If you’ve ever moved, you know that packing is incredibly hard work – and often the most stressful part of the moving experience. There’s nothing easy about packing up your whole life into boxes, but the tips below will take some of the stress and anxiety out of the process.
Start Early
We often look around our homes and convince ourselves we don’t really have that much to pack. It’ll be quick, right? Unfortunately, nothing is further from the truth. Packing nearly always takes longer than we anticipate. So, force yourself to overcome the procrastination and begin packing at least two days earlier than you initially planned. The average three-bedroom home takes four days to pack, so use that as a guide for your own timeline.
Don’t Leave the Kitchen for Last
Related to the above tip, this one is a biggie. Kitchens always take the longest to pack, and they’re full of breakables that require your patience and attention. You don’t necessarily have to pack the kitchen first, but do yourself a favor and don’t save it for last either. Otherwise, you may find yourself pulling an all-nighter to be ready for the moving truck.
Have a Designated Packing Zone
It’s helpful to organize your packing materials, so claim a space and spread out everything you’ll need for easy access. Your packing zone can move with you throughout the house so that you’ll always have what you need close at hand. Having to go searching for the scissors or tape is one of the most common packing frustrations, so plan ahead to avoid it.
Use Quality Boxes – and Plenty of Them
It’s tempting to use free boxes you salvage from the neighborhood recycling bin or to toss as much as possible into laundry baskets, but flimsy cardboard and hard-to-stack containers only make packing more difficult. Invest in boxes that are meant for moving, complete with handles and space for labeling.
Make a ‘Do Not Pack’ Moving Day Survival List
No one wants to go digging through dozens of boxes for a toothbrush on moving day, so make a list of all your essential and then DO NOT pack them. Instead, leave them in easily accessible spots and then pop them all into an overnight bag just as you’re ready to load the truck.
Set a Weight Limit for Your Boxes
When you’re in the zone, it’s easy to load a box up so heavy that you have no chance of lifting it. Pay attention to box weight and set a limit for yourself – maybe forty pounds. This will make it easier for you to move and stack boxes out of the way as you continue throughout the house.
Packing to move is a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Utilize the above tips from the pros to make your next move a much less irksome experience.
Image via Unsplash/Erda Estremera
