Moving is hard and rarely fun. Why not pack in the smartest way possible to ease the burden, stress and work?
If you are considering a move, whether it’s across the hall or across the country, have a look at these ideas for making your move easier.
- When you think you might be moving, start collecting sturdy boxes from grocery and liquor stores. If you have a closet full of clothes that must be on hangers, invest in a wardrobe box or two from a moving company. You can take items on hangers from your closet to the wardrobe box, and reverse this process at your new home. Also, wrap up and put aside the items you don’t use every day. Seriously look at your closets and donate or give away anything you haven’t used for a few years.
- When you know you’re moving, put together an emergency kit. Pick up snacks, first aid supplies, craft paper and bubble wrap. You always need more craft paper and bubble wrap than you think you do. Put the snacks and first aid supplies in a small suitcase you can carry with you.
- Don’t pack boxes so they weigh more than 20 pounds apiece. Heavier items should be packed in their own small boxes.
- Look at your small appliances and decide if you want to move them, donate them, or throw them out. It might be easier to pick up a blender or coffee maker in your new location rather than moving the old one, and finding it doesn’t work or is broken when you unpack it.
- Make sure to seal each box with packing tape. Don’t just fold the tops together, and don’t use duct or painter’s tape – those types of tape will do not hold securely to cardboard and will come apart when you least expect.
- If at all possible, try to avoid mixing items from different rooms, as this will prevent fruitless searches for your iron at your new home when it was packed with your living room knick-knacks.
- Label and number your boxes. If you can, write on the box the room it will go into at your new home. I like to create a master list of box numbers and a general description of their contents.
- Pack a separate box or suitcase with things you’ll need immediately, like towels, a hammer, screwdrivers, 3M Command hooks, and a shower curtain and liner. Load it last on the truck so it will be immediately available at your new home.
- Put a heavy blanket on the table you use to pack and unpack to help minimize breakage of delicate items.
- Newspaper can be used to pack items like everyday dishes and glasses, but don’t use it for anything porous. Lampshades and fine china can pick up the ink and be permanently stained.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
