Packing Fragile Electronics and Important Records for a Move

Electronics fail in moves from pressure, vibration, static, and one missing cable — and paper records fail from water and from being impossible to find afterwards. One procedure handles both.

Electronics and records are the two categories a move can damage without anything visibly breaking on the day. A television panel flexed in transit may not show the crack until it is switched on. A computer that was never backed up turns a dropped box into lost data. A box of tax records soaked by a leaking truck roof is not replaceable at any price. The procedure below is built from manufacturer handling guidance and professional mover practice, and it is ordered so that the irreversible steps — backups and documentation — happen before anything is unplugged.

Before anything is unplugged

Two jobs come first, because neither can be done afterwards. Back up every computer to an external drive or cloud storage before packing it; mover guidance is unanimous that data backup precedes disconnecting anything. Document every high-value device: record the make, model, serial number, and purchase price of each major electronic, and photograph its condition. That documentation is what a damage claim stands on, and it doubles as the inventory for the unpacking check at the other end.

The procedure, in order

1. Back up and document. Complete the backups above and verify one file can actually be opened from the backup. Photograph each device's condition and note its serial number.
2. Photograph every cable layout before disconnecting. Take a clear photo of the back of each TV, computer, and console setup, then label each cable with a numbered tag that matches a note on the photograph. Reconnection at the new home becomes a matching exercise instead of a guessing game.
3. Remove discs, cartridges, and loose batteries. Eject every disc from consoles and players and tape disc-drive trays shut. Remove batteries from remotes and devices where they can leak or corrode in transit.
4. Gather the right materials. Original manufacturer boxes are the best container for almost every device. Where they are gone, use specialty electronics boxes or a sturdy box only slightly larger than the device, anti-static bubble wrap, packing paper or foam for void fill, soft cloths for screens, zip bags for cables and screws, and silica gel packets for boxes that may sit in storage.
5. Pack the television by the manufacturer's rules. LG's own lifting-and-moving guidance states the rules plainly: move the TV in the box or packing material it originally came in; disconnect the power cord and all cables before lifting; never touch the screen; hold the top and bottom of the frame, not the transparent part, speaker, or grille; use at least two people for a large TV; and keep the TV upright during transport — never on its side, never tilted, and never exposed to jolts, excessive vibration, or pressure that flexes the frame. Add a soft layer over the screen first, then cushioning, and mark the box FRAGILE and THIS SIDE UP on multiple sides.
6. Pack desktop computers as two devices. The monitor packs separately, treated like a small television. For the tower: shut down properly, and if comfortable doing so, secure loose internal components — a large graphics card or aftermarket cooler can tear its mount under vibration — or remove the hard drive and pack it separately for extra security. Wrap the tower in anti-static material and box it with cushioning on all sides and no room to shift.
7. Pack laptops to travel, not to be stacked. Close the lid, place the laptop in a padded or anti-static sleeve, wrap it, and box it snugly with cushioning. Never pack anything on top of a laptop — pressure on the lid cracks screens. Small, valuable electronics ride best in the household's own vehicle, which offers better temperature control and gentler handling than the truck's cargo area.
8. Pack consoles as a kit. Remove any disc first. Wrap the console in anti-static bubble wrap and place it in a snug box padded on all sides. Controllers, headsets, and charging cables go in separate labelled bags so nothing tangles, scratches, or goes missing — a console that arrives without its power supply is a paperweight until the right cable is found.
9. Box in weight order and immobilize everything. In any shared box, the largest and heaviest piece goes on the bottom, wrapped individually, with anti-static fill in every gap. A correctly packed box does not rattle when shaken gently. Seal it well against dust and moisture, and label it with the room, the device, and FRAGILE.
10. Pack paper records as their own category. Sort before packing: identity documents, property and vehicle papers, insurance policies, and tax records travel separately from general files. In Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency advises keeping tax documents and supporting records for at least six years, along with a copy of the return and any notices of assessment — so the tax archive is a keep-and-protect category, not a declutter candidate. Pack records in small boxes (paper is deceptively heavy), inside plastic sleeves or a waterproof liner, and keep the vital-documents folder in personal possession during the move rather than on the truck.
11. Load electronics last and high. Electronics boxes go into the truck where nothing heavy can be placed on them, televisions upright and braced so they cannot slide or fall, and nothing stacked against a screen. If electronics must sit in storage between homes, choose climate-controlled space: temperature extremes and condensation damage hardware and batteries.
12. Let cold electronics warm up before switching on. After a winter move, condensation can form inside devices brought in from the cold. Mover guidance is to let electronics adjust to room temperature before powering them on — unpack them, let them sit, and only then reconnect using the labelled cables and the photographs from step 2.

Per-device reminders that are easy to miss

• Speakers and home theatre: wrap each component individually, protect speaker cones with soft paper or microfibre cloths because they dent easily, and put heavy receivers and subwoofers at the bottom of their box.
• Printers: remove ink or toner cartridges where the manufacturer directs it, and secure any scanning lid or paper tray so nothing flaps in transit.
• Cables are devices too: every power supply, especially proprietary laptop and console bricks, gets labelled with the device it belongs to. Generic cables can be replaced from a drawer; a specific voltage brick cannot.
• Screws and mounts: TV stand and wall-mount screws go into a labelled bag taped to the mount or the TV box — never loose in a general hardware box.

What success looks like

Before the truck doors close, run this check. Every computer has a verified backup that travels separately from the computer itself. Every cable is tagged and matches a photograph. Every screen is boxed upright, cushioned, and marked, with nothing resting on it. Shaking any electronics box produces no rattle. The serial-number and condition list exists and is photographed. The vital-records folder is in the household's vehicle, the six-year tax archive is in a dry, labelled box, and no records box is heavy enough to burst its bottom. At the new home, success is equally concrete: devices warm to room temperature before power-on, each setup reconnects from its photograph without a leftover cable, and the television is switched on and inspected before the moving crew leaves — while the documentation from step 1 is still in hand.

FAQ

Can a flat-screen TV be transported lying flat?

Manufacturer guidance says no: keep the TV upright during transport, never on its side, and avoid pressure that flexes the frame, because that pressure can damage the screen. If a television cannot travel upright in the vehicle available, it travels in its original box, upright, braced in the truck — or it is the item that justifies professional handling.

Should electronics go on the moving truck or in the car?

Small and valuable items — laptops, hard drives, cameras, the records folder — travel best in the household's own vehicle for temperature control and gentler handling. Large items travel on the truck, packed to the standard above. Either way, the backup of a computer never rides in the same vehicle as the computer.

How long should tax records be kept when moving house?

The Canada Revenue Agency advises keeping tax documents and records for at least six years, including supporting documents, a copy of the return, and notices of assessment. A move is a sorting opportunity, but records inside that window get packed and protected, not shredded — and they stay findable, in labelled boxes, at the new address.

This guide is general information for planning a cheaper move — not professional packing, insurance, or tax advice. For a specific device, the manufacturer's own manual governs; for tax records, the Canada Revenue Agency's published guidance governs.