
Many people find packing to be a daunting task, but it does not have to be. There are a number of tips that you can use to make this task a little easier. These tips will not only ensure that your packing is organized, but will also help you lower the stress of moving. These packing hacks can make a difference in how smoothly your move goes, and can save you a lot of time and grief.
Essential Moving and Packing Tips
These packing hacks are provided by Dose Moving Companies Phoenix, the top movers in Arizona who are here to help with all your commercial and residential moving and packing needs. Through interactions with our fantastic moving clients, our movers have gathered a few packing tips and tricks together. These insights come from years of moving experience and seeing what has worked well for clients. Check out our moving hacks and packing tips for moving if you are in the process of planning your next move!
Always Pack Early for a Move
When you are preparing to move, making sure you take enough time in advance to pack is the best way to ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed in the process or run out of time to finish the job before you need to transport your boxes of household items and clothing to a truck.
Take Longer Pack Time for a Larger House
The amount of time that it takes you to get every room ready to move will vary depending on the number of items that you need to pack. If you are packing a large house then it is recommended that you and your family start packing together around 1 to 2 months before you are loading the moving truck.
How Long to Pack for a Smaller Home
If you are packing a relatively smaller home, two weeks to a month may suffice if you have some experience with how to pack for a move already. If you have experience with packing then you could leave the packing of your belongings for closer to your moving date. However, it is recommended that you always make time to pack in advance to limit the stress that you are going to be feeling due to anything else that could happen during your move.
De-Clutter as Much as Possible
In addition to packing early, be sure to get to work on the process of decluttering each room as much as possible as soon as you can before you move. Although it seems excessive to organize your home right before you leave, it can actually make the process faster and make keeping your belongings and storage organized in your new home much less stressful. To start, you could put stuff together rather than having a lot of heavy, freely floating items and clothes.
Start With Rooms You Do Not Use
A lot of people think that they should start packing the rooms that have the largest number of items. This is not always the best path to take, and you should actually consider the rooms that you use the least. These rooms can be packed far in advance and you will not get affected by having items packed up over a longer period of time. You should start with storage and packing seasonal stuff that you are not going to need before you move first. If you have parts of your home that largely hold items that you like but don’t use frequently or that don’t serve a functional purpose, these can be packed at the start of the moving process as well.
Pack One Room At A Time
Having an organized approach to your packing is essential and going room by room is best. When you pack and tape boxes in multiple rooms at a time, you could get confused about what has been packed and what has not. You will also be able to easily label and tape the boxes that you have packed as you go which increases your organization. Take caution, and be sure to tape and label your boxes as much as possible, and especially label ones with items that you are going to need to find later (when in doubt about it, we like to label it!). You can avoid having to spend too much time searching for a certain item that you need right away during the moving and un-packing process later.
Get Rid Of Unwanted Goods
There is no point in taking goods that you do not need from one home to another. This is why you should look at getting rid of unwanted goods and clothes ahead of time before you start packing. Many people will determine whether they need the goods as they are packing and create an area to store these goods. You can then sell or donate the goods before you move. A good test for determining if you should keep or discard items and clothes as you organize your belongings is to consider every item and determine if you use it frequently, if you love it a lot, or if it has a strong sentimental value. If none of these statements are true about the item, consider whether you can sell, discard, or donate the item rather than transport them to your new place. Keep in mind, the less heavy and fewer items you keep, the less heavy and fewer items you will have to load and move! This makes a huge difference in terms of how long packing takes.
Know The Weight Limits For The Boxes
The weight that your boxes can take will need to be considered. Most boxes will not be able to handle more than 30 pounds and you should not exceed this. If you do exceed this amount the boxes could break and you will hurt your back when you attempt to lift the boxes. They may differ slightly, but there are weight limits on both cardboard boxes and plastic bins or crates. Be sure to pay attention to the weight limits on each of these boxes as you pack every box, and only pack what you are sure you will be able to take when you carry them. Also make sure you can tape each box shut, as you want your items secure and not falling out of boxes.
Have A Day-One Pack and Move Box
Something that many people neglect is to have a day one moving box. This box should be different to others and it is recommended that you use a clear plastic crate. This box should have the essentials that you will need for the first day in your new home before you have unpacked your moving boxes. You need to have cooking utensils, linen, and towels that you can use while you are going to be unpacking.
Items to Pack for the First Day
Here is a more complete list of items you might want to consider including in your day one box in order to make your first day and the process of moving unpacking in your new home together less stressful. Keep these items handy, as well as anything you like to have available or need to use daily.
First-Day Box Moving Checklist
- Change of clothes (or multiple sets of clothing)
- Trash bags or garbage bags
- Paper towels
- Toilet Paper
- Linens
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Cooking utensils (cutlery and crockery)
- Dishes (paper dishes could be a helpful alternative as well)
- Essential electronics (chargers, cases, etc)
- Cleaning supplies (small broom, sponge, soap, etc)
- Water bottles
You might be able to think of a few other items that would be useful to have in a day one moving box in addition to these items listed. If you need a couple of boxes rather than just a single box for this step, that is alright. You don’t want your essential stuff to become too heavy to carry rather than put them in two boxes. It’s important to plan ahead and think of everything you commonly like to use on a daily basis, or that you might need right away after moving into a new place.
Try to Avoid Searching for Necessities
Part of the beauty of packing a box for your first day after the move is to allow yourself time to rest in between the time you load up and leave your home (Your packing is done! Whew!) and when you get to your new place. You don’t want the immediate stress of needing belongings you can’t find in all the storage and boxes you packed in every room. Having the essentials put in a place where they are easy to find gives you a moments peace to recharge like you want to be able to before beginning the process of unpacking from moving.
Bubble Wrap Your Fragile Items
If you are transporting a lot of fragile items or parts of furniture that can be easily damaged, bubble wrap is a good idea. In addition to labeling the boxes that contain fragile items, a good layer of protective plastic wrap can keep your stuff from getting damaged (especially when you pack dishes or other breakable items). Packing paper is another great tool movers use when packing some items or parts of furniture that could get scratched easily, such as chair legs. If you’re working with professional movers, make sure your moving company will offer you packing paper or even boxes to help with your move, and take advantage of this during moving!
Let’s Get Packing
Now that you have looked through our complete moving checklist of tips for packing and moving, you’re ready to start packing! Don’t forget to make adequate time for both packing and decluttering, and remember that the more organized you are, the more smoothly the process of un-packing once in your new home becomes, the more likely your items will arrive intact and not misplaced, and the less you will have to worry overall throughout the moving process.
Hiring a Packing and Moving Company
Some people want to hire a storage or moving company to not only help them move furniture or rent a moving truck, but to help them pack as well. This can be advantageous, as professional movers may have more packing supplies readily available as well as a lot of experience with packing and moving that will make them very trustworthy with your belongings. The packing materials and packing boxes they provide may also be cost-effective as compared to trying to buy your own packing materials or scrounge up a lot of randomly sized boxes (which can make packing more tedious). To hire a good storage or moving company to help you pack and organize storage as you go as well as anything else related to moving that they can offer is something many people want the option to rely on.
Looking for a Top-Rated Moving Company?
If you are in the Phoenix area, Dose Moving Companies Phoenix is here to help with moving and packing to help your move go smoothly! We offer some of the best furniture moving and packing services, and clients trust our experienced local movers and like working with us. Contact us today for a free estimate to hire us on your pack and move. We are happy to help with your move, and we look forward to working with you as you relocate, whether you want commercial or residential moving services. Take us along!
References & Sources:
Cassidy’s Moving & Storage Ltd. Where, When, And How Do I Start Packing? https://wemovetheworld.com/blog/packing-tips-getting-started/
Consumer Reports. How to Choose a Reliable Moving Company. https://www.consumerreports.org/moving/how-to-choose-a-reliable-moving-company/
Life Storage Blog. Read This Before Moving to Phoenix. https://www.lifestorage.com/blog/moving/moving-to-phoenix/
Moving. 11 Cheap Ways to Move Cross Country https://www.moving.com/tips/cheap-ways-to-move-cross-country/
Ramsey. How Much Does It Cost to Move? https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-move
Square Foot Blog. 10 Must-Have Packing and Moving Supplies and How to Use Them. https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/17325-10-must-have-packing-supplies/
The Spruce. What’s an Essentials Box and How do I Pack One? https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-pack-essentials-box-2436477
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