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How to efficiently pack for a move

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moving cross-country
Photo Credit: Jacob Lund

Most people do not like packing, whether it is a small overnight bag or for house moving. With the tips given below, you will be able to pack for your house moving in an efficient way.

The ideal move is described by the dictionary as it defines efficient. This is doing something “without wasting time or effort or expense”.

What You Need

Always be prepared with the right equipment if you are to be successful. The first thing you need to have is a collection of packing boxes, good quality packing tape, some labels, different coloured marker pens, and some bubble wrap.

You can choose to buy some moving labels from the store. They are colour coded and even though they are a little pricey, they will save you time.

You also need to give yourself enough time to pack. By doing this, you will find you have time to clean the house before you leave. End of tenancy cleaning is tough and some professional help might do the trick.

Be Systematic

All successful tasks begin with a plan. Have a plan detailing the order you will follow. When you pack one room at a time you will find yourself moving faster. Much as you would like to, you will probably not be able to pack the things in one room in a single day. Do not worry, just pack as much as you can every day until the whole room is packed, then move to the next room.

As you go through your things, pick out those items that you do not want to move with. These should be properly arranged in recycle, donation and discard piles.

The Boxes

You should use the space inside your boxes wisely. Ensure that you fill each box properly, making use of old newspapers, towels and old t-shirts to pad the box and also to wrap delicate items with. You can also opt to use bubble wrap. This will prevent delicates from breaking. Care should, however, be taken to not overload the boxes as this may make them too heavy to lift.

When packing heavy items, use a small box. This helps to minimize the number of items you can fit in the box. By using all the space in each box, you will realize that you actually need fewer boxes, making the move lighter.

First in Line

As mentioned earlier, starting to pack early is advisable, that way you will not feel pressured. With that in mind, it is logical that the first things to go into the packing boxes are those things that you do not use much, the ones in the storage area.

Storage areas include the garage, the basement and the attic. The things you will find here are tools, spare parts of various pieces of equipment, furniture no longer in use, clothes for last season, home decorations and the like.

Labeling

As you finish packing each box, make sure you label it properly. The more detailed the labeling, the easier it will be for you when unpacking in your new home. If you are using the colour coded labels, allocate each room colour for identification during offloading. Markers of different colours serve the same purpose. Be sure to put “fragile” in capital letters on boxes with breakables. These should be loaded last to avoid breakage.

Clothes 

This may sound a little odd, but packing your clothes in garbage bags can save you a lot of time. Make a hole in the middle of the bottom of a durable garbage bag. Through the hole, put through some metal hangers with clothes still on them so the bag covers the clothes, protecting them.

Furniture

When moving, there are those pieces of furniture that just take up space in the house but which are hardly ever used. To make your move lighter, which translates into a cheaper move, you need to decide what furniture to take and what to leave.

You will find that the mover you are working with has an avenue for disposing of old furniture and can help you with this.

Sometimes you may need to dismantle furniture in order to transport it in a convenient way. Before doing this, it is a good idea to take a picture of it so that you can remember what the assembled item looks like.

Last in First Out

The things you pack last are those things that you use daily. These are things like toiletries, outfits for the next two days, soap, medicines, and shampoo. By packing these last you ensure that when you get to the other end, you do not have to dig into boxes looking for your everyday things. This will help make the transition smooth and flawless.

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