Guide to Packing

Moving always takes some time and even if people’s experience of the move is different due to their needs, amount, and size of the move, there are still principles that are shared in all moves and that apply to everyone relocating.
The moving process can be broken into 4 parts which are
Getting ready
Packing
Organizing and managing
Moving in

Getting ready
If setting up everything for the big move is done right, then it will ensure that the rest of your relocation goes smoothly. That is why it is essential that you get everything needed before you start handling the other parts of the relocation process. There are many steps that go into getting ready but once they are done they will undoubtedly make your move way easier and less stressful.
Acquire packing supplies
Packing supplies are an essential part of moving and you can get them in various places. You will need items such as boxes, tape, bubble wrap and others. All these items can be purchased at numerous stores, but if you are on a tight budget and want to save some cash there are ways of getting some of the moving supplies for free. A good example of a moving supply you can get for free is boxes. There are always stores that have excess boxes from their purchases and they usually give out their boxes for free. You are sure to get a few boxes from local retailers, but if you need bigger boxes then you can also ask around local furniture stores. Make sure to call ahead of time to see if it is possible for them to provide you with boxes. Another option is if friends and family, you can ask them if they have any unused boxes laying around, especially if somebody you know has recently moved, you can ask them o borrow you the boxes for your move. But there is a flaw with using second-hand boxes and that is that they aren’t always in good condition. So it is always better to opt out for new boxes or you can ask your moving company for its packing services and they will provide you with all the needed moving supplies. This option sometimes comes free of charge in some companies or it can be an additional service.
Apart from all the packing supplies, you are going to need some tools to make the move easier. Dollies or hand trucks are a useful tool to have. They will save you a lot of time and energy by relieving you of most of the heavy lifting.

Get measurements
In your current home, you have everything placed perfectly and you don’t have to worry about the dimensions of your furniture and the walls since things are already set up. Now that you are relocating you are going to want to know the dimensions of the furniture and bigger items you are taking with you and the dimensions of the place that you are moving to. If you have the opportunity to inspect the place that you are moving to or have a friend or relative in the area you can get the dimensions of the residence yourself. If that is not an option you should make sure to ask for the dimensions of the home. You will need to know measurements like the walls, doors and of your items. This process shouldn’t take too long and once done allows you to plan out how to use the space of your future home. You will also need to know the measurements of the walls of the new residence, this will come in handy if you intend to put any new wallpaper. These measurements are good estimates and if done well will make sure that you don’t have any problems with the furniture you brought with you or with space.

Packing
Packing is one of the most tedious jobs when I come to moving. It can take ages, especially if you are doing it right and even longer if you have a lot of things to take with you. To make it even more stressful you always have to think whether you will need an item in the coming days before you pack it away. But despite the fact that it can feel like taking forever especially when you are careful, it is an important step because the better you pack the easier time you will have to unpack. To make this as less stressful as possible we have provided you with some advice when it comes to packing.

Pack the essential first
Before we go into telling you how to handle the bigger items, you should first know about the essentials. The essentials will help you get by while your items are packed and should consist of clothes and toiletries, which will help you look and feel fresh while you wait. These items should all fit into a suitcase and definitely shouldn’t be a huge pile of items. The ideal time to have this case ready is about a week before you move out and should have every day before the move covered. This isn’t as nice as having all your clothes ready and available but it will enable you to go around in clean clothes while all your items are packed away. Once the big day comes and all your packed things are put into the moving truck then all you have to do is take the essentials bag with you. You should have a suitcase with clothes for when you get there, which should contain your most needed items and clothes.
Sorting
After you have your essentials bag packed and ready, it is time to move on to the first step of the packing process and that is sorting. There are many ways to go about handling the move and a route that many pick is going room by room, which will have you doing and packing the same sort of things over and over again. You will have finished one room and decided on what items you like from there and then come across better ones in another room. This will essentially either make you pack way more or it will have you looking through old boxes to replace the items. A good way to go about sorting is to go by categories, you should gather all the clothes for example from the entire house and handle them first. Then move on to the next thing and the next thing. This will let you see all your items in front of you and will make it easier for you to decide on what you want to take with you and what you don’t really need. It will also help you in the labeling and organizing of your moving boxes. Which we will talk about next.
Getting help
There is no rule saying that you have to take care of the entire move on your own, it definitely possible but you will definitely be stressed out and low on energy after. You might want to get your friends to help you with the packing and organizing. You can ask your friends or family to stop by and give you a helping hand, this will save you a lot of time and energy. Just make sure that you are working as a team and everyone knows what the task is, you don’t want everyone working without a plan. That can result in confusion and actually lose you time. If you don’t mind paying a little extra you can opt for the services of professional packers. They will handle the packing and organization with ease. They are all experienced and already know the best methods and techniques to get the job done.

Organizing and managing
A big part of having the move go smoothly is keeping organized and managing the move. If you are not careful in this step you will be surrounded by unmarked boxes and you will have no idea where what is, which will make it hard to track what you have packed and will always leave you wondering if you have forgotten something. So in order to avoid confusion and going backwards, you will want to keep your move organized and a good method to do this is to after sorting, label the boxes into which you pack your items. You can do this with a black marker, it doesn’t have to be anything too fancy. All you do is mark the boxes with the items in it and the room they are intended for or are from. This system of inventory is not bad but can be very hard especially as the box gets more and more full. You can use apps and your computer to run an inventory on what is where. Just search the app market, there are numerous apps that will help you get organized and keep you on track.

Moving in
If you have handled the previous steps well then this should be the easiest part of the entire process and it won’t take you long to have it done. But there is still a system you should follow if you want this to go without a problem.
Furniture first.
The first thing you want taken care of is the furniture. You might want these items to be set before you start unpacking. Some pieces of furniture are easy, all you have to do is take them into the house, while others have do be reassembled. Make sure that you remember how to reassemble your furniture if you plan on doing this part yourself. You can find instructions online or in the manuals of your furniture.
Dust everything
You don’t want to place dusty furniture into your new home so make sure that you give your furniture a good dusting before taking the items and placing them into your new home. This will make your home cleaner and will give it a better feel when you settle down to take a rest from the exhausting moving process.

Utilize your closets
When you have to unpack all the items, you can easily find yourself surrounded by clutter. This can be very annoying and confuse so make sure that you put items away and keep the unpacking done in categories. This should be easy if you have labeled and kept a good inventory. While taking things out and organizing them, you should use your closets so as to avoid getting a lot of clutter. This is recommended even if the closet is used temporarily.