Moving Blankets Basics

There are essentially two different kinds of moving blankets. Quilted blankets and non-quilted blankets, otherwise referred to as ’skins’. Quilted blankets will provide you with the best protection by far, so if you are moving important items then this is the way to go. When you buy quilted blankets there are a few things to look for:

  • The material and amount of filler used in the quilted blanket.
  • The kind of fabric used.
  • What is used to bind the moving blanket together.

Using those things to judge you should be able to come up with a good ruling on if it’s the right blanket for your needs.

moving-blanket

How much filler they use in the moving blanket basically determines how well protected what you are moving will be. It will also determine the weight of the blanket, and if you’ve ever used one you will realize those can be quit heavy. It’s good for what you are protecting, but bad for whoever is having to move it around and use it. It’s a small price to pay for good protection however. If you are trying to find out how much filler is in the blanket, then it will sometimes be shown as how much “Filler per yard” is in the blanket, but usually it will be the weight of the blanket.

recycled-cotton

The less filler in the moving blanket, the cheaper it will be ultimately. Really you just need to be able to judge how much filler each item may need. If you are going to be moving expensive pieces of fragile equipment, you will obviously want to go with the most filler possible. If you are simply moving furniture but would rather be on the safe side and not get any scratches the basic low-filler moving blankets should do the job.

The most common filler used in moving blankets is going to be recycled cotton. Because of the nature of it air will get caught in the fibres and that is what gives it the extra thickness, which is good because it will help protect your items.

Moving blankets, whether they be quilted or non-quilted (skins) will usually be made on the outside from basic felt, or possibly polyester, depending on the manufacturer of the blanket. Some of the better moving blankets use burlap which reinforces the felt and will make for a tougher outside, while still having a soft inside which will help keep your moving items better protected from nicks and scratches.

Types of Moving Blankets

There are some terms thrown around when you are looking for a blanket to help you move which might be confusing. Moving blankets, furniture pads, those are the same thing. Essentially it’s a quilted pad or blanket used for covering furniture during a move. It can also be used in storage to protect them from damage such as scratches, nicks, dents and anything that might happen to something when it’s being put away. It might be confusing when you decide you want to order a blanket but you just need to remember that they are basically all the same thing, they will just have differences in them and that is where you will be able to make up your mind and decide.

There are going to be three basic categories that will present themselves when you are looking for moving blankets:

moving-blanket-skin

No padding, aka ’skins’. This have no padding whatsoever, and are usually used for very big items just to avoid major dents or scratches, or to provide a very minimal coverage for your items. If you are trying to save the most money possible, or simply don’t care too much about the shape of the items you will be moving, then this is a good option. They can be used for scooting furniture around as well, by simply placing the furniture on the blankets and pulling them. This helps prevents scratching of the floors, especially hardwood.

moving-blanket-basic

Economy. This will be lightly padded and will be the cheaper material of felt coverings. The padding will be very light, so if you are going to be moving fragile items like mirrors or antiques, you would most likely want to go with better quality, or use two or more of these to protect your valuables. This are the most common, and if you just go buy standard blankets these are the kind you will end up. They are perfectly suitable for most situations where a moving blanket is needed.

moving-blanket-premium

Premium. This will be heavily padded and the best softest material to avoid all types of damage. The outside fabric will be harder, and the inside fabric that will touch your items will be softer.

Now there are many subcategories to choose from, and even some of these will vary. You can get them in different colors, sizes, weights, etc. All of them should be quilter in a zig-zag pattern to help with the security of them not coming apart.