Smart Packaging Materials - It pays to purchase the right packing materials! You don't want chipped dinner plates and broken electronics! With strong corrugated boxes, good tape, angle pads, bubble wrap, microfoam sheets, and peanuts, you can protect your valuables while arriving in mint condition! You will need a "smart" amount of packaging materials, as well as correct packaging materials, to make the move easier!
Moving Hub - Label the kitchen table in your home the Moving Hub! Have your packing list notebook, packaging materials, markers, colored labels, and all other supplies. The Moving Hub will keep you well organized! At the end of a day of packing, make sure all of your materials are on the table and ready for the next morning. Keep this process up throughout the move, and you will avoid the chaos of lost markers and labels! Also, if friends or family help you pack, you will have a system ready that is user friendly!
Pack a Room at a Time - Pack one room at a time to make moving easier! Be sure to have plenty of corrugated boxes, bubble wrap, microfoam, angle pads, and tape available for each room!
Keep It Together! - Keep things together that belong together! If you have wires for the TV, place them in a slide-rite hefty bag, and tape them to the back of the TV. If you have special tools to put together a bookshelf, place them in a zippered bag, and put them in a "Tool Box". It is important to "keep it together" during the move, so that it will be easier to get up and running in your new place!
Tool Box and Cleaning Box - Make it easier to find tools and cleaning supplies by setting up a Tool Box and a Cleaning Box. An excellent size for a Tool Box and Cleaning Box is a 18 x 12 x 12. In the Tool Box, pack special tools needed for furniture assembly, screwdrivers, pliers, scissors, a hammer, and other items you know you will need to unpack. If you used a tool during the packing process, put it in the Tool Box, because you will need it for the unpacking process! In the Cleaning Box, place basic cleaning supplies and rags. Make sure to also keep the vacuum close to the Cleaning Box. Be sure to pack paper towels in the Cleaning Box, as well as baby wipes for small messes that will happen during a move! Pack the Tool Box and Cleaning Box at the back of the moving truck, along with the vacuum. When unloading the truck, these boxes should be placed on the kitchen counter for easy access.
Color Code Each Room in your Home - Color code each room such as blue for the kitchen, green for the living room, etc, with colored labels. Make sure each corrugated box that you pack has a colored label or use a marker in that color. Also, label each box with a number.
If You Can't Box It, Tag It! - Unfortunately, you cannot pack furniture in a box during a move! You can, however, tag furniture so that unloading will be easier. Purchase tags with strings and write the room name on each tag. Then tie the tag to each piece of furniture. For example, a bed side table might need a tag that says Master Bedroom. This allows the movers, or you and friends and family, to unload furniture without questioning where to put it! If you establish a color coding system, you may also want to put the colored label on the tag. If you need to label a fabric sofa, simply pin the label onto the fabric. Avoid using tape on any of your furniture, as you could ruin the finish.
Label Each Box - Be very specific with labeling your corrugated boxes. Don't mark a kitchen box as Misc. Kitchen, mark the box specifically Pots and Pans or Blue Flower Dishes. This will save time when unpacking!
Make a Packing List - Keep a spiral bound notebook with a packing list for each corrugated box that you pack. For example, Kitchen Box 1 will have a blue label or marker, and is packed with pots and pans. The packing list notebook should read Kitchen - Box 1 - Pots and Pans with lids. Be specific with your packing list. You will be glad to have it when you begin to unpack!
Keep the Box Weight Reasonable - Don't make your corrugated boxes too heavy! Put heavy items in a small box alone. Put lighter weight items together in larger boxes. Try to make your boxes easy to carry!
Plan Ahead - Pack as many boxes as possible ahead of time. Start packing up out-of-season clothes, extra linens, and extra kitchen items 3 weeks before the move. Be sure to label each box with your colored labels! Also, make sure to keep the packing list going!
Keep Valuables Safe - It is important to keep valuable items and important papers safe during a move. Keep one or more corrugated boxes with you at all times labeled IMPORTANT. Do not place your most valuable papers, such as birth certificates or bank records, jewelry or collections on a moving truck. Keep the IMPORTANT boxes in the trunk of your car for safety sake. This will keep your valuables safe, and keep you from losing things that can't be replaced. An ideal size for the IMPORTANT Box is a File Box.
Wardrobe Boxes - Use a wardrobe box to pack hanging clothes for easy moving. Measure your closet to see how many wardrobe boxes it will take to move your clothes. Be sure to measure the coat closet too! Pack the clothes tightly, so they do not fall off the hanger. Place extra shoes or sweaters in extra space in the bottom of the wardrobe box. Pack hanging clothes. In the space on top of the clothes, pack additional sweaters or purses, then seal with tape for moving. Wardrobe Boxes are also excellent for packing comforters, pillows, and blankets! Make sure to use colored labels and number the boxes, and add them to the packing list!
Packing Fragile Items - Be sure to add plenty of cushioning to fragile items. Pack dishes in microfoam sheets , and stack them on edge in boxes, surrounding them with additional bubble wrap. Don't add to the expense of your move by damaging your fragile items! Pack electronics in corrugated boxes designed specifically for electronics, like our electronics box. Consider double-boxing very fragile items and antiques, and add plenty of bubble wrap to protect your valuables!
Everybody Gets a Box! - Pack a corrugated box for each member of the family with essential items. An ideal size for each member of the family is the 16 x 16 x 16. Make sure every person has clothes, towels, prescription drugs, and personal items that they need for the first night to make the move easier. Pay close attention to boxes for small children. Make sure to pack their favorite toys, books, and pillow or blanket to make their move easier! Also, make sure to use your colored labels!
The Everybody Box! - Pack one corrugated box, like an 16 x 16 x 16, labeled the Everybody Box. This box should include toilet tissue, paper towels, paper plates, trash bags, first aid kit, pencils and paper, and snacks.
Packing the Truck - Make sure to put the items you need the least first on the moving truck! Try to load boxes a room at a time onto the truck. Make sure to put the Everybody Gets a Box and The Everybody Box in last on the truck. When unloading, set the Everybody boxes on the kitchen counter in an easy to find location.
The Unpacking Hub - Just as it is essential to establish a packing hub in your old home, it is essential to establish an unpacking hub in your new home. The kitchen counter is usually a great place to start. Essential items, like the Tool Box, the Cleaning Box, and the Everybody Boxes can sit on the counter, uninterrupted, during the hustle and bustle of the move. If you establish the Unpacking Hub, you will have a designated area for supplies and you will add a little organization to an often chaotic event: moving!
Unloading the Truck - If you have followed the organization steps listed above for packing your corrugated boxes, and the proposed colored labeling system, unloading the moving truck should go very smoothly.
Label That Door! - For ease of unloading the truck, use a blank sheet of paper with a colored label or a marker to label each room, and place the sheet on the door facing of each entrance door. If the kitchen's color code is blue, place a blue marked paper on each door into the kitchen. Then, the movers will know in which room a box needs to be placed. It is also a good idea to mark a section of the room for boxes. Write Kitchen Boxes on a sheet of paper, and tape it to the wall in one corner of the kitchen. Then, the boxes will be stacked in one area, and out of the way of furniture and other large or heavy objects moving through the house. Establish this method throughout your new house and moving should be easier!
Moving Checklist - Get more great tips with our moving checklist!
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