Are you in the middle of planning your next move? For sure you already know that being well prepared is the only way to execute a successful relocation. But you might not be sure where to start or what advice to take? Well, to make things simpler for you here comes the list of the best packing and moving tips and tricks that will make your life easier.
Let’s start!
Best packing and moving tips and tricks you didn’t even know you need
Moving is usually a chaotic task since people do not do it too often. Naturally, it can’t run smoothly without good logistic support. Avoid making horrendous mistakes by embracing these moving tips and tricks immediately.
Getting prepared for the move
It all begins with a good old to-do list – You don’t go to a supermarket without a comprehensive list, right? Well, how do you think you can handle a relocation without writing a step-by-step list? It is not possible. Organizing your time correctly is a must so you can stick to it through all steps.
Make an inventory – This is a most painful and annoying task that none other than you can do. Make a full inventory of all your belongings so you can decide what to keep and what to leave behind. Try to stay realistic and grounded while doing this. You need to toss old, broken, and unwanted things they won’t magically change overnight. Don’t keep the clothes under the excuse “I’ll wear them when I lose some pounds”. If you didn’t use some electric appliance for months or even years, you do not need it. Organize a garage sale and earn some extra money.
Purge your cabinets – The last piece of advice is to carefully purge your cabinets. Why should you pack and move products that are expired or spoiled? Check all the food packages you have stored. Also, go through your medicine cabinet and check each for expiration dates, and do the same with toiletries.
Packing tips and tricks
Start packing the minute you decide to move – The moment you find out you will need to move is the best moment to start packing. Do it slowly and stress-free, make priorities, and start with items you won’t need right away. For example, if you are moving in the summer pack all your warm clothes first since you won’t be needing them soon. Things like records, books, games, pictures, arts, and many more can be packed and stored months ahead of the move.
Tackle the most difficult room at the beginning – Play smart and use all your energy and motivation to handle the room that is most difficult to pack. From experience, people hate sorting and packing rooms like a basement, attics, and garages. The reason is that they are full of clutter and not-so-important things that you have a hard time getting rid of. Handle these rooms while you are still fueled with energy and you will get it done twice faster.
Seal the drawers – A handy trick is to seal the drawers with some tape and plastic wrap instead of emptying them. The plastic wrap should be wrapped around the drawers at least 2-3 times. However, this isn’t a good idea if the drawers hold some heavy items like dishes and books.
Pack smart and with an order in mind – Packing is one big project that you need to do, but you can’t just take a big bag and place all random things that get in your way. Break this big project into mini-tasks. If needed break those mini-tasks into sub-tasks. For instance, if you are a passionate collector you will need to create sub-tasks when packing your collectibles to make sure all your valuables are packed and secured.
Packing supplies
Collect moving supplies for free before making any purchase – The first step when you planning a move is determining your moving budget. However, no matter how much money you can spare, try to save as much as you can. Yes, you should invest money in purchasing a sturdy box that you will use for transporting your TV. But for packing things like shoes, clothes, boxes, bed linens, pots, and pans, boxes that you can acquire from a local store are more than enough. The best part is that they come for free. Ask the store manager if and when you can come and pick them up.
Packing clothes hacks – Why would you waste money on boxes for clothes when you can place them in your suitcase, traveling bags, backpacks, or garbage bags. Place clothes with hangers in the garbage bag and voila you are good to go. Always roll your clothes instead of folding them. You should use wardrobe boxes for some fancy pieces of clothes like a wedding dress. Everything else can and should be packed in suitcases. Use everything you have and don’t move empty suitcases when you can use them. A good way to spare some space is to pack socks into the shoes and sneakers directly. You can also protect your precious bags and purses from getting damaged by filling them up with scarfs and T-shirts so they can’t get smashed in the transport.
Boxing up your items 101
Placing things in the boxes can be a very fun and efficient way of packing, you just need to be creative. Here are some useful tips you’ll need:
- Always use small boxes for the heavy stuff. Pack them separately in a few different boxes. This is how you reduce injuries and damages.
- Line the bottom of the boxes with clean beddings, towels, blankets, and any other fabrics before placing something fragile in it. This is how you protect your items and save storage space.
- Wrap up the bottom of the cardboard with the wrapping tape to make sure your belongings won’t fall out.
- Most cardboard boxes don’t come with handles, which can be a major problem when lifting and carrying. Use the box cutter and carve them on your own for easier handling.
- Label all the boxes with the detailed specification so you know exactly where you can find them when you need to unpack them.
- Use different color markers to label boxes for each room.
- Create a protection barrier by using clean T-shirts and socks to fill in the gaps between the items in the boxes so nothing can shift during the transport.
Pack your kitchen like a pro
Nestle your items – Why move empty containers when you can place smaller and fragile items in them? Place any electric appliance into a laundry basket that you layered with a few towels just in case. Place some more clean towels on top of it and seal the top with some wrapping tape.
Pad plates to avoid braking them – There is nothing that can be so annoying as getting to your new home with broken plates and dishes. To avoid this scenario use paper plates, paper towels, or any other type of cushion as a protective layer between them before you place them in the box. You can also wrap them in bubble wrap and place them vertically in the boxes.
Pack your knives with utmost care – Knives should always be packed with protection in mind. Wrap each one separately in a dish towel or a clean T-shirt then secure the wrapping with a rubber band before placing it in the box.
Use large pots to pack smaller items – Don’t waste space in boxes in vain! Pack sealable containers, plastic dishes, smaller pots, small kitchen utensils, and gadgets in large pots. After that stack pots and pans in the box and place some dish towels between them to avoid moving. All the glass lids should be bubble wrapped and placed in a separate box!
Seal the liquids – You might be thinking how this is crazy but in reality, it isn’t. During the transportation, anything that is in a liquid state and packed into the bottles can spill out if it is already opened. Place a plastic wrap on bottles under the lid to prevent spilling. The safest way to transport liquid is in plastic boxes instead of cardboard.
Packing and moving tips and tricks for handling your furniture and electronics with ease
Disassemble lamps – Somehow lamps always tend to get damaged during relocation, no matter if they are from a fragile material or not. Take this advice and remove the light bulbs, harps, shades, and bases and wrap everything separately before placing them in the box.
Take photos of your electronics – If you aren’t familiar with electronics the best way to make sure you know how to set things up is to take a picture of them before you disassemble them. When the time comes to plug everything back use the photos you made and you will know exactly what goes where. Also, by taking a picture of your electronics or anything else that is fragile you make sure you have a piece of evidence in case something gets damaged in the transport.
Take care of your personal and work computer – Computers can end up damaged during the move so to make sure you will save all your personal and working files the best thing you can do prior move is to backup your hard drive.
Organize cords to avoid a mess in the first place – Remember to label the cords, you can use sticky paper in different colors and write down the appliance name on it. To avoid them getting all tangled up wrap each cord neatly and place it in an empty toilet paper roll.
Keep the hardware of furniture in a sealable plastic bag – Almost all furniture gets disassembled before the move, to avoid misplacing small parts and hardware place them in a sealable bag and label it appropriately. You can tape it to the furniture it belongs to or you can sort them all in a special box.
Remember every problem has at least one solution
There are so many packing and moving tips and tricks that it is impossible to list them all. However, those mentioned above are the basic ones that will hopefully inspire you to figure out your ways of wrapping and packing so you can spread the wisdom to someone else. Trying to master the skills of packing isn’t a simple task, but at least it is a creative one!
Hopefully, this list of packing and moving tips and tricks will help you run your relocation smoothly. However, in case the packing seems like too much work for you, give us a quick call and we will be happy to lend you a helping hand!
