Moving & Packing Tips

 

From the moment that you pop open the first moving box, you undoubtedly can feel overwhelmed by the huge task in front of you. Everything that you own needs to be packed away safely, transported to your new home and unpacked.

 

Other tasks, such as creating piles for charitable donations and doing the move in and move out cleaning, require your attention as well. With solid moving tips, you can dramatically reduce the time and energy required to complete your move.

How Far in Advance Should I Schedule My Move?

 

As soon as you know that you’re moving, you can start scheduling and packing. Things that you should do as early as possible include finding a place to live and eliminating clutter. You can also pack the off-season stuff that you won’t need until you get to your new home.

 

In addition, many moving companies book up well in advance. You can avoid paying more than necessary for your move and ensure that you move on the desired date by hiring movers as soon as possible.

 

How Can I Make Moving in Easier?

 

One of the best ways to ease the burden of moving is to get rid of as much of your stuff as possible before packing. After all, why would you pack up junk you don’t want and haul it to another location?

 

 

You can start going through the items in each room as soon as you know you’ll be moving. By doing so, you could potentially eliminate dozens of boxes from your move.

 

10 Moving Tips, Tricks, and Advice

 

While moving can be a hassle, there are some tips and tricks to follow to make lighter work of the task in front of you.

 

1. Remove Unwanted Items First

 

Before you pack a single box, go through every cabinet, closet and drawer. Pull out unwanted items or items that you haven’t used in a few years.

 

Decide if you want to sell the items or donate them. While this is a chore in itself, it eliminates your need to pack, haul and unpack items that have no purpose in your life.

 

2. Gather Your Supplies

 

Moving is much faster and easier to do when you have everything you need readily available.

 

Get a variety of different box sizes. When selecting the box sizes, remember that it is best to pack only a few heavy items in each box. If you are packing books, pots or other items that will get heavy when grouped together, use smaller boxes.

 

Larger boxes are suitable for pillows, bedding and other lighter items. In addition to boxes, get box tape, scissors or a blade, protective wrapping materials and a permanent marker.

 

Another alternative is to rent Uhaul Ready to Go Boxes, which is also a sustainable choice because the boxes are rented and reused often. Try this option if you want to save space and money on cardboard packing boxes, tape, and box cutters.

 

3. Label the Boxes

 

 

Each box should clearly be labeled based on where it will go in your new home. Only pack items for one room in each box. For important items that you need to unpack right away, label the boxes accordingly.

 

4. Fill the Boxes Full

 

While you shouldn’t make the boxes too heavy and you shouldn’t put things from different rooms in the same box, you also shouldn’t leave empty spaces in your boxes.

 

As a rule of thumb, pack the heaviest items in the box at the bottom. Then, place progressively lighter items on top until the box is full.

 

5. Safeguard Your Cords

 

To avoid winding up with a tangled mess of cords when you’re unpacking the boxes, keep your cords tightly wrapped. Use a zip tie for larger cords and twist ties for smaller cords.

 

An alternative is to wrap the cords in an empty toilet paper roll.

 

6. Fill Your Suitcases & Backpacks

 

 

Your baggage provides ample storage space for clothing, pantry items and linens. Consider putting heavier items in suitcases with wheels to transport them more easily.

 

7. Use Garbage Bags to Transport Hanging Clothes

 

Cut the bottom off of kitchen trash bags. Then, drape the bags over groups of 10 to 15 hanging items with the drawstring at the top. Secure the hangers with the drawstrings to make moving easier.

 

8. Tape the Drawers

 

You don’t necessarily need to empty out your dresser drawers and nightstands. Instead, after tossing out the unwanted items, secure them with tape. Before applying the tape across the drawers, however, test a concealed area to ensure that the tape will not damage your furniture.

 

9. Strap Nuts & Bolts to Furnishings

 

Some furniture must be disassembled to get out the front door. Lost screws, nuts and bolts are problematic and unfortunately common.

 

You can bypass this hassle by placing all of the hardware for one piece of furniture in a plastic bag. Tape that bag to the piece of furniture that it belongs with.

 

10. Keep Out Your Essentials Until the Last Minute

 

The night before your move, everything should be packed except for a few items for breakfast, your overnight clothes, a few hygiene items and your mattress.

 

The clothes and hygiene items likely will be needed the next night, so keep these items separate in a special bag. Place that bag in your car so that it doesn’t get lost.

 

Check out this video for more efficient relocation and packing hacks for a smoother transition:

 

 

FAQs

 

What is the Most Efficient Way of Moving?

 

The most efficient way of moving is to eliminate unwanted items first. You can then box up off-season items, saving the items that you use frequently for last.

 

What is the Hardest Room to Pack When Moving?

 

One of the most challenging rooms to pack for your move is the kitchen, and there are a few reasons for this. The kitchen is filled with many breakables that each must be wrapped separately and securely.

 

In addition, there are numerous smaller and mid-sized appliances that are often bulky and awkward to place in boxes. Small items, like spices and utensils, add to the challenge.

 

How Do You Pack Fast and Efficiently for a Move?

 

 

If you need to move right away, get your supplies in order as well as a few bags to separate trash and charitable items as you go. This minimizes the number of items you need to pack, and it ensures that you only touch each item once while packing.

 

Packing up everything you own and hauling it to a new home is a daunting, exhausting task, so you need all of the help that you can get. In addition to recruiting friends or hiring movers for moving day, take advantage of Move In & Move Out Cleaning services from Cleanzen. To schedule service for your upcoming move, contact our team today.

 

Looking to try a new hobby on your new home? Check out this article to help you get started: The Easiest Vegetables to Grow In Your Apartment‘ by ApartmentGuide.