11 Best Packing Tips for Moving
This post was written by guest blogger, Chip Martin of Daly Movers.
As you prepare for your next big move, whether it be locally in Salt Lake City or moving across the country, one of the most daunting tasks can be packing. You only begin to realize how much stuff you have accumulated over the years once it is time to pack it all up to move into a new space.
Moving into a new space is a fresh start, so you want to make sure you start out on the right foot and get your items in order so you can feel confident that you are bringing only what you need to your new place. Not only that, but you want to ensure that your items are being packed efficiently and with the utmost care to ensure nothing is damaged during the move.
As experts in moving, with over 40 years of experience in the moving industry, we here at Daly Movers are giving out our best packing tips for moving to Two Man Movers customers.
1. Start Packing ASAP
One of the best tips we can give when it comes to packing is to start the process as soon as possible. As soon as you know that you will be moving you want to start thinking about getting your things packed as it can be an extremely time-consuming task.
Setting out a game plan and dividing your packing into phases will help you keep on top of everything that needs to get done before moving day, so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
2. Go In With a Game Plan
The first thing you should do when beginning to pack is to create a game plan for you and your family to follow. A good idea is to sit down and write out all the packing that will need to get done before moving day and any related tasks going along with it.
From there, assign deadlines to each task and soon you will have a timeline of what should get done when. This will become your go-to reference as you pack and will keep you on track for getting everything packed on time.
3. Declutter Before You Begin to Pack
There is one last thing you should be doing before any packing takes place and that is decluttering. Decluttering your items is crucial in making sure that you are only bringing what you need with you into your new space.
If you perform your packing room by room, we suggest doing the same with decluttering. Go through everything in your home and decide what you want to keep, donate, sell or throw out.
This can benefit you greatly when packing as you will have fewer items to pack and less of a load to bring with you. This is also beneficial when it comes to moving if you are working with a moving company, as most moving estimates are based on the weight of your items.
4. Create an Inventory List as You Go
As you are packing things into boxes, you will want to create an inventory packing list of everything that is going with you and into the moving truck. When moving day comes and your items are being unloaded into your new home, you can use this as a reference to ensure that everything made it safely to the final destination.
You can even go further and provide details on the condition of the items and take pictures so, in case any damage is done, you can easily file a claim to be compensated for it.
5. Invest in Packing Materials for Fragile Items
We highly recommend that you invest in professional-grade packing materials for your valuable and fragile items. Things like cardboard boxes, bubble wrap and other packing supplies can keep your items safe from damage during the move, and are ultimately worth the cost since it will save you from costly damage.
Most moving companies sell professional-grade packing supplies and may even offer discounts when working with them.
6. Be Detailed When Labeling
Though this may seem like a tedious process, and you may feel like it takes up too much time, you will end up saving time in the long run when you begin to unpack if you are as detailed as possible when labeling your boxes.
Be sure to include the contents of the box and even color-code your boxes for what room they belong to. This saves time for both you and the movers to know exactly where everything goes and what is inside.
7. Pack Smarter
We recommend using things like towels, blankets and sheets to wrap your fragile items. This is a great way to protect your items and is even better than newspapers that most typically use.
You could also use pillows and your children’s stuffed animals to fill gaps in boxes and pack items more compactly.
8. Put a String Under Your Packing Tape
A great moving hack we recommend to our customers when packing on their own is to put a piece of string or yarn under the tape when taping up their moving boxes. Be sure to leave some excess string at the end and when it comes time to unpack, you are able to easily remove the tape without the need of scissors or box cutters.
9. Leave Your Clothing on the Hanger
A great time-saver is to leave your clothing right on the hanger as you pack. You can easily slip a garbage bag over your clothes and create a hole for the tops of the hangers to stick out making for easy loading and unloading.
10. Pack a “First Night” Bag
We recommend packing a “First Night” bag. This would be all of the essentials you will need for your first night or two once you are finally in your new home. Having all of these items in one place will save you from having to dig through countless moving boxes just to find what you need.
11. No Last-Minute Packing
This seems like a no-brainer, but many get caught up trying to finish other tasks that they may leave some packing up until moving day. Save yourself the time and stress on moving day and make sure to have everything packed at least the day before, and even better a couple of days before.
Final Thoughts
These packing and moving tips will save you time and stress in the long run during your moving process. As experts in the moving industry, with over 40 years of experience, we have seen it all when it comes to packing and moving so we hope you find our top tips for packing useful.
