Packing Advice
Packing is perhaps the most stressful part of the moving process. The safety of your belongings will very much depend on how well you pack them. You need to have a plan before you start packing to be able to pack everything quickly and effectively which will make things much easier when you unpack and settle in your new home. Here are some packing tips that will help you make your relocation as smooth as possible.
Make a list of items. It’s useful to have lists of things that you’re going to pack, have packed or need to dispose of. This will help you better manage your time and increase the chances that you’ll find everything on the other side.
Prepare materials. If you won’t be provided with packing boxes and other materials such as wrapping paper, tape and markers by your moving company, you need to buy them beforehand so that you can concentrate on packing without having to stuff as much as you can in every box which can get your belongings damaged. It’s recommended to spend some time looking for quality packing boxes that will keep your things sound and safe.
Stay focused. It’s better to deal with one room at a time. Whenever you find things that belong in a different place don’t rush leaving everything to get them to another room, or else you may find yourself zig-zagging from one room to another. You may completely lose track of what to do having all of your rooms started and none of them completely packed.
Label the boxes. Put a label on each box, so that you know what’s inside and where to take the box, once it’s delivered to the destination. This approach will save you a lot of time and effort when unpacking. Also put ‘fragile’ marks on the boxes containing breakable or valuable stuff.
Find a storage place. As you pack you may soon run out of free space with boxes and furniture piled everywhere, therefore it’s important to have a storage area. You may consider taking your excess belongings to an off-site storage facility.
Take your time. Don’t rush to get everything done as soon as possible and have a beer to ease the relocation stress. Start with small areas (a drawer for instance) to figure out how you make packing decisions and then go on to larger items and spaces.
Pack with restraint. Don’t overload the boxes so that they can be safely lifted and loaded/unloaded. Boxes and wrapping materials are not the things you want to save on.
It is also important that you leave some everyday things such as dishes and clothes unpacked so that you can use them during your last days at the old house and once you’ve arrived to the new one.