7 Practical Uses of Plastic Wrap for Moving

When packing for a move – a job of Herculean proportions and numerous pitfalls – you’ll want to take advantage of every possible way to speed up and simplify the process.

Indeed, there do exist many clever packing hacks that can help you complete the task in a faster and more efficient manner – you just need to know them.

One such utterly simple yet overwhelmingly helpful trick is to use plastic wrap for packing. The cling film can protect your furniture, keep loose items bundled together, prevent liquids from spilling, and much more – it can help you solve various moving problems and avoid numerous relocation risks.

As a matter of fact, plastic wrap packing is one of the most effective ways to keep your belongings safe during a house move – it is also quite easy and efficient.

Here is how you can use plastic wrap for moving to make your relocation simpler, safer, and smoother.

Why would you want to use stretch wrap for moving?

Plastic wrap – also commonly referred to as stretch wrap or shrink wrap – is one of the most essential packing supplies to have at hand when preparing your items for moving.  

1. Plastic stretch wrap is extremely versatile – it can protect furniture from scratches and scuffs, keep dust and dirt away from your belongings, bundle items together, secure loose cords and wires, keep protective wrappings in place, prevent spills, etc.
2. Despite how thin it is, stretch wrap (and especially professional-grade moving wrap) is quite strong and tear-resistant, so it can withstand a lot of tension and keep your items (even large and heavy ones) protected during the entire moving process.
3. Packing plastic wrap is safe for your items and easy to use – it sticks to itself, but not to surfaces (as, unlike packing tape, it has no adhesive backing), so it won’t leave a sticky residue or cause any other damage to the delicate surface of your furniture and other household items. Due to its clingy nature, stretch wrap can be a little tricky to apply, but it’s quite straightforward to use and very easy to remove.
4. Plastic wrap is inexpensive and available in various sizes, so you can easily find the most appropriate type of cling wrap for your packing needs and get as much of it as necessary.
5. Packing wrap is recyclable, so you don’t need to worry about the environmental impact of your move.

Packing Materials for Moving You Can’t Do Without

How to use plastic wrap for moving

Efficient and versatile, packing shrink wrap can be extremely useful for a number of purposes:

1. Secure wrappings and protective materials around an item

To keep your furniture, appliances, and other larger household items safe and intact during your move, you need to wrap them in bubble wrap, moving blankets, and/or other suitable protective coverings. All these protective materials, however, will be of no use if they fall off during transportation – you need to secure them in place.

You can do that with the help of packing tape, ropes, or straps, but furniture saran wrap provides a safer, easier, and more efficient way to hold the wrappings in place.

It will not only secure the bubble wrap, paper padding, furniture pads, and other protective materials around your items, but will also provide an additional layer of protection against dust, dirt, and moisture.

The same applies to all awkwardly-shaped items that can’t be packed in a box (and even to small fragile items that can be boxed up) – shrink wrap will secure their protective cushioning and will add extra protection against moisture and dust.

2. Protect against dust, dirt, and moisture

When wrapped around an item, cling film creates a protective layer around it, preventing dust and dirt from getting to your belongings (and, therefore, preventing stains and soiling) and keeping moisture away (especially important if it rains on moving day, but also useful if something spills during transit, if the surfaces where your items are placed are wet (or infected with mold), etc.).

Be careful though – if moisture gets trapped beneath the plastic material, it can result in mold growth on the wrapped item. You need to make sure that your belongings are completely dry (and there is no risk of condensation or any other way for moisture to get – or to form – underneath the cling film) when packing with plastic wrap.

3. Keep furniture doors and drawers closed

Taking furniture out of a property and loading it on a moving truck (as well as unloading it and taking it into the new home) involves a lot of tilting and turning – and if the furniture has doors or sliding drawers, they can open during the process (drawers can even fall out).

This may cause significant damage to the furniture and pose risks to the people carrying the pieces (not to mention that the contents of the furniture – if any – will spill out).

To avoid this, you need to secure doors and drawers when packing your furniture for moving – and that can be easily done with a few layers of plastic wrap.

The stretch film will keep the doors and drawers closed during the move, making the furniture pieces safer and easier to handle.

Good to know: Shrink wrap can be used to secure lids in much the same way it can be used to secure furniture doors – if you wrap a plastic bin (or any other moving container with a lid) in packing wrap, there won’t be any risk of the lid falling out during transit.

It may even be a good idea to shrink-wrap cardboard boxes containing small items, so you won’t have to worry about the cartons breaking open during the move and your belongings spilling out.

4. Keep the contents of a drawer contained inside it

You can speed up the packing process (and save on packing materials, and save space in the moving vehicle) by leaving items in drawers – instead of emptying your kitchen cabinet drawers, desk drawers, dresser drawers, etc., and packing their contents in moving boxes, you can leave your items as they are and move the drawers full.

All you need to do is wrap a few layers of packing saran wrap around the drawer to keep your belongings safely contained inside it.

Keep in mind though that leaving the drawers full is risky (due to the extra weight and the shifting of the items inside the drawers) and may lead to damage to your furniture, your property, or your items, or even to personal injury.

You should consider this option only if:

• The drawers are sturdy and well-built;
• The items in the drawers are non-fragile and light-weight (such as clothes, bedding, office materials, silverware, etc.);
• The full drawers are not too heavy;
• You’re moving short-distance.

5. Prevent spills

In addition to preventing items from spilling out during the move (by securing boxes, lids, furniture doors, and drawers), plastic stretch wrap can also prevent liquids from spilling – by leak-proofing their containers.

Just remove the caps from your open bottles, tubes, jars, etc., place a piece of plastic wrap over the openings, secure with a rubber band, and tighten the caps back on.

The containers will be completely leak-proof and there will be no risk of your bathroom products, kitchen ingredients, and other liquid products spilling during transport and staining or drenching other items.

How to Pack Bathroom Items for Moving

6. Bundle like items together

Packing plastic wrap can help you organize your items and keep them together during a move.

You can use it to:

• keep smaller moving boxes stacked together;
• keep furniture parts together;
• stack small items (such as silverware, office materials, etc.) and secure them together;
• bundle up bed rails, curtain rods, mops, and other long awkward items;
• bundle large, lightweight items (pillows, stuffed toys, etc.) together;
• pack hanging clothes (plastic wrap can accommodate any length and amount of clothing – just wrap it around a group of hanging clothes to keep them together and protect them against dust and dirt).

7. Secure power cords and wires

Cables, cords, and wires need to be well secured during a move, so they don’t get damaged in the process, don’t cause damage to the devices they belong to, and don’t present tripping hazards on moving day.

You can easily secure appliance cords and cables to the appliance, power cords, and wires to the electric device (or electronic equipment), etc. with stretch wrap. You can also secure detached cords (properly organized and folded in loops) with the clingy material.

How to Pack Electronics for Moving

How to Pack Kitchen Appliances for Moving

Good to know: Stretch wrap will also keep rugs, mats, and other similar items tightly rolled and secured during the entire moving process.

Now that you’re aware of the many uses of plastic wrap for moving – both conventional and surprising – you’ll be able to prepare your items for shipment in a quicker, easier, and more efficient way.

To take full advantage of the practicality of cling film, however, you need to know how to plastic wrap your items – and your furniture, in particular – the right way.

How to use plastic wrap for moving furniture

Shrink wrap is helpful in many aspects of the packing process, but it is most beneficial when it comes to packing and moving furniture items.

Here is how to plastic wrap furniture for moving:

• Empty your furniture, clean it well, and make sure it is completely dry before packing it for moving (trapping dirt, debris, or moisture under the protective wrapping can cause stains or other damage to your pieces);
• Remove any detachable parts, such as furniture legs, glass doors, shelves, etc., and pack them separately. Disassemble larger furniture pieces, as necessary;
• Cover furniture corners and protruding furniture parts with bubble wrap (or foam padding), then wrap over the protective coverings with stretch wrap. This will protect the corners against chipping and will prevent them from causing damage to the walls and any other items they come in contact with;
• Wrap wood furniture and leather furniture with paper padding and/or moving blankets, then use plastic wrap to secure the protective coverings in place. The padding will protect the delicate furniture surfaces from scratches, nicks, dents, and other damage and will allow for adequate airflow so that no condensation forms on the pieces.
• MAKE SURE you never use shrink wrap directly on wooden or leather furniture, as moisture may get trapped underneath the plastic material and ruin the delicate polished finish of wooden pieces, cause the leather or the wood to warp, or result in mold growth.
• Wrap fabric furniture (couches, armchairs, dining room chairs, etc.) with plastic wrap to protect it against dust, dirt, stains, and moisture. You can safely use plastic wrap directly on fabric upholstery as there is no risk of condensation occurring on the fabric surface.

You’re going to need large plastic wrap (15” or more) so you can easily cover the entire furniture item.

To wrap a large piece, you’ll need to hold the roll (place your fingers inside the hollow roll) as you walk around the furniture – the plastic film will unwrap as you go:

1. Have someone hold the packing wrap against the furniture during the first walk around, so it doesn’t fall down. After the first round, the cling film will stick to itself and stay in place;
2. Start from the bottom and wind the saran wrap horizontally around the furniture item;
3. Wrap tightly and create multiple layers for better protection;
4. When the piece is completely covered, cut the shrink wrap with scissors.

How to Pack Furniture for Moving

How to plastic wrap delicate items

As already mentioned, packing shrink wrap works great not only for furniture but for any delicate, hard-to-pack items as well.

You can use it to offer an extra layer of protection to your breakables, valuables, irregularly shaped items, pieces of art, etc.

Just make sure you wrap the delicate items in packing paper, bubble wrap, foam sheets, or other adequate padding and cushioning materials first – you should never apply plastic film directly to artwork or any delicate surfaces.

When the item is safely wrapped, use stretch wrap to secure the protective coverings and create a barrier against dust, dirt, and moisture (wrap both horizontally and vertically for maximum protection).

• For larger items, you’ll need to hold the roll and move it around the item (as described above);
• For smaller items, just use the tension control handle to wrap the cling film around the piece.

How to Pack Fragile Items for Moving

How to get plastic wrap for moving

Shrink wrap for moving is easy to come by – it’s affordable and readily available. There are, however, a few important things to consider when looking for the plastic material:

What kind of plastic wrap to get for your move?

Plastic wrap is manufactured in two different ways (cast or blown), comes in various sizes and gauges, can be clear or colored, and may or may not have a handle. What kind of moving wrap will work best for you depends on your specific needs:

• Small or large plastic wrap for moving – Stretch wrap is available in 5-inch, 10-inch, 15-inch, 18-inch, 20-inch, and 22-inch widths. The rolls are usually 1000-foot or 1500-foot long. For furniture and other bulkier items, you’re going to need large plastic wrap (in most cases, 20” will work best). The 10” roll is ideal for packing smaller items;
• 65 Gauge or 80 Gauge – A higher number gauge means better protection, so the 80 gauge wrap is your better option when packing for a house move;
• Blown or pre-stretched (cast) – Pre-stretched wrap is lightweight, has strong cling on both sides, and doesn’t require too much pull when wrapping larger items. Blown stretch film, on the other hand, is more durable and can handle heavier loads;   
• Clear or colored (usually green) – Colored stretch wrap can stain furniture and fabric – especially if you’re moving during the summer, as the plastic material can melt when exposed to high temperatures – so you’re recommended to get clear plastic wrap for your move;
• Handle or no handle – Handles make it easier to apply the wrap, but the design limits the width of the wrap – so handled stretch wrap is only practical for smaller items. Non-handled large rolls (18” or 20” wide) are much more suitable for wrapping furniture pieces, household appliances, and other bulky items.

How much plastic wrap do you need for moving?

If you’re moving a 1-bedroom apartment or a 2-bedroom home, one roll of 15” x 1500’ (or 20″ x 1000′) and one roll of 5” x 1000’ (or 10” x 1000’) should be enough for your packing needs.

If you have lots of furniture and other household items, though, it may be better to get two rolls of large plastic wrap for moving – to be on the safe side.

For larger moves, you’re going to need about three rolls of 20” x 1500’ and two rolls of 5” x 1000’.

How Many Boxes Do You Need for Moving?

Where to buy plastic wrap for moving

You can find furniture wrap for moving at almost all major retailers, as well as at local moving companies and truck rental companies. Of course, you can also purchase plastic film online.

Needless to say, if you hire professional packers (or full service movers) for your relocation, the experts will bring the necessary stretch wrap (and other packing materials) and will know how to plastic wrap your items so they stay safe and sound during the move.

In any case, plastic wrap packing is an easy way to ensure the safety of your belongings – and ensure your peace of mind – when moving house. Make sure you take advantage of this inexpensive, highly practical packing material for your next move.

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