Moving, ugh! Nobody enjoys it, but it is a necessary evil. These “outside the box” moving tips will make it a little less taxing, a lot easier and even sort of fun!
1. Pack For A Short Stay
Putting together a weekend bag filled with your essentials for several days is important. Throw in toothbrushes, clean clothes, medicines you might need and your laptop.
2. Color Me Organized
When purchasing your packing supplies, get several different colors of tape or sticky notes. Use the colors to code containers according to the room where they will go in your new place. For example, use blue tape on all boxes that go in the kitchen or green tape for all the boxes that go in the bathroom.
3. See Clear
Put all the things you will need immediately in a clear plastic bin. Utensils, power outlet strips, phone chargers, toilet paper, and tools go in this box. Packing this stuff in a clear tote makes it stand out from the dozens of other boxes and bins.
4. Sock It To Your Glassware
Save packing space and protect your glasses and stemware by sliding each one into a clean sock.
5. Seal Up Potential Messes
Use plastic wrap to seal your toiletries by removing the cap, placing the plastic over the opening and putting caps back on. No goop in your moving boxes!
6. Pack In Place
When moving, the more things you can leave in their respective places, the less you’ll have to unpack later. Use your plastic wrap to seal over the tops of your dresser drawers, and leave the clothes in their normal place.
7. Bag It
Sandwich bags are invaluable tools for moving. When you take things apart, drop the hardware or screws into a sandwich bag. For further insurance, duct tape the bag to the piece it belongs to, or inside a box going to the same room.
8. Roll Your Reading Materials
Books and magazines are heavy, so make use of rolling luggage to move them!
9. Snap Photos
Keep a camera or smartphone handy and use it to take quick shots of your electronics cords or the arrangement of photos on your walls. If you’re renting, you will also want to snap pictures of your current home after it is emptied out and cleaned.
10. Pack Closets In A Flash
Contractor trash bags are big and tough. They are perfect for taking everything out of your closet, hangers included. You can pack your entire closet in mere minutes by cutting a small hole in the middle of the sealed end and then pulling the clothes (with the hangers still attached) up through the open end and then slipping the curved end of the hanger through the hole at the top. Tada! Your closet is packed and your clothes are protected from dirt and dust.
11. Sheet It
Protect your mattress and box springs while cutting down on packing materials by covering them with several sheets.
12. Don’t Drop Your Stuff In the Garage
When you get to your new home, it is tempting to pile your things into the garage. Trust us– if you don’t need those things soon, maybe you don’t need them at all. With the garage stacked up, it will be hard to find anything, and then there is nowhere to park your car.
Some of our tips are pretty quirky, we know, but moving is stressful, and making it a little more fun with some of these ideas will ease the tension and give you some laughs. Just try not to chuckle as you slide your fine crystal goblets into a sock!
