How To Pack Up Your Home Easily

Packing can be quite intimidating. And, if you are packing an entire family, it can be downright stressful. You can go out of your mind just thinking about all that needs to be done. Well, lucky for you, I compiled a list of tips to help you pack up your home with ease.

If you missed last Thursday's post, I talked about how to make your moving process more seamless and less stressful.  I talked about several ways to set up your move process before you actually take action on packing and moving.  Here are some of the tips from last week's post: Purge unwanted items, Pack a week's worth of clothing in a carry with your bag, Pack essentials for your new kitchen, Gather your important papers and carry them with you, and many more tips.  Click here if you missed it.

Packing Up and Moving Tips

"Before Moving" tips:

1. If you have access to the home before you move in, clean the rooms, especially the bathrooms.  Make a list of things you want to do before you move in.
2. Create a packing box list. See our previous post for examples.
3. All boxes should have a lid unless you are planning on taking it with you personally.
4. Start packing items in boxes from each room that you do not need right away. Starting with attics, basement, garages, closets, etc... will help you with this.
5. Get rid of as much as you can.  Using paper bags with handles help with donating stuff easily to charities.
6. Find a charity that will pick up and schedule a date for them to pick up the items you don't want to move. Click here to view a list of charities.
7. Take pictures of all the cables in the back of TVs and entertainment centers.  Even better, label the cables and pack them in a gallon baggie.

"Immediate Use" boxes tips:

1. Pack a week's worth of clothing in a luggage. This is primarily where you are going to go for your unpacking days. Be sure to include items like shampoo, soap, makeup, etc...
2. Use wardrobe boxes for packing clothes on hangers. It will save you time and if you need to pull from it right away, it is ready to go.
3. Use plastic clear containers for the items you need to find and unpack right away.
4. Have paperwork and electronics (including charging cables and extension cords) with you at all times.

"Packing Items Safely" tips:

1. Packing tape is more sturdy than duct tape.  ONLY use packing tape.
2. Remember: heavier items on the bottom and lighter items on top.
3. Keep one box of content for a particular room in its own box. If you do wish to mix rooms in a box, write on the side of the box which rooms are in that box.
4. Put plastic wrap over the opening of the liquid bottle and then screw on the lid to help seal the bottle shut for shipping.

"Outside the box" labeling:

1. If the box needs to be carried a certain way, be sure to indicate a LARGE up arrow to show the direction it needs to be stored.
2. Write on each box the content and destination (room) for the box.
3. You can use color coded circles and assign each color circle for a particular room and stick it on the box.

"Packing Specialty Items" tips:

1. Platters: Wrap towels and sheets around platters. You can use t-shirts for protecting less breakable items as well.
2. Artwork: Get an artwork box that has padding in it.
3. TVs: Keep your boxes for newer TVs.  For older TVs, we have wrapped it in lots of bubble wrap and taped it with packing tape and it held up well when we moved cross country.
4. Books: Use smaller boxes for books since they way a lot if you put several books in one large box.  Try separating the books in several boxes that contain lighter items.
5. Plates and glasses: Use specialty boxes for particularly delicate items like plates, glasses, etc... Plate Moving Boxes and Glasses moving boxes from Amazon.com. You can use socks over glasses and wine glasses for extra protection.  Slide protected plates vertically in smaller boxes.
6. Clothing in kids chest of drawers: use the inside of the drawers to store light items. Wrap the chest of drawers with Sticky Wrap to keep the drawers from opening in transit.
7. Hanging hooks: Use sandwich bags and label what the content is for.
8. Blankets / pillows: Use large bags that you can vacuum the air out to save space.  Something like this: Ziploc Space Bag- Vacuum Seal Bag- 13 Bag Variety- 4 Travel, 2 Med, 5 Lrg, 2 XL
9. Piano or other heavy expensive items: Have professional movers to move these items.  They are way too heavy to have a few friends do it, and the weight of it may damage your vehicle.

Well, that's it!  I hope this was helpful for you and helps you pack easily. If you want a FREE ebook, please sign up below.

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Let's continue the conversation. Have you moved recently? What tips do you have for the readers? Please leave a comment below. If you have a question about a particular item that wasn't discussed, please ask and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Happy moving!

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