Tips on packing your home for relocation

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that packing your home for relocation is one of the most annoying relocation tasks. While it is possible to hire one of the best long distance movers to do your packing for you, most people choose to pack their own things. Packing does become easier with experience, of course, but first-time packers might need some help to get started. That is why we are going to provide you with packing tips that will make the whole process significantly easier. From acquiring free moving boxes and packing supplies to labeling the boxes the right way, we will cover everything you might need to pack your home in an easier and more efficient way!

Packing your home for relocation can be a lot easier

If this is your first relocation, the first thing you will want to do is find a quality moving company to provide you with some assistance. Moving can be very difficult, after all, and having someone with years of moving experience is going to be quite beneficial. The issue with professional movers, of course, is the cost. You may want to familiarize yourself with a few money-saving tips when hiring movers if you want to keep the cost to a minimum. Your movers can also pack your entire household for you if you so wish. But that presents an additional cost to an already costly process. Therefore, you will want to pack as many of your items on your own as you can. To help you with this process, you may want to utilize all of the following tips:

• Get free moving boxes/packing supplies
• Start early
• Get some help
• Declutter before packing
• Pack room by room
• Label your boxes

 

Even if you use all of the above tips, the packing process may still seem overwhelming. If you simply have too many items to pack, consider having your movers pack some of the more “difficult” items. You can also research and compare moving companies that provide the best packing deals if you want to minimize the relocation costs. Speaking of the costs, our first tip will have you saving quite a bit on your packing materials.

How to get free moving boxes

Every relocation requires plenty of containers to put your belongings in. And the “ideal” containers come in form of cardboard moving boxes. They are cheap, they get the job done. And you can also get them for absolutely free. When planning your long distance moving process, you might want to set aside some time to visit your local grocery stores. Grocery stores get cardboard boxes on a daily basis, and they usually do not need them once they unpack their contents. This presents a great opportunity for you. All you need to do is ask the nice people at the store if you can have a few of the boxes for your relocation effort. While not every store will be able to provide you with everything you need, they will usually send a box or two your way. After you visit several stores, you should have all the boxes you require.

Alternatively, you can join an online “pass-it-forward” group in your area. These groups are there to help people who are in need of pretty much anything. They are an excellent way for you to acquire some free packing materials for your upcoming relocation. However, depending on where you live, you may have a limited selection of what is available. As you might already notice, all of this takes time. And time is what our second tip is all about.

The importance of starting early

Perhaps the most important thing about packing your home for relocation is to start early. Even if you believe you can manage the packing process in “record time”, you should still start as soon as possible. If you start early, you can afford to pack a box every now and then instead of having to pack everything in a rush. That being said, it is best if you can create a schedule from the start, and stick to it.

The earlier you start, the easier the packing process gets. Your time will be at a premium once the relocation effort starts in earnest, after all, and packing somehow always ends up on the “to-do” list. This, incidentally, is one of the main reasons people hire professional movers to do their packing for them. Even if you are packing a small home, the process itself can take quite a bit of your time and energy. But you can make it easier. Our next tip will show you how.

Friends and family members can make the packing process a lot easier

Everything is easier if you are surrounded by the people you like. Packing is no exception, and your friends and family members can be of huge help. Even if you want to actually pack your own stuff, f&f can help you in other ways. Relocation imposes so many tasks that there will always be something for them to do. Your inner circle will help you stay ahead of these tasks by providing you with an extra pair of hands and eyes. Or they can simply provide you with moral support and create a more fun relocation atmosphere. Friendly banter makes every job easier, after all.

Declutter first, pack later

Regardless of whether your relocation is a local or a long-distance one, you will want to go through the decluttering process before you start packing in earnest. Every home has plenty of items that will never be used anymore. It is in your best interest to leave those items behind, donate them, give them away, sell them, or throw them away.

Therefore, before you do anything else, you should go through each and every room in your home and search for items such as those. Anything that you haven’t used for a year or two, or that you believe you will never use again, you put into the “declutter” pile. Don’t worry about sorting the pile at first, just make sure to identify all the clutter in your home. You can decide what to do with those items at a later date. In our budget-friendly nationwide moving tips, we also mention that decluttering your home before packing will make your shipment lighter, therefore reducing moving costs. Lastly, you can make someone really happy by giving them some of the items you will not use.

Pack one room at a time

Once you get your moving boxes, have some help, and have decluttered your home, it is time to start packing in earnest! The best way to organize your packing effort is to pack one room at a time. Start with the rooms you are using the least and work your way to the living room and the kitchen. Alternatively, you can also start with the rooms that have the most items or are most difficult to pack. Whichever you prefer is fine, just make sure that you finish with one room before starting the next. This will allow you to focus your efforts and maintain peak efficiency. And it will allow you to retain the use of some rooms for almost the entire duration of the packing process.

Don’t forget to label your boxes

While you are packing, you may think that you will remember the contents of every box. This is highly unlikely, though, which is why you will want to label each box before packing the next one. You are free to create your own labeling system, but we feel that a simple color-coded word (e.g. kitchen) is quite sufficient. The most important thing is to know, at a glance, where the box is supposed to go. Proper labeling will be a huge time saver when the time to unpack finally arrives. If you are feeling “fancy”, you can find pre-made labels and print them beforehand!

Packing your home for relocation – Bonus tips!

Here are some bonus tips to make your packing process even more efficient:

• Pack clothes by rolling them
• Use shoes as additional packing space
• Wear the heaviest items instead of packing them
• Zip, then open!

The last tip merits additional explanation. If you are using zip bags to store some of your belongings, you can get some extra space by filling them to the brim, zipping them, and then reopening them. While this will not provide a huge amount of additional space, it may be exactly what you need when packing your home for relocation!

If you are looking for more moving tips, or want to find the best movers in the country, you may want to take some time and explore the Consumer Opinion Guide. Our knowledge repository is there for you to use, absolutely free of charge!