9 Moving Pro Tips To Help You Relocate Or Downsize
You’ve sold your home and found a new one! Congratulations—the hard part is over! Or is it? With some planning, packing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The Betty Brigade has nine moving pro tips to help you pack when moving and make the process a little easier.
When possible, allow six weeks for packing up the average household. Does that seem like a lot to you? You probably have more to pack when you think, so leaving this amount of time will reduce your stress when encountering the unexpected.
Get all your supplies together. You’ll need sturdy boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, a good tape gun, labels, markers, and a notebook. You’ll also need some basic tools for taking items apart and a tape measure for planning furniture placement in your new place.
Enlist some help. This makes packing go faster and can even become a pleasurable activity as you chat about the items you’re packing and talk about your plans.
As you pack, label each box and give it a number. In your notebook, list what is in each box by its number. On the label, say which room it’s going to at the other end. This takes seconds per box but can save hours and headaches at the other end.
When packing the contents of a storage cabinet that you’ll be moving, create a diagram of the cabinet and give each drawer and cubby a letter. As you pack each space, put that letter on the box containing the contents. Tape the diagram inside the cabinet, so it’s handy when you unpack.
Use clothing, towels, pillows, and blankets to cushion extra fragile items.
Pad each box of breakables with two inches of padding material on all six sides. Pack items snugly, so that after you’ve sealed the box, you can press your hand against any side, and it will “push back.” You should be able to shake the box gently and not hear anything moving. If packed well, a box of fragile items could be dropped from four or five feet without breakage.
Contrary to popular belief, plates, mirrors, picture frames, and other flat breakables are safest when packed on their edges—not flat in a box. They can absorb any impact much more safely this way, reducing the chances of breakage.
To prevent injury when lifting, don’t make boxes too heavy. The maximum weight should be 50 pounds, with 40 pounds or less being ideal. Clearly mark any extra heavy boxes to warn movers, and to make sure those aren’t stacked on top of lighter boxes.
Before you know it, you will be surrounded by all the boxes you just packed and in your new home. The good news? Unpacking goes much faster than packing! Good luck in your new home!Do you have more tips that can help with packing? How do you do it? Please feel free to share and comment below.
Until next time – Keep It Simple!
