Legos are not just a toy, they’re also a great way to teach your children about engineering and architecture. However, when you move to a new house, it can be difficult to know what do with them and what is the best way to pack them.
Here is the definitive guide on how to pack Legos for moving!
Packing Lego Completed Structures vs Loose Pieces
There are two main ways that your Legos will need to be transported to your new place. Either as a fully built, complete creation or as just random loose pieces.
Obviously, the way you go about packing your Legos is going to be drastically different in these two scenarios.
Let’s discuss both, starting with completed builds first.
Packing a Finished Lego Structure
When most people think about the most fragile things they’ll pack during a move, the first things that usually come to mind are glasses and mirrors. Maybe your big screen TV.
But, if you have Lego Builds proudly displayed in your house, then you know how stressful the idea of packing and moving your creations can be. But, what many Lego builders fail to realize is that moving and packing a Lego structure can actually be very easy. You just need to plan ahead and prepare with the right materials:
1) Bubble Wrap or other padding material: If your assembled Lego sets are over 2 feet tall, then it’s going to take a lot more bubble wrap than a small tabletop Lego set.
2) A Sharp Knife or Utility Blade: You will need a knife or other sharp object to cut the bubble wrap open.
3) Tape: Electrical, masking, and packing tape can all be used.
4) A Sharpie for Labeling
5) Packing Paper: This is nice for Lego sets that are completed but are small enough to be tucked away neatly into a box. The reason why packing paper works well for Legos is that it’s lightweight and tightly packed which helps prevent Legos from shifting around in your moving box!
6) Ziploc Bags: We’ll use these to organize our loose pieces. More on exactly how we’re going to use plastic bags in a minute.
7) Boxes/Totes/Bins: Whatever you choose to pack your Legos in, make sure it’s what you’re going to keep them in once they arrive at their new home so you don’t end up having loose Legos in different places.
You’re going to want a packing box that’s bigger than the Lego build you’re packing, but not much bigger. As Legos can be very heavy when packed up densely, you don’t want to add too much unnecessary weight or space to your moving truck.
Once you’ve found boxes and prepared them with bubble wrap and tape, simply lay down your Lego builds on top of the padding material and make sure they are nice and snug! Then, when you feel like they won’t move around, place them into their own little box and shove more bubble wrap around it for extra padding.
If the Lego set is smaller an 8×8 inch square, then it’s probably best to wrap Legos in packing paper. Of course, if you have Lego mini-figures or loose Lego pieces, they should be packed separately into small boxes.
Packing Your Lego Loose Pieces
Packing your loose lego bricks is going to be much, much easier than packing an assembled piece, but it doesn’t mean there should be no thought involved. Sure, you could just throw all your loose pieces in a box and call it a day, but I like to keep my Lego collection a little more organized than that.
So, how do we pack our Legos while keeping them organized?
If you already keep your Legos organized in something transportable like Tupperware containers, then you’re job is basically already done. Pop the lids on and then place all those containers into a shared box. (Just be careful with the weight, a box full of Legos can get pretty heavy.)
If you’re Legos are organized, but not in ready-to-go containers, use Ziploc Bags. Ziploc Bags come in all different sizes, from small bags for specialized pieces all the way up to a gallon and two-gallon sizes.
Place each group of Legos into its own plastic bag. If pieces go to a particular set or build, make sure to label those bags accordingly. Don’t assume you’ll “just remember”. Trust us, you’ll have a million things going through your mind over the course of a move. You will forget.
Then carefully place each one of those bags into a shared box. (Again, be careful of the weight) If there is extra space in the box you can use packing paper or bubble wrap to keep your pieces from shifting around during the move.
Final Thoughts
So, as you can see packing Lego sets for a move is actually a lot easier than it seems. Make sure to pay close attention to how you pack Legos so you don’t lose any pieces and to make sure the Lego set isn’t too heavy for its container.
When packing Legos, always think about what is going to be best for your lego sets and collectible Lego mini-figures! Don’t just shove them in a bag and hope for the best because you’ll find that they’ll usually come out looking like they were just beaten up by a bully with a big stick! (OK not really but…)
There’s something about having your Legos packed up all nice and neatly, ready to start a new Lego adventure at their new home or even just ready to be taken out and played with.
So that’s it! That’s how you pack legos for moving!
