house you have in the US - but modern suburban American houses have no equivalent, size-wise, in the UK.

Are you sure about the lamps?  In the US all lamps seem to take a screw bulb, whereas British bulbs are almost always "bayonet fit", there are very few screw-fit bulbs sold in the UK.

I'm positive about the lamps, because every single lamp in my UK house right now is a US lamp, using plug adapters and UK bulbs - screw bulbs!  I found a wide variety of screw base bulbs at my local Homebase store in Guildford.  B&Q stocks a variety as well.  I've been using the lamps this way since November and they are all just fine.  I know other US ladies who have been in the UK for years and their US lamps work fine too.  I picked up this particular tip from the Jr. League of London's 'Living in London' book.  Great reference, not just for London, but for UK in general. (Shameless plus for Jr. League  )

I agree with you Mr. Val about UK houses vs. a US new suburban house -- not many 5000 sq. foot homes over here, although I have seen some in newer developments.  Our US home was older (1920's) and had narrow (by current US standards) doors - 29".   So, I made sure than any house we considered had doors at least 29" wide and that the rooms would accomodate our furniture.  As I said before, measure before you move, and measure while you are looking in the UK!

Stephanie

I'm positive about the lamps, because every single lamp in my UK house right now is a US lamp, using plug adapters and UK bulbs - screw bulbs!  ....

You live and learn, at least I do.    

Every British lamp I have ever seen takes a bayonet bulb, and so I have never even needed to look for screw bulbs, though I will admit that I have seen a few here and there.