Efficient Packing Tips When Moving
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You just got a new appointment in another city or have bought a new home, and you’re now fretting about how to start packing. Don’t panic because it could be what you need to declutter and clean what has stayed hidden for years.
Although packing up boxes for the first time is extremely stressful, you can do it fast and smoothly with the right tricks. Read on to learn different packing tips that’ll make your move look enjoyable and straightforward.
When to Start Packing
Having spent several years in the same apartment, you’ll need enough time to have everything packed safely. Start packing weeks or months before the expected moving day to ensure every item is safely covered, marked and placed in a safe box. This way, there’ll be no breakages or loss of important items that occur during last-minute packing.
Start Decluttering
Are there items that you hardly need lying in your apartment? You don’t have to move with them. Decluttering helps identify unwanted items, what to sell, keep, or donate. Sell or give out furniture and other items that may not fit the new premises. This way, you’ll pack less, reducing your moving cost and space needed to store them.
Once you have sorted the items and know what to keep, find a haul-away or dumpster rental company. They’ll get rid of unwanted items at a small fee. Donate items in good condition to friends or charity organizations.
Get the Right Packing Materials
Are you tempted to use the grocery boxes kept at a corner in your house for packing? Don’t use these boxes. Exposure to bug infestation and moisture makes them unsuitable for the exercise.
Moving boxes come at a fair price, and their durability is not questionable.
You don’t want the boxes falling apart when moving and breaking your items. Also, get the right boxes for the right task. Use bubble wraps to keep the items intact in the box during the move.
Use the Right Size of the Box
When buying moving boxes, ensure you have different sizes. Lightweight but bulky items should be placed in large boxes, whereas small boxes are suitable for heavy items. However, the boxes shouldn’t be too heavy.
Remember, the heavier the boxes, the higher the risk of breaking down and damaging your belongings.
Take a Snapshot of the Room Setting
Setting up your gallery wall layout or hanging your art pieces the same way in your new apartment without reference is difficult. A moving exercise affects the kids, and changing how their rooms looked may worsen the situation.
The photographs will come in handy when the memory of where some items were placed becomes vague.
Pack Room by Room
Visit each room and make an inventory of everything that you’ll take with you. The inventory is helpful in tracking valuable possessions after the move. However, don’t pack everything together because it is from the same room. Combine the items in the boxes according to their functions.
How will you know the contents of a box in the room? Make sure every box is marked on its top or bottom part with the contents, room name and whether they’re fragile. This information is crucial to movers when loading and offloading.
Ask for Special Crating
Unlike cutlery and books that can be packed in any box, artwork may not do well in the boxes. Wrapping art pieces drawn using oil paints can damage it if wrapped with regular paper. Get special crates from the mover or hire one from the nearest suppliers for safeguarding your artwork.??
Are your art pieces in a wooden or aluminum frame? If so, you can secure them by using masking tape. Draw an X on the frame using the tape to help strengthen it and prevent the glass from falling if it shatters.
Identify First-Day Essentials
Regardless of how well you marked the boxes, getting all the essentials is cumbersome. Pack essentials like bin bags, toilet paper, light bulbs, baby or pet food, toiletries, and cleaning materials in a clear plastic.
Clear plastic boxes that have the first-day essentials should be packed last. This way, it’ll be easier for anyone to retrieve it and save the day.
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Separately Pack the Nuts and Bolts
Most furniture requires dismantling when moving. Nuts and bolts collected from the process should be kept in different resealable bags. Label the bags and secure them with tapes to avoid losing them. It’ll be easy for you to get the proper nut or bolt for the task when assembling furniture and other items.
Set Up Your Tool Kit
With or without hired movers, it’s essential to have your tool kit on standby. These tools are instrumental when reassembling chairs, bed frames, or other items that need nailing. Tools to include in the kit are:
For quick retrieval, load them on the truck as the last items.
Leave No Space on the Boxes
Your wrapping efforts may not prevent fragile items from breaking inside the box. If spaces are left, the possessions will keep rattling around and could end up crushing. Fill the available space with soft objects or clothes until there’s no cranny or nook in the box.
Wrap Everything Like a Pro
The use of plastic wrappers or polystyrene paper on all your ceramic items can safeguard them from breakages. Careful wrapping of toys, cutlery, boxes, and other sensitive items ensures no item is lost during transit.
Do you wrap everything the same way? How you wrap dishes is different from how glasses are wrapped. Use packing paper to wrap several dishes together and look for boxes that have cardboard dividers for glasses. Once everything is wrapped appropriately, it can be packed in the respective boxes.
Electronics are fragile and break at the slightest opportunity. To secure your computers, TVs, home theater and other electrical, unscrew their bases and wrap them with a blanket. The blanket acts as a buffer when a commotion occurs, saving the electronics from damage.
Use Plastic Seals for Leaking Items
Don’t be deceived by the tight feel around a shampoo, oils, or bathing soap. These items may spill, spoiling everything in the box. To safeguard other items against spills from liquids and toiletries, use plastic wrap around them. Also, pack them when facing upward to minimize their chances of spilling.
Organize Your Wardrobe
Guess what? It’s not a must that you undress the entire dresser. If your dresser is light, protect the garments from dirt and damage with a protective wrap. For families with enormous wardrobes, they can pack the clothes they need in suitcases.
What happens to people with no dressers or suitcases? A wardrobe box works great in safeguarding your attires. These boxes allow your clothes to remain in their hangars simplifying your move. You can safeguard mattresses and pillows in bed bags and clean trash bags, respectively.
How Do You Pack Items in the Boxes?
Regardless of what is in the box, it should be packed carefully. Start with the heaviest item and end up by packing the lighter belongings. This way, the weight on top will not affect the items at the bottom of the box.
How to Pack Appliances and Chemicals
Gardening tools, garage items, and other equipment require a unique setting when packing. A similar case applies to chemicals used in the farm or other hazardous materials. Using plastic totes is recommendable for the prevention of dangerous and messy leaks. Here are the items that need separate and careful handling during a move:
Can Movers Offer Packing Services?
Most movers have an all labor service where their experts do more than moving. However, discussing these crucial details before the movers come in is essential. When movers do the packing, you’re assured of an efficient and clean job. Also, the team can help assemble household items upon delivery and at an agreed cost.
Now that You Know How to Pack, What Next?
Packing shouldn’t always be stressful. With careful planning, appropriate packing materials, and sufficient preparation time, your move can have a great start. But what happens if you have a tight schedule and can’t pack?
If you have no time to pack and need to move in time, hire a mover with professional packers. The expert will arrive in the morning, pack, load, move, and offload your belongings as you go on with your normal business.
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