What Not to Pack in Moving Totes

Almost everything you own can go in a tote. A short list of things shouldn't — some because they're genuinely unsafe, some because they'll ruin everything packed around them, and some because you simply don't want them out of your sight. Worth knowing before you start rather than at the truck.

Never pack: flammables and pressurized containers

These are the real safety items. A closed container in a hot Florida truck is exactly the wrong place for anything under pressure or anything that burns.

• Gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, charcoal starter
• Propane tanks and camping fuel canisters
• Aerosols — spray paint, hairspray, cleaners, bug spray
• Paint, thinners, solvents, and pool chemicals
• Ammunition and fireworks
• Car batteries

Most of these can go to a household hazardous waste collection site — each of the counties we serve runs one. Give yourself a week to deal with it; it's not a moving-day errand.

Don't pack: anything that can leak or spoil

• Open liquids — cleaners, detergent, cooking oil. If it must come, bag it and carry it upright in your own car.
• Perishable food from the fridge or freezer. Eat it, give it away, or donate what's unopened.
• Plants, in most cases. They don't survive a dark container, and they're fussy about long moves.
• Anything already damp. Sealed totes are great at keeping moisture out and equally good at keeping it in.

Keep with you: valuables and documents

Not a safety issue — a peace-of-mind one. These ride in your own vehicle:

• Passports, birth certificates, titles, deeds, and tax records
• Jewelry, cash, and small heirlooms
• Laptops, hard drives, and anything holding photos you can't replace
• Medications and prescriptions
• Keys, remotes, and the phone chargers you'll want in an hour

Think twice about

• Heavy books in a large tote. Not unsafe, just unliftable. Split them across several and keep them lower in the stack.
• Anything sharp, unwrapped. Knives, tools, and skewers should be sheathed or wrapped so nobody reaches blindly into a tote.
• Batteries loose in a tote. Tape the terminals on anything larger than AA.
• The vacuum. Empty it first. Everyone learns this once.

A simple rule

If it could catch fire, leak, spoil, or ruin your week if it went missing, it doesn't go in a packed tote. Everything else is fair game — and there's a lot of everything else.

Ready to pack the rest?

Reserve your totes online and we'll deliver with a dolly, labels, and a marker. For the breakables that do come with you, see how to pack fragile items.