Packing is the most time-consuming part of moving. It can take weeks to pack all your belongings if you don’t know what you are doing and if you’re not good at packing, you may expose your belongings to the risk of being damaged or lost. It can also make it hard to find what you are looking for when you are unpacking your belongings into your new home. Fortunately, with these tips, it won’t take long to learn how to pack like a professional mover!
Set up a Packing Station
In order to pack like a professional, you need to set up a packing area. It should be spacious with a large entry and exit way so that you can easily move your things in and out. It should not serve as storage for your packed boxes; they should be removed as soon as the packing is done. Once you have chosen the area, you should store all your packing materials in it.
Choose the Right Packing Materials
Different things need different packing materials. Cardboard and plastic boxes are quite commonly used when packing because they are suitable for most household goods. These boxes come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Check out our box guide for help.
To pack like a professional you will need the following packing supplies:
- Packing paper or newspapers
- Bubble wrap or foam sheets
- Strong packing tape
- Sharp knife to cut the boxes
- Scissors to cut paper and bubble wrap
- Permanent markers for labeling
- Labels and stickers for the boxes
- Notebooks, pen, and pencil
How to Wrap Household Items
Wrapping is an important part of packing. It protects your belongings from scratching and breaking. You can use newspapers, tissue paper, bubble wrap, and foam sheets for this purpose. When packing household items put the item to be wrapped on top of it, fold the newsprint around the object by bringing the corners together and wrap tightly. You can use additional papers if you think the item might need more protection.
How to Pack the Boxes
Prepare the cartons by placing a few inches of wadded paper at the bottom for padding. Put large and heavy items at the bottom and lighter and fragile items on top of them. If there are plates and books, place them vertically to take advantage of their structural strength. Fill in the gaps with crumpled paper. Remember to never overload the boxes, you will have to be able to lift them.
Pack up Non-essentials Before You Move
Start formulating a plan to get those occasionally used things packed up and ready to go in a staging area that will make truck loading easier. Sort through everything, making a trash pile, a donation pile, and a packed pile. If you have time, you can add a fourth pile for things to sell online or at a garage sale. Got a box full of your kid’s artwork? Snap pictures of them and put together a photo book and get rid of them. Go through your junk drawers and start tossing things you don’t use.
After you have all the trash out, and the donations piled up– remove them immediately from the premises. Many charity organizations will even pick things up at curbside if you call them.
What not to pack when moving
Certain items are not suitable to be moved, and the moving companies will often refuse to pack, move or store these items because of their dangerous compositions. Corrosive, explosive, flammable or otherwise dangerous materials like the following should not be packed. Dispose of all of the items on this moving checklist or arrange for different transportation to avoid damage to your possessions. Jewelry, small electronics, and other items that are of sentimental value or have some significant importance should not be packed. Make sure that these items on your moving checklist are packed safely in your car or in your carry on items. Avoid packing food items that are perishable, as they can decay and may spoil while the movers are en route to your new home.
You should also avoid packing your pets, as the company will not be responsible for your pets during transit. Even pets that don’t require a lot of attention should be packed in a carrier so that they can travel with you during the move. There are many ways to ensure that your pets travel safely, read this article to learn more. In the same way, moving companies will often refuse to move your plants. Plants do not fare well in that environment and have a slim chance of surviving in those conditions. If you would like to take your plants with you, make sure to properly store them and travel with them outside of the moving van.
