Packing
Packing is hectic and often a last-minute nightmare. But putting in a bit of effort will be well-worth your time when you arrive at your new home and you need to find something in a sea of brown boxes.
Professional Packers vs. Do-It-Yourself
If you can afford to hire someone to pack and unpack you, it certainly has its benefits. But you need to consider what's right for you and for your style. Do you like to be in control of everything - do you find it hard to trust other people with your things? (Keep in mind, some insurances won't cover boxes packed by the owner.) When you get to the new home, would you rather unpack your things slowly, one box at a time, keeping your place orderly and neat as you go, or do you want someone to get it all done at once, remove the boxes and paper for you, and leave you with stacks of your belongings everywhere for you to step around and put away? Know yourself and figure out what works for you.
If you do hire packers, be available and involved.
Be sure to communicate to your packers which items should not be moved. Some packers will take anything that isn't nailed down. Even if it seems like common sense to you to leave it, you must label or point these items out to your packers and movers.
Packing Tips
Supplies
Here's a short list of basic packing supplies you will need:
- Boxes
- Tape
- Tape Dispenser (optional)
- Paper Wrap
- Bubble Wrap
- Black Marker
Before you start packing, make sure your house is tidy and that everything is in its place, or at least in its intended room. Items left out in the kitchen that belong in the bedroom will get lost in a box marked "Kitchen," making unpacking confusing and difficult.
Mark your boxes with the name of the destination room. Let's say you're moving from a very small place to a large house. Perhaps you had to put your china cabinet in the living room, because your home has no formal dining room. Packers might pack up the dishes and write "Living Room" on the box, since that's where they came from. But when you get to your new home, you want that box of dishes to end up in your new dining room, so the box should be labeled "Dining Room" not "Living Room." Your packers won't know your intentions, so you need to be available to communicate those.
If you are creating "open first" boxes, then you need to label all items in a room that should go into the "open first" box.
Newspaper is not a user-friendly packing material. Invest in professional supplies of plain-paper wrapping and bubble wrap. It's worth every penny.
Likewise, specific-use boxes like dish-packs and wardrobe boxes might seem expensive but can save you money and heartache when your dishes end up at your new home - in a million pieces - because you tried to cut corners and use a box you found in a dumpster.
Some people try to save money in general by collecting and saving boxes from friends and at-home deliveries for their move. While it certainly isn't required, using the standard size moving boxes can speed up the whole process. If every box is a different size, packing them firmly and securely into the truck can be a bit of a nightmare. When movers have only to deal with 3 or 4 different sizes, it's much easier for them to stack and pack things up for you. It also puts your things at less of a risk of falling or shifting around. It's also easier for the movers to carry standard-sized boxes. Often, they can stack more than one very easily for each trip in and out, saving time and saving you money.
Labeling Boxes
It's imperative to label each box to be moved, both for the mover's inventory purposes, and for any hope of sanity at the other end.
Use a permanent, bold marker to label the boxes.
Mark the room on the top of the box and on at least one of the sides of the box. This way, when the boxes are stacked and you can't see the top of all of them, the label on the side is still visible so you can find things more easily.
Briefly describe the contents of each box (also on the top and on one side). Be specific. If you have two sets of dishes, don't just write "Dishes." Write "Everyday Dishes" or "Yellow Dishes" so you know what's in the box before you open it. If there is an important item in a big box with other things, write it on the label - "Grandma's Teapot."
Avoid using the word miscellaneous. You'll forget. Trust me.
Mark your boxes with the name of the destination room. Let's say you're moving from a very small place to a large house. Perhaps you had to put your china cabinet in the living room, because your home has no formal dining room. Packers might pack up the dishes and write "Living Room" on the box, since that's where they came from. But when you get to your new home, you want that box of dishes to end up in your new dining room, so the box should be labeled "Dining Room" not "Living Room." Your packers won't know your intentions, so you need to be available to communicate those.
Whenever possible, don't stack boxes on furniture surfaces. Your mover may need to take that bookshelf before he needs the boxes on top of it, and he won't have access to it.
Try to leave open paths through the house so the movers can get through.
|
