Moving? 5 Top Tips for Packing Up Your House
By: John Garcia | Date Posted: December 9, 2021
Table of Contents
Moving can be an exceptionally stressful experience as you navigate the process of packing up your life and transporting it to a new location. Beyond the logistical challenges, there is also the emotional aspect of bidding farewell to the memories associated with your old home. To help ease the stress of this transitional period, consider these 5 top tips for packing up your house.
Tips for Packing Up Your House
Although moving is challenging, there are many ways you can make things easier on yourself. This includes being prepared well in advance, having the right supplies with you, and being strategic about how you pack your belongings.
Here are some great packing tips to help simplify your move:
-
The Great Purge
Itâs important to de-clutter before moving day so you donât spend precious time sorting through items you know you wonât need in your next home. One option is to follow the KonMari Method, where you carefully go through your belongings beforehand and ask yourself if an item sparks joy. Another option is the âOne In, One Out Ruleâ where you simply get rid of any items that arenât necessary.
Itâs important, to be honest with yourself about what items are essential for your happiness and which ones can be given away or donated.
Also, if there are things in your home that you want but no longer need, consider selling them online or donating them to charity before moving day. You can use apps such as LetGo and Facebook Marketplace to turn your old belongings into money or gift cards.
-
Take Care
Some movers may treat your televisions like any other piece of furniture. LCD TVs are more delicate and need their special box or crate for moving if you donât have the original box. If youâre packing by yourself, make sure your TV is double-boxed with packing paper inside the box that contains it.
-
Keep Essentials Close
No matter where you are moving to, itâs crucial to keep the essential items with you in your car when leaving your previous home and heading to your new address. This includes things like clothing and toiletries that will get you by until you are settled in your new home.
-
Size Matters
Another great tip is to be sure that you are using the correct sized boxes so that itâs easier to pack up your things. Youâll want to use smaller containers for lighter items and larger ones for heavier ones.
Also, itâs a good idea to keep different boxes for different rooms in your house. For example, you might want to have one box for books and another that holds all of the clothing from your bedroom. That way, when it comes time to unpack, you can quickly put everything away where it belongs and wonât mix up items from different areas of your home.
-
Make Time
Finally, one last moving tip is to remember that the earlier you start packing for your move, the better. This is because itâs much easier to pack up a room when you have extra time to plan and organize your efforts. The best way to do it is by packing up everything in one room at a time so that you donât waste any time moving things from one place to another.
With these packing tips for moving, youâll be able to organize your belongings and prepare them for the big day. Once thatâs settled, you can shift your focus to the emotional side of moving that is often the most difficult. Good luck!
The day of the move
The moving process itself is extremely tiring and can also be very stressful. Here are some helpful moving hacks.
Donât forget to pack a cooler. Water bottles and quick snacks can keep you energized throughout the day if you keep your cooler filled with them. Instead of moving it on a moving truck, take it in the car so you can access it whenever you need it.
Plan for children and pets. Moving day is a stressful time for parents, so you should have your kids hang out with friends or family to reduce stress and keep them safe. Your pets should also be supervised. Youâll all be happier with alternate plans for your children and your pets if you can.
Pack up the night before moving day. Packing at the last minute will prolong your day. Plan to have all your belongings packed before the movers arrive or before you pick up your rental truck. By doing so, you can get started on completing your task right away.
Unpacking
Youâve made it, but thereâs still a lot to do. Unpacking is easier if you donât procrastinate.
-
Letâs begin in the kitchen
Once you have finished the kitchen, you will have a great sense of accomplishment and can fully concentrate on the easier-to-unpack rooms.
-
Decide when you will finish
If youâre moving within a few weeks, plan a housewarming party or a casual get-together so that you have a firm deadline for getting your house unpacked.
-
Play some music
Everything is better with music. Distract yourself from the monotony of unpacking by playing some good tunes instead of watching television (it will be a distraction).
-
Donât overwhelm yourself
Be patient, and donât try to unpack every box right away. Focus on getting the most important things done, then doing what you can as you can, rather than feeling like you have to spend hours unpacking. Eventually, you will get it all done.
-
Do not give yourself a choice
Do you feel a bit sadistic? Get a box worth of stuff out of the closet and dump it on your bed or in the bathtub, so you have no choice but to get everything out and put it away.
-
As you empty boxes, get rid of them
A box should be broken down and recycled as soon as it has been emptied of its contents. Your new home will be much more spacious as a result of this.
-
Make a plan for food
Realistically, you wonât want to cook while unpacking and settling in. Takeout food will allow you more time to work on everything else you need to do.
Thank you for reading!