Material Composition

If one would take a quick glance at the different moving blankets on display, one could instinctively see that they are made of fabric. However, if we would take a closer look and scrutinize, we would then see the difference. Polyester, non-woven, cotton, mixed fabrics are the most common types of fabrics used in these blankets. Polyester is known to be smooth and soft yet very durable. Non-woven fabrics are those plain cloths you can see in many typical dresses. Their durability is not good enough; hence, they are only good for dust and stain protection. Cotton fabrics are very soft to the touch much like the feel of pure cotton. They are also durable but they do not possess the kind of smoothness and glittery like looks of polyester fabrics. Even though they look a bit rough, they can provide a good grip at the handler’s perspective because they do not slip much. Mixed fabrics are those that have a mixture of polyester and cotton.

Colors and Sizes

When it comes to sizes, the size you would spend your money for would depend upon your usage. If you’ve got some large items to move then you are better off with larger moving blankets although they may cost more than their smaller sized counterparts. With the vast arrays of colors lined up in various brands of blankets for moving, preferences would vary according to your color preference. But many have preferred dark colored blankets because the stains or dirt, if any, will not get so visible. In some folks, they also prefer to have dual colored blankets for the reason that it would be easy to determine which side is the interior and which one is the exterior. All in all, it would just boil down to your color preference actually.

Padding Material

A padded moving blanket usually have a stitched or quilted fabric surface. While the quilt patterns may not be that important, what should count the most is the kind of padding material used in the blanket. Padding materials are added for cushioning purposes. That is, the thicker and higher quality padding materials stuffed in the blanket, the greater is the capability of the blanket to handle bumps from blunt objects that may come in contact with the delicate items during their transport. Cotton padding or stuffing material is the most preferred. There may be some other padding used such as foam.

Although there are many types of moving blankets these days available at varying sizes, colors and prices. Below are the most common one could see being used to wrap the items for transport:

Economy Type Blanket – This type can be the cheapest moving blanket that is available if you opt to purchase one. They are mostly of the non-quilted or the non-woven type. They are just plain covering without any cushion stuffing in them. They are mainly used to protect items against stains and dust and nothing more. Even with their limited capabilities, they are still good to go for a good number of moving instances or situations.

Premium Grade – These are bulky sheets with heavy cushion stuffing and highly durable woven material. Their outer sheets are usually made of terylene or some polyester variants which are highly durable and weather resistant while at the same time having the characteristic of being soft and flexible. As such, they can be heavy things to muster around. However though, this type has proven to create a high degree of protection for the moved furniture items especially for longer hauls such as international moving or cross country moving. This type is favored heavily by many moving and storage companies as they can ably provide adequate protection to the items being transported.

Cotton Type – Cotton material, as we all know, is made out of cotton and as such, they can cost more. That soft and smooth organic material used for many applications have found their way into moving blankets. This blanket is the fluffiest of all making it a good protection against bumps that can damage any exterior portion of a delicate furniture item. What makes them also a heavy favorite is because of the typical characteristic of cotton. That is, they tend to be not slippery which makes handling the items during loading and unloading not quite a dilemma.

Actually, moving blankets, by their nature, are primarily designed for furniture moving. Because they are predominantly thick due to heavy stuffing, they can also be capable of acting as a sound barrier or a sound insulator. That is why they can be described as soundproof. As a backgrounder, foams and cushion materials have the inherent characteristic of absorbing sound waves. The thicker they are, the more sound waves they are bound to absorb. Because of this and technically speaking, moving blankets, especially the thick ones, can be used to function as sound barriers in a wide variety of applications such as recording rooms and recording studios.

However though, these blankets for moving should not be taken as a full replacement for the real soundproof materials necessary for installations in applications which require a very high degree of sound insulation. Authentic soundproofing systems can insulate up to 99% of noise. Even with the thickest quilted moving blanket, it would not come close to this. They would just be good for rugged purposes or having an improvised sound barrier in some applications. For example, if there is some noise generated around the neighborhood due to engineering works or construction, then a moving blanket can be useful to insulate your room against the noise. Another instance where they will come useful as a sound barrier is when you happen to have a teenager who loves to play heavy metal or rock music inside his room using some high wattage subwoofers and speakers. The sound of that would be quite annoying, well at least, for many adults. Hence, putting some layers of moving blanket on the walls in your teenager’s room can help quite a bit in reducing much of the noise emanating from his room to comfortable levels.

In a nutshell, a moving blanket is just a protective covering for a delicate piece of item that cannot be placed nor fit in sturdy protective coverings such as moving crates or hard moving boxes. With this in mind taken literally, a big cloth or sheet could just be a good alternative. Think of wool sheets, a worn out bed sheet, a rickety comforter and etc. They should to the trick, wouldn’t they? In a sense, they could work out especially if you are just moving a few items that you and your car can handle without much huffing and puffing. Basically all sheets that can be found inside the house that are large enough to cover the furniture piece for your self-transport would do the job. However, you must be amenable to the fact that these sheets (i.e. blankets and comforters) can get damaged or torn along the process. After all, they are not designed for such applications and you are just trying to improvise a bit in order to save some green bucks. Hence, it would be best to utilize those sheets that you are ready to dispose of no matter what. One great aid, if you have some, is the bubble wrap. Those flexible plastic wrapping materials with air-filled nodes used to wrap fragile items can be very useful for this. If you managed to stash some of it, then you have a plus factor. In my case, I cannot salvage much of them because most of their bubbles have been burst by the kids already. Kids and some adults, unfortunately, find it amusing and addicting, to some extent, bursting those bubbles.

First of all, when moving the piano, you can do either of these two things: move it yourself or engage the services of a piano moving company. Moving it yourself may be the cheapest option, provided, that you have your own resources (i.e., manpower, moving blanket, moving kits, transport vehicle, etc.). However, not many may have that much of a resource; hence, if you are one of such then engaging the services of a piano moving company could be the best option.

Basically, dozens of piano moving companies abound in several localities across the United States. A big number of them also have online presence which makes it easier to scout and canvass which company to engage the services with. However, as easy as it may seem to be, there are some few important things which should be given due attention to before finally choosing a company to move your fragile and expensive piano.

1) Check the reputation, competence, and reliability of the piano mover. You don’t want your piano to end up in unsuitable hands and untrained hands. With the internet, this is quite easy to do. All you have to do is look for reviews and perhaps, some credible testimonials. Better yet, you could ask some people in the offline world who might have tried the services of a piano mover. More often than not, you will end up with a short list of these piano moving companies which you can draw your final choice from.

2) Definitely consider the costs that would be involved in transporting the piano. Different movers will almost always have different rates. Not only that, you should be on a keen lookout for hidden charges, if any. Then again, the internet is a good place to shop around while comparing the rates of the various piano movers.

3) If the piano is to be moved into another state, consider having it insured by a reputable insurance company. You may never know what will happen in long distance moving. While this may be an added cost, it pays to ensure that you will have some peace of mind.

4) Check the equipment of your prospective piano movers. See to it that the piano mover is ably equipped with the necessary and essential moving kits to ensure efficient and safe transport of your valuable piano. Equipment may include, but not limited to, winches, ratchet straps, furniture moving blankets, or lifting equipment.

1. Make A Master List – That’s right. Developing a master list consisting of to-do items and almost every item inside the house can help you map out an orderly thought flow that helps minimize stress. Do not trust your memory for it can be unreliable when the mind is occupied with so many things under certain circumstances (i.e., moving). Unfortunately, some people abhor creating a list. Maybe they don’t have the penchant for it or they are just plain lazy. But believe it or not, you will find that your list will be your best aid. That said, you have to make that list before you commence stuffing your moving boxes. You will be grateful of yourself in the end.

2. Get Rid Of Clutter – Items that are considered clutters are those that have not been used for a long time. As a rule, if an item (i.e., clothing, utensils, toys, etc.) have not been used for eight months then that item should already be discarded. Do not be tempted to take clutter thinking that you might have some use for it someday because chances are, you won’t. Clutter doesn’t have to be headed for the garbage bin. You can always donate them to charity. As a matter of fact, your clutter will be useful in so many ways to other people.

3. Get Things Sorted – You should group the items categorically. That is, toys should only be mixed with toys; utensils should be mixed with utensils, and so on so forth. It would be so much easy to track things this way. In addition, all of your stuff would be in order and uncluttered.

4. Choose Your Moving Company Well – There are literally dozens of moving companies that can be tapped to move your stuff. Unfortunately, not all of them are equal. You can search online for reputable and reliable moving companies who may have branches in your locality. In addition, you can also ask your friends and relatives for their experiences with a particular moving company.

5. Keep Valuables To Yourself – There are just some items in the house which you cannot afford to lose or entrust the handling to anyone but yourself. Items such as family photos, highly valuable dinner sets, jewelries, valuable documents, etc. Identify which one will fit such criteria. After which, stuff all those into a box that you will transport yourself.

6. Use Cushioning Materials – Moving boxes are only durable to some extent. With that, you should make use of bubble wraps, packing pads or papers, or foam. You could also improvise by utilizing your wool blankets as cushions. Furniture items should be wrapped with a suitable moving blanket to avoid nicks, scratches, and dents on their fragile surfaces. Furniture moving blankets do not cost much and can be reused.

There you go. The tips aforementioned may look simple and trivial. But believe it or not, these tips are the ones often overlooked by many.

As mentioned, moving to another place with your belongings can become a hassle especially if you worry about the safety of your fragile pieces. Examples of such fragile belongings are decorative mirrors and that classical piano with an elegant finish. Hence, putting on some quilted moving blanket or just the plain ones on those delicate pieces can greatly help in preventing scratches and damages that might come during their loading, unloading and transport. More so, most moving blankets are durable and can readily provide a layer of cushion for your delicate furniture pieces.

There are many available blankets for moving around the country with varying degree of thickness. The thicker ones, although might cost more, are best suited for highly delicate possessions such as mirrors where a slight unintentional bump can cause great damage. Cushion materials are usually stuffed inside the blanket making them act as dampeners. Not only that, the material usually used in making them is usually of durable type. Cotton materials and polyester materials are commonly used for high quality ones. These materials can be highly resistant to tear and can provide a good layer of cushion to the delicate furniture being hauled into the transport trucks.

Most moving companies will offer these kinds of blankets when you contract them to transport your stuff to your new home or apartment. Most often, one would not have any hard time looking for a moving services company wherever they may be. They are just available in most states and cities across the country. For example, if you happen to be in the San Antonio area, you will find that there are lots of movers in San Antonio which will provide these blankets as part of their services. However, there may be some companies that may not have these blankets. If so, then you can certainly try to buy them yourselves if you opt to. Finding them online is quite easy as many establishments selling these kind of blanket are already visible on the internet. You can choose all the color, size and design that will fit your preference and taste.