How To Pack For An Upcoming Move

Moving day is drawing near. While you are feeling the tingly excitement of new beginnings you're also beginning to feel the familiar dread of packing. These tips are sure to change the way you view packing and make things a whole lot easier. This article is brought to you by these local movers.

1. Throw it Out

If you haven’t used it in 6 months and it’s not a holiday item or something you’re hanging on to for the next child, throw it away. There is no need to move your junk from one home to another. If it's still in good condition, donate it to the local DAV, Goodwill or Salvation Army, or consider having a garage sale.

2. Color Code Your Move

Use different colored packing tape for each room of the house. That saves time and confusion when trying to unload the truck and figure out what box goes where. Have miscellaneous items you’re not sure what to do with yet? Give those boxes their own color and designate a spot in the new place until you can get to them.

3. Don’t Unpack

By leaving your dresser drawers as they are you will save yourself moving space and packing/unpacking time. You can either pull the drawers out and wrap them in plastic wrap to keep everything in place, or simply remove the drawers to make carrying the dresser easier, and then replace them once the dresser is safely in the moving truck.

4. Leave the Clothes on the Hangers

Instead of taking your clothes off the hangers and packing them in boxes only to rehang them in your new place, leave them where they are. You can either, zip tie them in groups and then wrap each grouping in plastic wrap to protect the fabrics, or use trash bags to cover each group and use the ties in the trash bags to tie the hangers together. If you’re careful not to rip the bags you can reuse them as you unpack in your new place.

5. No Need for Newspaper

Instead of using newspaper or newsprint, save some trees and use extra clothing, towels and even socks as packing material. Use your tee shirt collection to wrap plates, towels to protect your glass bakeware and a folded pair of socks to stuff inside your glasses. For all those socks whose mate has mysteriously gone missing, use those to slip around the outside of the glassware to keep them protected against breakage.

6. Waste Not Want Not

Don’t waste your liquid household products. Remove the caps from your half used soap and shampoo bottles and place a piece of plastic wrap over the opening. Screw the cap back on and voila, no leaky bottles in your moving boxes and you didn’t have to throw them out and buy new.

Don’t let the stress of packing spoil your excitement for the upcoming move. With a little planning and these tips and tricks your move is sure to go smoothly.