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Top Packing Tips for an Efficient Move

Moving can be an exciting time for a variety of reasons, but one aspect that most people don’t enjoy is packing.

Whether you’re moving down the street or across the country, moving and more specifically packing up your house is all about efficiency.

If you’re able to pack efficiently, the move won’t seem like such a big ordeal. If you’re not able to pack efficiently, it may seem more like a nightmare that stretches on for a very long time.

Follow some proven tips to pack up in the most efficient manner possible.

Start Early When you’re moving, it’s all

about timing. You have to be out of that house or apartment on a specific date, and that means every single thing you see before you must be packed up and gone.

In some cases, that could mean decade’s worth of stuff.

It definitely pays to start packing things up early, so it all stays organized and you aren’t scrambling as the move out day draws closer.

Start packing a few boxes of non-essentials each day, at least two or three weeks ahead of time.

Start in one room and get to work, so when the real packing starts, you’ve already made a big dent in the what has to be done.

Proper Box Strategy The way you pack up those moving

boxes plays a huge role in how efficient the whole move is going to be. Simply tossing whatever you find into boxes and taping them up is only going to make a huge mess of things. When you’re packing boxes for a move:

  Make sure no single box weighs more than

50 lbs. Keep heavier items at toward the bottom of

the boxes. Fill holes and crevices in boxes with items

like scarves, socks and pillowcases. Fill boxes only to the point where the tops

can be closed properly and sealed flat. Label all boxes clearly on at least two sides

and the top. List what’s inside and what room it belongs to.

Place smaller items in smaller boxes, then seal those boxes and place them in larger boxes.

Take Inventory From the very beginning of

the packing process, take the time to keep a careful inventory of all your things. You can make the list on paper, on your phone or on a computer, just as long as there is a list.

Make a list of all the boxes you’ve packed, and the contents of each box. This helps to stay organized and if you’re short a box or two when it comes time to unpack and you need to file a claim.

If the inventory part seems a little much for one person to handle, assign rooms to different family members to help lighten the load.

Packing Essentials Within every household, there are daily

essentials that each family member uses that can’t be packed early on. If you start packing daily essential items early and sealing up the boxes, your household will really dissolve into chaos.

You can pack an essentials box for each room, or just a few for the house, but make sure it is marked as “Essentials” and left open until just before moving day. Some of the more common essential items include:

Shampoos and soaps Toothpaste and toothbrushes Toilet paper Dish towels and dish soap Cans of soup Jars of pasta sauce All-purpose cleaner Toaster Kettle Pet food and dishes Cutlery for each family member Flashlight Tool kit Garbage bags

Keep It Where It Goes Another technique that helps keep your

packing efforts efficient is to keep items in their proper place as much as possible.

As an example, keep clothing in the dresser drawers, keep tools in the toolboxes and keep silverware in its proper tray or case.

For screws and bolts that belong to furniture or other items, tape them to the underside of the item they came from.

There’s nothing quite so frustrating than to have to search for screws when it’s time to put things back together in the new house.

Move Some Things Personally No matter how great a track record or

reputation your moving company has, it makes sense to transport some items yourself.

Anything that is literally irreplaceable should be transported personally.

This may include photos, contracts, financial records, jewelry, coins or anything else that insurance isn’t going to be able to replace if it’s lost or ruined.

Every family will have its own treasures, so take the time to make a list at the start of the packing process, and set those items aside.

Residential Moving Containers

One way that many homeowners are choosing to make their moves more efficient is by using residential moving containers. Basically, a residential moving container is a big steel box that is delivered to your residence, and you pack the belongings of your home into the box.

Companies such as ‘BigSteelBox’ will deliver a moving container as far in advance as you would like, and then pick it up and deliver it to your new residence when you’re ready.

The concept seems ridiculously simple, but by having the box at your home as far ahead of time as you want it, the efficiency level of your packing goes through the roof.

When you use a BigSteelBox, you can literally empty out your house as each smaller box is packed up. It takes a lot of the drama and anxiety out of moving day, because so much of it is already out and ready to go ahead of time.

Residential Moving Containers When the company delivers the box to

your new house, you’re able to unpack your things at your own pace, as well.

When it comes to moving, anything that you can find that will simplify the process is worth looking into.

Residential moving containers definitely have the potential to simplify the process for most families.