Now that you have purchased your own home, now comes the last task: moving! Packing can be a daunting task if you’re unprepared for it. You can use professional packing services to do it for you. But, if you prefer to do it yourself, here are some tips to help you.
Start early
Make sure you start your packing early. Whether you are moving to an apartment or a dorm, don't leave things to the last minute, or you are bound to forget something.
Make a list of everything that needs to be packed in each room and cross items off your list as you go.
It's easy to be lazy. You may think that all you have to do is throw your stuff in boxes. This is fine until something goes wrong.
You won't be too happy if you have to go searching through boxes to check if you really packed your favorite shirt or not. Planning is key to an easy and successful packing.
Just start
The next tip is to just go ahead and start. Don't procrastinate. It's easy to get overwhelmed by overthinking everything, so don't wait. Just pick a room and start taking an inventory.
Once you've done that, you can begin putting things in boxes. When you have finished, you know that room is cleared and you don't need to worry about it anymore.
The key is to be aware of your items as you pack them so that nothing is overlooked.
Go room by room
The next tip is to go room by room. If you are packing things from different parts of the house, it is very easy to become confused.
This will also make the job seem like it is endless. It is very easy to underestimate how long it will take to pack the entire contents of your house or apartment. By packing one room at a time, you can see that you are making headway as you cross each room off your list.
This will also help with labeling. You can mark each box with the room that you packed it from. It is much easier to find items in a box marked bedroom or kitchen etc.
When you get to your new house you will be glad that you can simply take the kitchen box into the kitchen and start unpacking. You don’t want to go digging through multiple boxes to find all the items that go together.
Packing one room at a time makes unpacking much simpler and more convenient.
Label everything
It is essential to label boxes. Put as much information on your packing boxes as you need.
If you can't fit your entire china set into a single box then mark which pieces are in each box. You can tell that the entire collection has been packed simply by reading the labels of 2 or 3 boxes.
Before you leave your house for the final time, you can do a quick check of all your boxes. If the information on them is detailed enough, you can be certain that you haven't forgotten anything.
Don't assume that it's OK to leave boxes unmarked. You won't know if anything is missing. It usually takes several days to unpack everything at your new location. If you find out that you have forgotten something it will be very difficult to track it down.
Use the right boxes
Use the right size boxes for packing. It's tempting to throw as much as you can into every box, but this could lead to disaster.
Make sure to put heavy items like books and dishes into small boxes. They will be much more manageable this way. Smaller boxes will be less likely to break, spilling the contents and damaging them.
For lighter things, like linens and clothing, you can place them in larger boxes. When mixing heavy and light items make sure to put the heavy items on the bottom of the box and lighter items on the top.
It is also a good idea to check that the bottom of the box is properly taped up. It must be sturdy enough to hold together while you carry it. You don't want to get a broken foot if something heavy falls out the bottom.
Prepare your items for travel
To make sure your items remain intact and arrived safely, wrap them carefully to avoid breakage. Use blankets and pads on furniture and bubble wrap on delicate items.
Movers are not always careful with your goods, especially when they don't know what is inside the box. It pays to take extra care with breakable items.
It may seem like a lot of extra work to wrap things in bubble wrap. But, it pays off when you are in your new home and nothing needs to be replaced.
Use plenty of packing paper
Make sure you have plenty of packing paper. You can use old newspapers or rolls of tissue paper.
It is important to fill in all the gaps when placing breakable items into a box.
Anything that slides around inside the box is likely to get broken. Pack your box with scrunched up paper until you are certain that nothing is going to move around.
Carry your valuables
It is a good idea to carry valuables with you. Items like jewelry and cash do not need to be packed in boxes.
Carry them in a bag with you. You should also carry any important documents like passports, legal papers, and other things like that. You should also carry any heirlooms or any items that cannot be replaced if they are broken.
Pack breakables together
Breakable items, like plates and cups, should be packed together in the same box. Don't spread them out over several boxes and mix them with other items. This just increases the likelihood that something will get broken.
By placing them all in one box, you can mark it as fragile and take extra care with it. Place it on top of other boxes to reduce the chance of anything getting broken.
Make sure to pack plates sideways, never flat, as this will reduce the chance of breakage. Cups should be wrapped in paper and placed inside of each other. Use as much packing paper as you need to to ensure that nothing gets broken.
