If you plan to move from one place to another, LED light strips can become a great headache. LED strip lights are delicate, and improper packing can cause them to tangle, break or become unusable.
To help you with this challenging situation, we have designed a step-by-step guide on how to pack LED light strips for moving. This article will guide you from removing the LED light strips to reinstalling them in your new place.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
How To Pack LED Light Strip For Moving: 6 Steps Guide
You can easily pack LED light strips for moving by following 6 simple steps. I’ll explain these 6 steps in-depth in this segment. Before getting started, make sure you have these things first:
- Cardboard Boxes
- Original Strip Roll or Cord Reel
- Bubble Wrap or Soft Padding
- Packing Tape
- Labels
After confirming the things you’ll need, let’s get started with the steps:
Table of Contents
1. Remove The LED Strip Lights For Packing
First, you will need to prepare the LED strip lights so that you can pack and move them safely. This preparation is highly dependent on removing the LED light strips properly. Be sure to remove them without damaging the wall or peeling off the paint.
To ensure your wall’s safety, you can follow some basic rules for removing your LED light strips from the wall, and these are:
- Start peeling from any end of the strip and continue peeling to the other end of the strip.
- If the strip adhesive is strong, you can use heat (from a hairdryer) or Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol to loosen the bondage of the strip’s adhesive.
- Use a putty knife, coin or plastic scraper if the strip’s one end isn’t coming out easily. You may peel off some paint at first, don’t worry about that.
- Continue heating up the strip or apply the rubbing alcohol and gently pull out the strips gradually.
Note: These removal rules are also applied to all substances (TVs, Windows, Doors, and Furniture) beside walls. Following these 4 rules will help you to remove any LED light strips.
2. Roll The LED Light Strip
After removing the LED light strips, it’s time to pack them up. If you’re not careful with the strips, you’ll find yourself messed up with a bunch of tangled-up LED light strips.
That’s why rolling them gently and placing them in a box is ideal. You can use the original boxes your strips were delivered in, or you can use any cardboard/plastic boxes.
If you’re being extra protective with your strips, you can use third-party products like cord reel to properly manage your LED light strips. You can roll your LED light strips using this cord reel, and this will keep your strips organized.
Caution: Don’t bend your strips too much while rolling; doing so may cause your light strips to malfunction, as there is a high chance of circuit damage.
3. Packing LED Light Strips
Packing is the most crucial part, and the safety of your LED light strips depends on this step. If you’re using cardboard or plastic boxes to store your LED light strips for moving, make sure there is no free space for the strips to hit on the cardboard/plastic box’s walls.
You can use filler such as bubble wrappers or soft padding to prevent your LED light strips from hitting the side walls during transportation.
4. Separate Led Light Strip Into Group
It’s always a great decision to separate the LED light strips so that it becomes effortless for you to unpack & reinstall them in your new home.
You can separate the LED light strips by the specific places you use them, such as – led light strips for tv, bedroom, undercabinet, and so on.
5. Labelling Packed LED Strip Lights
Doing the packaging correctly will leave you with many LED light strip boxes. It’s important to identify them with labels. Labelling your boxes will prevent confusion and ensure a seamless and hassle-free reinstalling experience.
These labels also help the transport workers know fragile materials are in the box. They might give these boxes extra care if they know what’s inside. Additionally, you can also mark your boxes with labels saying – “Fragile Handle With Care“.
6. Transport The Packed LED Strip Lights
Finally, it’s time to transport the labelled box to the right destination. It will be the best if you carry the LED light strip boxes with you, in your private vehicle. This will ensure your boxes are handled carefully and in a relatively cool environment.
However, if there are too many boxes to fit in with you – you can instruct your transport company to place these boxes in a a relatively cooler places of the transport vehicle. Because high environmental temperature can damage your LED light strips.
instruct them not to keep any heavy objects on top of your LED strip boxes (plastic or cardboard). Taking these extra steps can ensure the well-being of your LED light strips throughout the transporting session.
Shine Bright Again: Tips for Reusing LED Strips in a New Location
Assuming you have successfully moved your LED light strips from your older place to a new one. Now, it’s time to reinstall the strips in the new location. First, open the boxes and take out your LED light strips. Check if there is any damage or not.
If everything seems fine, it’s time for the reinstallation. Note that your LED light strips won’t stick to the walls again with their built-in adhesives. You’ll have to use additional/external adhesives, such as – Glue dots, Adhesive Clips, and Double-Sided Tape.
Note: Before using double-sided tape or any other adhesives; make sure to clean the surface first. If the surface is dirty, the adhesive won’t stay for long period.
Conclusion
I hope this article was helpful enough guiding you with how to pack LED light strip for moving. Now you know, it’s a straightforward task that can be done following a few steps.
If you follow the mentioned steps properly, you can safely transport your old LED light strips to your new place without any hassle. If you’re not confident on your work – don’t hesitate to take help from your transport staff, they might know well too.
I am Mark Braeden, a professional electrician based in California. With over a decade of experience in the electrical industry, I have launched this website with the aim of sharing my expertise and providing solutions to common lighting issues that can cause frustration for homeowners.
Whether you need help selecting the right bulb for your living room lamp or require guidance in installing LED strip lights, I am here to assist you.
But it’s not just about fixing problems. I’m also here to inspire you with all sorts of creative lighting ideas that can transform your home.