Have you ever lost a special item after moving to a new house? Have you ever found your cleaning supplies in a box with your spices? Well, I have recently experienced all of these problems and more. My hope is to give you this simple list of packing ideas to help make your next move a walk in the park!
1. Pack one full room at a time
If you are having trouble locating all of your items or having difficulties figuring out what to pack in each box, then packing a room at a time could make your life easier.
If you pack all of the kid's room items into the same boxes then they will have less of a chance of getting mixed up. Packing all of your kitchen items together will help ensure nothing goes missing while unpacking.
2. Label all of your boxes
Labeling makes everything easier! Just putting the kitchen or bathroom isn't always the best. Label in detail but don't cover the box with words. A simple label could be something like, "Mom - Clothes" or "Kitchen - Glasses".
The key to safe packing and moving is labeling. You don't want someone dropping a box on the ground only to hear glass shattering later. Putting "GLASS" in big bold letters will usually cause people to move it with more caution.
Even if a box doesn't contain glass but you are worried about the contents, you can label it fragile or glass and it will give the same effect.
Another idea for labeling is furniture. If you have multiple beds with similar frames then labeling the piece of each bed can help in the long run. Label the headboard, the legs, whatever pieces come together to form the bed. Label them all!
3. Don't pack empty items
When packing, it is really important to save space, and saving space means clearing out some things. Bathroom, kitchen, and cleaning items tend to run out faster than other house items.
So, if a box of dishwasher capsules has only a few left, don't keep the box, just use a ziplock bag to hold the remaining capsules. The same idea can be manipulated by many other things.
4. Don't let the little ones pack their boxes
We love when the kids want to help their parents clean and pack, but sadly, in many cases, they think everything needs packed.
Come unpacking day and you may find an empty box that was put with the moving items because your kid thought it was important. Finding trash in boxes of toys because the kids just cleaned up everything into a box.
Some kids are great at packing but it just depends on what the kids have in their rooms. If they think it is important, then they are packing it.
5. Purge before you pack
If you are planning on moving, then sell or throw out items you do not use anymore. if you never use it, then there is no point in taking it to your new house and never use it again.
Clothes are a great item to purge before moving. Many people dream of the full and beautiful closet but that can be difficult to accomplish if you have a bunch of shirts and pants you never wear taking up space.
6. Limit furniture or bigger items purchases until you are in your new place
Buying more items as you are throwing some out is a very bad plan.
Unless you are certain that your ideas for furniture will work, do not buy a bunch of things before the move. It is perfectly okay to go to a furniture store and plan or hold items until you get a real feel for your space, but make sure you really plan it out.
7. Place descriptions on the doors
As stated earlier, labeling is everything! Especially if you have others helping you move and they do not already know the layout of the house.
If the boxes are labeled, Bob, Jill, and Kim, then putting name cards on the top of the doorways could help movers know where to place items.
If your house is kind of a maze or has many hallways leading to different rooms, then putting signs and arrows on the walls can help movers navigate through the house if you are busy.
8. Plan a location for storage
If you are completely moving out of one house into a new one, then in most cases you won't have access to your new house until you are completely out of your old one. If you don't have a house to put it in, then where is it gonna go?
Storage units, trailers, anything. If you don't have anywhere to put your furniture or other possessions while moving then you may have a much more difficult time move once your closing date comes.
9. Plan exactly how you are going to move everything
Moving is not an easy thing to do especially if you have big furniture items. Family is a great source for assistance while moving. Another options is hiring movers.
Some people think that is a ridiculous expense to make for something you could do yourself, but it could make moving a lot less stressful for anyone. Whether you are young and mobile, or older and settled, any help can make your moving process so much easier.
10. Start your detailing ideas before unpacking everything
This is a tip mainly for the type of people that are wanting to make a lot of chances once they move in. Painting, new floors, or taking out a wall, all of these things are much easier to do if you don't have things everywhere.
Especially painting, if all of your items are still in boxes while you are painting, then you only have to worry about getting paint on your floors. If you are wanting new flooring of any kind then having things packed away and less furniture in your home can make that installment even more of a smooth plan.
No matter how much you plan and prepare, moving can cause anything to happen. Being prepared and careful can just help make it all a much smoother and less stressful experience.
