If you’ve been around anyone moving house, you will notice how tired, stressed and really in need of sleep they look.
Well, that is only because moving can drain you out when you lack the human resources and proper techniques needed to get things in place. How smooth your move is will ultimately be governed by how well you prepare and the packing to move tips you use.
In this guide, we discuss eleven tips on packing for a move to help you easily prevent mistakes that may cause relocation stress.
Top Packing Tips
1. Used or New, Pack with Boxes with the Right Fit
Your boxes are the most essential supply that helps you pack your house. They help you package your properties so you can lift and secure them. However, wrapping items in a box that won’t fit will damage your homeware and might also injure you.
For large items, make use of large boxes. The case is the reverse for small and delicate items. But, there’s a catch. Large items do not mean they weigh much. Packaging heavy items in large boxes will mean you won’t find it easy to lift them. In fact, they may fall and break. Pack heavy and large items one at a time in a big box, then pad.
2. Put big stuff on the bottom.
Packing items is also an art. If you didn’t know this before, now you do. It is an art because it takes preparation and planning to achieve. With packing, you need a signature technique that will make the process easy, and for the process to be stress-free, you also need to practice orderliness. So, you need to learn how to load each box according to its size and weight to avoid crushing your delicate wares. If you’ve got really heavy items, arrange them first before placing the lighter ones on them.
3. Don’t leave empty spaces in the boxes.
Have you ever heard of the game Tetris? It is a game that makes you arrange different shapes of cubes to fit perfectly without any space in-between. Well, it does not have to simply be a game. Apply this rule to your technique, and you’ll easily avoid damage to your expensive wares. So, how does it work?
When you arrange items, your ultimate goal should be to avoid space as space gives room for damages. Instead, once you find that your box has some gaps in it, find any available soft material like a towel and blanket to fill the gaps.
4. Organize items by room
Our next packing to move tips you also need to consider is to avoid putting things from different rooms in the same box. Mixing up things from different rooms will mean your new home will be in dishevel, especially when you need something but can’t remember where you left it. Whatever room you decide to pack, stick to it and ensure you do so until you empty everything in it.
5. Put Labels on the Box
You could label your box by numbering, color-coding or using name tags.
Labeling isn’t just something you do to remember the contents of a box. It is a tool that helps you keep your property safe, whether expensive or not. Wonder how? When you label the box, you are outrightly telling any person holding it that it belongs to you. So, when movers mistakenly leave your box with someone else, they can easily send it back to you since it has your name labeled on it.
6. Seal cardboard boxes thoroughly.
Sometimes, how well you pad the cardboard compartment won’t guarantee damage-free situations when relocating. You also need to make sure that the cardboard box is properly sealed to avoid items from falling out on the road.
7. Be cautious when packaging kitchenware.
The kitchen is filled to the brim with delicate wears like ceramic cups, plates, spoons, glass cups and plates, and even stainless-steel plates wares. It would be best if you were really practical and professional when wrapping them to transport to your new home. They are not just expensive, but some may also hold sentimental values. Make sure to pack dishes vertically and never horizontally. Use bubble wraps to pad breakables, fine china and every other dinnerware to prevent cracks.
8. Avoid leaving food in the fridge before the move-out day.
Another trick on our tips for packing to move across the country you should consider is defrosting the fridge before relocation day. Leaving perishable foods in the fridge can soil their smell and even cause mold to form when they decay. Ensure to get rid of every cooked or uncooked food you previously stored in the fridge a day before shippers arrive to transport your goods.
9. Categorize as you pack
The most important packing for a move tip you should keep at heart is to arrange things in an orderly manner to avoid messing up your room during your few days in your new home.
10. Use products like bubble wrap, packing paper, or blankets when needed
As we stated earlier, your box might have spaces in them after you place every item inside. You need to protect these items from cracks and other damages. Supplies like blankets, bubble plastics and packing paper are great tools that will help you keep your homeware safe.
11. Research shippers
If you’re not considering the DIY route, hiring quality pack and unpack movers is necessary. Visit https://starkmovers.com/services/packing-unpacking/ to find the quality movers you need today.
However, quality is never guaranteed until you find out how good the company is for yourself. So, before choosing shippers, make sure to research them. Ask questions about their professionalism, the kind of specialized services they offer, get estimates, ask previous customers for reviews or visit the Better Business Bureau to learn more about the shipping company.