Tips on How to Pack for a Move

If you are moving into a new office building or recently bought a new home, you probably have thought a lot about how to get your belongings transported safely. Packing requires planning and know-how, both of which a professional moving company can offer. You may want to start by deciding whether you can tackle the task yourself or take the stress off and hire someone to do it for you. To ensure the process goes smoothly, here are a few essential packing and moving tips.

How to Pack for a Move

Tools for Your Move

There are several supplies to have on hand before preparing for a move. These will come in handy in your daily life too so are not just a one-time use.

Uniform Boxes – When sourcing boxes, try and stick with ones that have the same dimensions. Moving boxes come in a variety of sizes like 2 cubic feet, 4 cubic feet, and wardrobe containers. Having similar shapes will make it easier for you and your moving company to load items in and out of a vehicle. When everything can be easily stacked, you will save time from trying to figure out how to make all the puzzle pieces fit.

Clothes, Linens, Towels – All these items are great to use to add a little extra padding around furniture and framed pictures. This will prevent mishaps during transport and help your items arrive in one piece. Since you already have these things, you can save money which would have otherwise been spent on extra bubble wrap.

Labels – Organization is a key packing and moving tip when it comes to finding where everything goes once it arrives. It’s a good idea to place detailed labels on each box to help identify the room it belongs in and whether the contents are fragile or perishable. Colour-coding your labels can also make it easier for your movers to place items in the correct spaces. A glance at the blue labels for bathroom items or red labels for kitchen things can help speed up the process.

Hangers – You may think these items need to be packed up, but they can be a great packing tool. Hangers add extra support to boxes, helping them keep their shape and function.

Coolers – Camping equipment can come in handy during your move. Large coolers are ideal for moving perishable items from your fridge or freezer. As a bonus, the insulation will help keep your food safe, especially on a hot summer day.

Things to Check Off a List

You can do lots of things to help make your move quicker, more efficient, and of course, smooth.

Take Dimensions – Do you know if your fridge will fit in that space you are envisioning in your new kitchen? Measure it to make extra sure the movers can place it where you want. You will need to measure the length, height, and depth, and make sure you allow a little extra for anything protruding from the back, like a water line or electrical cord. Checking the dimensions of other large objects will help you decide what should go where. You want to avoid having to move heavy items around more than once.

Stop Watering – Avoid watering your plants a few days before moving. This will ensure they are not dripping wet soil all over your boxes which hold your prized possessions. Wet soil is also heavy, so it will be easier to lift large potted plants when they have dried out a bit.

Non-Essentials First – When packing for a move, get the items you use least moved into a truck first. These can be things like a coffee table, extra dining chairs, and kitchen gadgets. Your toaster and some cutlery items may be essential so leave these to pack at the last minute in case you need to grab a bite before you head out the door.

Check for Original Boxes – It can be tricky to fit particularly shaped items like a TV into any old box. The original boxes and packaging are designed to keep your belongings safe during transport so if you still have them, they are the ideal way to get things moved. If you don’t have the manufacturer’s cartons, wrap your items in a large blanket and give it extra padding with towels or bubble wrap if need be.

Finally…

Take time to

bit by bit instead of making it a huge chore for the entire day. When you take time to pack, you put more care into wrapping and will feel more relaxed during the process. Remember, if you really want to have a stressless move, hire professional movers to take the load off. They already know all the packing and moving tips to help keep you from worrying about the big day.