Packing Smart For First Time Movers

Packing Smart For First Time Movers 

Most people would prefer a visit to the dentist over moving your house or townhome. It’s one of those things that disrupt your whole life, both before and after the move. And for many of us, packing is undoubtedly the worst part of moving. Luckily there are a few smart packing secrets that will make any move less disruptive. Let’s have a closer look at what they are.

Start Packing As Soon As Possible 

Unless you are forced into an unexpected situation, you will most likely know about the move weeks, if not months before the time. Start by first packing the things that you are unlikely to use before the move. If the big day will be during the summer months, you can, e.g., safely pack all your winter clothing in advance. The same applies to books, musical instruments, bedding, etc. Doing this will give you much less to worry about in the last few days leading up to the move.

Claim A Room Or Area As Your Packing Zone And Start Packing Room By Room 

It will make things much easier if you choose a room, corner, or even a counter as your designated packing area. Make sure that you have all the necessary supplies there, including boxes, markers, and tape. Then start packing room by room. Double-check to ensure that nothing is left behind. This includes looking under the beds, at the back of every closet, and in the cabinet above your fridge that you haven’t opened since last year.

Make Sure The Size Of The Box Matches The Contents 

Heavier items should go into bigger boxes, right? Wrong. Always pack bigger (but lighter) items such as pillows and linens in the biggest available boxes, and reserve the smaller boxes for heavier items. One of professional movers’ biggest complaints is often the fact that people pack heavy items in large boxes. Not only does that make them more difficult to carry, but the chances of them breaking are much bigger.

Put Soft Items Like Towels And Linens To Good Use

Use towels and linens to protect breakable, hard-to-wrap items such as vases and lamps. And use socks to wrap up things like perfume bottles and glasses. When it comes to wrapping up sharp kitchen tools like knives, dish towels come in very handy. Simply use a rubber band to secure them.

Label Every Box With A Description Of What’s Inside And The Room It is Destined For 

This will make it easy for the movers when they arrive at your destination. And unpacking will become much less stressful. An equally good idea is to number every box and draw up an inventory list on your smartphone (or a small notebook, if you prefer). This will help with the unpacking, and it also makes it easy to check whether all the boxes have arrived.

Leave Clothes On Their Hangers And Do Not Empty Drawers 

Why would you empty every drawer and pack every individual item of clothing if there is a much easier solution? Just let your clothes remain on their hangers and wrap them in big garbage bags. And when you remove drawers from the dresser, leave whatever is inside untouched. Just wrap the drawers in plastic wrap to keep them secure. Or don't remove the drawers at all, simply wrap the whole dresser in plastic wrap!

Do Not Pack Heavy Stuff On Top Of Lighter, Fragile Items 

Wherever possible, always pack heavy items and lighter, breakable objects in separate boxes. But whatever you do, never pack heavy items on top of lighter ones that can easily break. If you have fine art or antiques to move, you'll want to bring this to the attention of your move coordinator to ensure moving insurance has been discussed and any special crating for your local or long distance move.  Science hasn’t yet developed packing paper that will protect your great-grandmother’s china against your heavy-duty frying pan. If you apply the same common sense principles you use when going grocery shopping, everything will be fine.