Moving is never fun. It is tedious and time-consuming.
In fact, until you decide to move, you never know how many belongings you own. And the more items you own, the more difficult it gets to pack them for the transition.
If you’re reading this article, you’re pretty lucky since we’ve put together some packing to move tips to help make your next home move stress-free.
Top Packing Tips
1. Use the perfect-sized boxes.
The first hack on our tips for packing to move across the country is to pack your belongings using the perfect-sized boxes.
Heavy stuffs like shoes will only sit comfortably on smaller compartments, while delicate items like clothes and pillows will fit in a big box. Using the right-sized boxes to package your home gadgets will make it easy for movers to lift and carry them to the van.
2. Pack heavier gadgets before the lighter ones
Once you’re done packaging every belonging, the next packing for a move tips is to figure out how to fit each box in the moving van.
The most critical rule you want to keep in mind at this stage is that you must never put light items at the bottom. When you put lighter wares on the floor, you risk damaging them. Heavier items at the bottom of the truck serve as a cushion for your delicate belongings. So, rather than this, the heavy items like furniture, chairs, sofas, and other wooden or metal objects on the floor before placing the lighter ones on top.
3. Avoid slight gaps in the box
Also, keep in mind that when boxes have little spaces, it may damage your belongings.
Imagine packing two small antique jars in a large box and loading them in the truck. The chances are that they’ll break before you get to your destination. Why? Generally, going fast on speed bumps, fast driving skills, unexpected halts, and bad roads will cause the items to shape and possibly topple, making them break in the process.
To avoid this situation, if you find slight gaps on your box, bunch some pieces of clothing, or wrapping paper and fill the box. This will prevent items from tossing due to movement of the truck. Then, use a tape to seal the openings.
4. Avoid mixing your belongings
Your bathroom and kitchen wares serve other purposes, and mixing them up will leave you confused. Consider packing items in each room separately instead of mixing them up and adding to your stress.
5. Label each box
If you want to find things quickly, you need to label the boxes. You could label boxes by numbering them or writing their room category on top of the box. If you’re using the number method, don’t forget to jot down each item on a paper to joggle your memory when unpacking.
Another way to label boxes is to use the color-coding method. For instance, boxes labeled blue will indicate the bedroom, while red will be for the kitchen. For this method, you could either different colored stickers or markers.
6. Tape moving boxes appropriately
You also don’t want to risk items you’ve packed toppling and possibly damaging.
Instead of packing boxes and loading them like that in the van, make sure to tape openings of the box, mainly when pressure is concentrated in the box. Tapes serve as extra protection to keep your items intact.
7. Carefully pack the kitchen for the transition
Next on our tips on packing to move is caring for your kitchen.
Your kitchen holds so many more delicate items than you think; from the glasswares to the breakable plates and electronic utensils, you’ll need to find creative ways or take extra measures in keeping kitchen items safe.
For this reason, you want to make sure to use packing paper between plates before wrapping them. Also, take care not to place dishes flat in the box. You might end up breaking them. Instead, place them sideways and use a packing paper between each plate.
8. Defrost your fridge at least one day before move-out
Avoid grocery shopping a day or two before relocating. If you have several frozen dishes in the fridge, find ways to consume them or give them out. But avoid taking frozen dishes with you to your new home. Why? They might defrost, pour out, dirty the fridge and even cause foul smells. So, take time to empty the refrigerator and thoroughly clean it before the scheduled day.
9. Sort things by category
If you’ve heard of the Marie Kondo packing technique, you know how simplistic and organized it is. Here’s your time to try it out and make your belongings organized.
Instead of spending time packing every room at once, start with a room and move on to another, and you’ll see that packing by category can make the whole process de-stressful.
10. Protect fragile items with packing paper, bubble wrap, or blankets
Remember that bubble wrap, packing paper, and blankets are three essential supplies you can’t do without since they help you protect your fragile items.
Packing paper and bubble wrap will help you with fragile items like glasses, vases, dishware, bowls, and cups. On the other hand, the blanket will help you keep large furniture, mattress, and cushions safe from natural elements like dust and water.
11. Research professional moving companies
The moving company you choose will either make the transition fun or hectic. So, it’s essential to find the right carrier services for the job. No doubt, you’ll get overwhelmed with the multitudes of shipping companies out there. But, when you research the company license, professional accreditation status, and customer feedback, you’ll be sure to get the best packing and unpacking services to make the job easier.
Packing is difficult, no doubt. The good news, these packing tips for a move will make the whole process easy for yourself, your family, and the movers.
