If you have a move coming up, you might be feeling under pressure. You probably feel overwhelmed with all the scheduling, prepping, and packing you need to accomplish.
Get a handle on your household relocation by incorporating effective planning and organization. It will help eliminate stress and make your move smooth and efficient.
Here are six tips to help with your preparation and packing.
1. Reduce the Common Clutter
Packing for a household move is easier when you only bring what you need to your new home.
Before packing, eliminate things you no longer use by finding opportunities to upcycle or recycle when possible. Sell your stuff on Marketplace or donate it to organizations like Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity. Don’t regard your house as a storage unit. Not only will eliminating the unnecessary lighten your moving load, but it will also provide you with more space in your new home.
2. Act Now by Making a Moving Plan
Develop a moving plan that includes a detailed packing schedule. Start in the areas of your home that you use the least and with items you don’t use often. For instance, pack up formal china or holiday decor.
Create your own packing guide and schedule to keep you focused and motivated. For example, determine a specific day to manage items from a particular room. Assign one week per room—for instance, the first week, work on the guest room, week two, the basement, etc. Then, prioritize your packing, assign reasonable deadlines, and start work as soon as you know you are moving.
3. Determine Essentials for Essentials Box
Pack essential items like a change of clothes, medicines, toiletries, select kitchen items, and charging cords separately. Keep these crucial things in a separate marked box that you keep with you on moving day. Then, you can quickly dip into your supply box before your other boxes arrive and unpack them.
4. Select Appropriate Cartons
Gather sturdy cardboard boxes to store and protect your belongings. The key to effectively packing everything from clothes to books and electronics to dishware is using the appropriate cartons for your various items.
Smaller boxes work well with heavier items like books and fragile dishes. And larger boxes are more suitable for lightweight things like comforters and pillows.
Consider using dish pack kits or glass moving kits with dividers and partitions to separate and better protect your fragile dishware. Check with your moving company for these and other specialty boxes like TV boxes and wardrobe boxes with hanger bars that allow you to move your clothes right from your closet to the box and then directly into your new closet.
5. Use Suitable Filler Material
A cardboard carton is an ideal destination for your stuff when packing, but make sure you have plenty of suitable filler material like packing paper and bubble wrap too. The filler material prevents your belongings from shifting and colliding inside the moving boxes. Make sure you wrap each item effectively, then fill in all space to keep things from movings and getting damaged.
6. Label and Color Code Boxes
Labeling your moving cartons is essential to keep your move on track and running smoothly. When labeling your boxes:
- Label each side
- List the contents in detail
- Indicate the destination room of the box at your new home
A color-coding system is also a smart idea to help differentiate which boxes go to which rooms. Make sure you provide the movers with your color code key.
Your Move Made Easier
These tips will help make your move smooth and efficient. Check out our blog for more information like this.
Contact us for a free quote and your individualized moving and storage needs!