How to Move Electronics
A tricky part of moving is usually taking care of the removal of electronics and electrical devices. When done wrong, this can result in damage for the equipment. Even worse possibility comes in the form of injuring yourself or anybody, who's helping you. This is why electricals need to be properly removed, disassembled and packaged, so that you can enjoy using them safely and comfortably in your new location
1. The first thing to do, quite obviously, is to unplug any devices that you will be moving. Make sure that everything is disconnected from any power source - all cables should be unplugged, everything should be switched off and the batteries should be removed from any small appliances or devices. After removing the batteries, you have two options for packing them - either put them in an individual (sealable) plastic bag in a box along with the appliance they came from, or, alternatively, you could put all of the batteries in a single box or bag and carry them with you during the move. The latter will ensure that none of the batteries get lost during transportation or fall out of a box along the way, but they will require some sorting through on arrival.
2. Next, it's time to pack any cables, chargers and accessories. The laptop charger, mouse, mouse pad and any other related accessories should be carried in a laptop bag or another appropriate bag along with the laptop itself. This could also apply to USB cables and the like. Make sure to keep smaller pieces like USB sticks or memory cards in smaller pockets, so that you won't have to dig around a bag to find them on arrival. All other cables and chargers should be coiled and tied up with a piece of wire or similar, so that they don't get tied up together. This is especially important for any ear buds, headphones, microphone cables and anything else small and flexible enough to get tangled. Ideally, each piece of cable should be kept in it's own separate bag and with the device it belongs to. This will make it easier to unpack later.
3. Now is the time to remove and pack the larger items. Anything that needs to be taken apart should be taken care of at this point. Smaller pieces are much less likely to break or get damaged during transportation, so while it adds a bit of time to the packing and unpacking process, you should not avoid this step.
4. In the best case scenario, you will have kept the original boxes for all electronics, along with any Styrofoam pieces. Everything is best packaged in its original box, with the Styrofoam fittings, ensuring minimal movement and shaking. If this isn't an option, however, make sure you wrap each piece and especially the delicate ones in bubble wrap and pack them into boxes, leaving as little space as possible for them to shift and bump around. Do not forget to mark each box as fragile to let the movers know that they should be careful with them. Next, load them onto the van or lorry, heaviest at the bottom and lightest at the top. Remember to arrange them according to the room they should be unpacked in, making it easier for the movers (or yourself, if you're handling the move on your own) to sort every item into the correct room.