Whether you’ve found the perfect house, a cool condo or a cozy new apartment moving any further than the next block over is going to be a chore. Face it, you have a home that’s absolutely filled to the brim with stuff and unfortunately, it’s all yours, so you’ll have to take most of it with you. So, the first question to ask yourself is: “Do I have a plan?” If the answer’s “no,” then you’re going to run into a few problems. Especially if you’re doing it yourself, you’ll need to get organized, and fast! Remember, if you plan and pack in an organized fashion, you’ll be able to unpack the same way, making moving so much easier.
You literally can’t be too organized when it comes to planning a move so you may want to kick your moving day prep off by downloading a Moving Timeline slash Checklist like this one or like this one then going through your home and making lists of what will going with you, what you’ll be donating, getting rid in a garage sale or simply throwing away. And once you’ve done all the donating, selling, and throwing away you’ll be ready to get down to business.
Remember, there are a lot of things in your home, books, holiday decorations, etc. that you’ll be able to pack away for your move earlier rather than later. Take a careful mental accounting of what you have that you’ll need to use pre-move and need on hand while moving into your new home. For instance, if you have furniture that requires tools to disassemble, make sure you don’t pack away the necessary bits of your tool kit too soon.
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Get Organized to Get Your Pre Move Packing Done Right
There are plenty of other vague checklist moving posts online so we thought we’d stick to practical advice. Start off with small things you might lose in a move … accessories and keepsakes. Tupperware containers are perfect for them. Take all of your jewelry, small keepsakes and snap them into some boxes. Do the same with clips, bits and pieces of the things you had to take apart. Label each container clearly. And once you’re done, if you have a washing machine, put a towel in the bottom and place all the Tupperware containers inside. Use a second towel on top to cap it off, tape the door closed and all is safe and secure.
If you have large mirrors, framed art or photos, wrap them in blankets and comforters, and place them securely between the wall of the truck or van and a heavier item of furniture … mattresses, dressers or the like. Whatever you don’t lay them out flat. Bouncing is not glasses friend. You’ll also want to pack Coffee tables upside down, then fill them with cardboard boxes of various sizes and tucked those in tight. Do yourself a favor and label your boxes … twice. Get some paper and a marker or three, and jot out what’s generally in each box and leave it at the top of that box like an order receipt from Amazon. You’ll thank us if more than one outside label gets lost during your move and more than one will. Wrap dinnerware in towels and pack them in large rubber containers.
When it comes to your glassware, you can use small facecloths and pairs of socks to fill up glasses, cups and fine china. And electronics such as DVD players, DVR’s and leftover retro turntables can be placed inside pillowcases to protect them from scratches and other minor damage. Metal pots with lids are ideal for packing cutlery, silverware, kitchen knives, etc. Just wrap all the ‘pointy’ bits in towels or dish clothes, put them inside the pots and tape their lids shut.
Clothing left on hangers is the easiest. First, make sure you have plenty of hangers on hand. You can buy them at any dollar store for almost nothing so do. Make sure your clothes are hung well and buttoned. Use tape to wrap the tops of between eight and coat hangers together. Then take a bedsheet, wrap it around the entire bunch of hangers and tighten it at the top. You can secure the resulting bundle simply by tying the sheet in half knots. And your clothes will emerge ready to be hung, no dust, no drama.
Finally, you’re going to want to follow the advice of all those moving checklists posts we started with by planning carefully for your last days in your current home. You’ll be pretty busy on moving day, so make sure you have as much packed as possible. Get used to the inconvenience of not having all of your possessions on hand for a few days. The days leading up your move will be stressful enough without adding the worry of what you have left to pack.
Good luck and happy moving!
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