9 Best Packing Tips

With all of the packing taking place in our house, I thought today would be a good day to go over some packing tips that I have learned and am using to make this move from one house to another. Moving can be a very stressful and chaotic experience for many and hopefully these tips will alleviate some of the stress.  

Tip #1: I stated this in a prior post, but go through everything you are packing and if it hasn’t been used in the last 6 months to a year and there doesn’t look like there will be a use for it any time soon, set it aside to either be sold at a moving yard sale, donated to charity or thrown in the trash. This guarantees you start out in your new house with things you use and need, not things that are just taking up space.

 

Tip #2: As you are going through things, set aside essentials you will need the first few days when you arrive at the new house. I am one of those people that can’t move into a new home until everything ahs been cleaned. So many of my day one essentials are cleaning supplies (Lysol wipes, 409 cleaning spray, sponges, dish soap, rubber gloves, etc). I also will pack a few paper plates, plastic silverware and red solo cups so as the days exertion continues, I have everything I need to make a quick snack and be able to throw it away instead of worrying about something else to clean.

 

Tip #3: Make sure you write what room every box goes to on all 4 sides. I also will write what is in the box on the top of it. This way, no matter how you stack them in the moving truck, when you are unloading you can know where everything goes without having to rotate the whole box. Once the boxes are in the correct rooms, labeling what is inside of each box makes it easy for when you need something specific like pots and pans or bathroom essentials.

 

 

Tip #4: My wife and I both have most of our clothes on hangers. Many people will take these all off and then fold them and pack them. Depending on how far you are going, there are a few options that make more sense. If like us, you are moving only a short distance, I would recommend that you just use a trash bag to cover them. This keeps them together and makes moving them easy. If you are going a much greater distance and need to pack them, there are boxes that you can hang things in. It costs more, but the time saving of not having to take them off the hangers, fold them and then re-hang them at the new house is worth it to me.

Tip #5: If you are lucky enough, you will be able to find boxes and other moving supplies for sale on Craigslist. I was only able to find a few boxes for sale, but at a price of 25 cents a box compared to a dollar, I took them. No reason to complain about savings, no matter the amount.

Tip #6: Many items in the house now a day’s come with many parts and pieces to assemble them. When you move, most of these items need to be disassembled. I will either use little snack Ziploc bags to place all the parts in and use a sharpie to label them and specifically tell me what it goes to.  If it’s just a few screws, I will just use two pieces of clear packing tape, write what it does to and even go a step further and tape it directly to what it goes to. Makes moving in and trying to sort through what seems like an endless amount if bolts, screws, twist ties and all other sorts of accessories that much easier.

Tip #7: To build off of the last tip, when it comes to electronics, I will take a picture of all the wires so that when I am looking at 20 different wires, with different colors, different ends and different lengths, I get a visual to use to help sort through the mess.

Tip #8: With all the furniture and storage containers that have drawers in a house, these can be a real pain when moving them. Heaven forbid you lean a little too much to one side and the drawer comes flying out and hits the wall. Now you have a dent and paint you need to fix.  To avoid this, just use plastic wrap. You can buy large rolls from any home improvement store, worth every penny.

 

Tip #9: I am one of those people that will try to clean as I pack. Why take all the time to pack up a room and then have to come back another time to clean it. What I have learned is to pack up a room and before I leave, clean it perfection and then close the door behind me. I always start from the top down. Anything high, clean and dust, that way whatever is not picked up by the duster just gets pushed down to the next level. Once it every level is done, vacuum or mop the floor and that room is done and ready for showing.

 These are the main things I do when I am packing and getting a house ready for showing to sell it. Emptying a house is the most important part of selling a house as it allows you to stage a home and do any finishing touches that need to be done to make it perfect. We are still in the process of emptying the house, but once its empty I will be giving some tips on staging and finishing a house to be shown.