Moving Blankets: What You Should Know Before You Buy or Rent Moving Blankets

If you're moving yourself, then you'll want to consider either purchasing or renting moving blankets for your move.

And believe me, as someone who moved without them once and then wished she had had them for her move, you do need moving blankets!

I moved from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington in a U-Haul and didn't have moving blankets. My furniture got scratched up, and I had more broken items because no matter how much I tried to use my own bedding to cushion things, it just wasn't enough. I really ended up wishing I had paid the extra expense to have moving blankets.

Should You Rent Or Buy Moving Blankets?

Unless you think you will be moving a lot, or that you might be able to use the moving blankets for some other purpose (some people use moving blankets for soundproofing for example), then renting them is probably your best option.

If you decide to purchase moving blankets because you know you will be using them again to move, or you have another use for them, just know that costs can vary. To give you an idea:

A dozen of the smaller moving blankets (48" x 72") can range in cost from $94.50 to $49.99 -- if you happen to get them on sale.

The larger the blanket, and the more padding the blanket has, can affect the cost dramatically. For example, a dozen thickly padded moving blankets (72" x 80") can range from $190.00 to $102.99 -- again, if you are fortunate enough to get them on sale.

So really, unless you know you will use them again, renting is probably a more cost effective option, although as with anything there are catches with that as well.


Before You Rent Moving Blankets...

If you decide that renting your moving blankets is the way to go, this can be a good thing, and save you money. For example, you can rent moving blankets from U-Haul and get a dozen for $10 for 10 days.

There are other places that rent moving blankets, but one of the problems is that they are few and far between. Many event places will rent them to you, but as with any of their equipment, generally they want a 50% deposit, and the moving blankets have to be returned in exactly the same condition they were in when you received them. This can be a problem, as most moving blankets are made in China these days and according to one renter/purchaser:

I have been using my new pads for about 2 months now and am pretty fairly disgusted with them. some have holes in them from chair legs, the threads are pulling out of others... I had that with my OLD 10 year old pads only they were 10 years old. This made in China stuff is in my opinion CRAP. I bought the best of the best and it's made in China! I wouldn't do it again unless it was made in the USA."  Source

So evidently, if you rent moving blankets, then (because they are poorer quality) you end up putting a hole in them, you may lose your deposit -- which defeats the purpose of renting the moving blankets in the first place.

What I would suggest doing is rent only from a place that has moving blankets that are made in the USA which are purportedly far better quality and are able to stand up to more moving abuse than the ones made in China. That way you can get the better price, and have blankets that are going to be better for your move.

Some Moving Blankets Are Better Than Others

Something else to keep in mind is that not all moving blankets are created equally -- aside from where they are made.

There are actually different types of moving blankets.

The best kind of moving blankets are the ones that are padded with a strong outer fabric that is quilted. There are other types that are made of only one kind of material which do not have that extra padding. These may be less effective than the padded and quilted style moving blankets and may not do as good of a job protecting your property from damage.

Also, when using a moving blanket underneath a piece of furniture to help scoot it along, the single-material moving blankets don't work that well if at all. This is another reason to really shop around whether you decide to purchase or rent your moving blankets.

One thing's for sure... having a quality moving blanket is going to make your move easier, and be more cost effective in the long run.