1. Get rid of everything.
Okay, maybe not everything, but the more unused and unnecessary items you eliminate from your home, the less stuff you’ll have to pack up, haul across town, unload, and organize.
Be ruthless with your stuff. That coat you think is cute but haven’t worn in four months? Donate it.
The very first coffee maker you ever bought that flavours your morning brew with little pieces of rust? Trash it.
Doing a massive preliminary purge will have the single biggest impact on the efficiency and ease of your entire packing process.
2. Sort things by category.
Take a cue from Marie kondo and organize your belongings by category, not by room (note that the category part only applies to the organization process, not the unpacking — that’s a whole separate ordeal).
Instead of spending a day cleaning out your entire bedroom, spend an afternoon sorting through every article of clothing you own.
Scour every coat closet, dirty clothes hamper, and laundry room until you’ve got all your clothes in one place. Then sort.
3. Donate
There are so many people that smile everyday because of you! Donating your unwanted staff will be nice thing to fo! Check out these donation organisation
4. Set aside stuff to sell.
You probably have a few items you no longer want, but would love to get a little money for. If that’s the case, set these items aside and determine where you can sell them.
If it’s furniture, clothings, or even gaming consoles, you can easily take a photo and upload them to Shpock
5. Moving Company
A moving company can often make or break your entire moving experience, so it’s important to get it right. The more effort you put into finding a reputable company with excellent customer service ahead of time, the less hassle you’ll have on moving day.
6. Create a master moving to-do list
When you move homes, you inevitably end up having 600 different things to do and remember. Don’t let all these tasks and important reminders, no matter how seemingly obvious, slip your mind.
Write them down somewhere. Put them in the Notes app on your phone, in the to-do list app Wunderlist, or go old-school with a giant yellow legal pad.
No detail is too insignificant. You just remembered the name of the little bookstore in town that will accept your used novels? Write it down.
Not sure which novels to donate? Here’s how to decide what books to keep or get rid of.
You have to return your cable box to your provider at least one day before you leave? Jot it down.
7. Put moving tasks on your calendar.
Take your organization a step further and spend an evening mapping out everything you have to do. Get an oversized calendar and mark the empty white boxes with important daily tasks to prepare for your move.
Tuesday: Call moving company.
Wednesday: Sort through toiletries.
Thursday: Buy new sheets.
An added bonus to using the calendar method is that breaking up your tasks by day makes them seem more manageable. Also, don’t forget to add “celebrate with wine” somewhere in there to give you something to look forward to.
8. Get moving boxes from your local liquor store.
Pay a visit to your local liquor store (that’s where you can buy the aforementioned wine) to see if they recycle their used boxes. If so, ask if you can grab a handful so you’re saving a little paper in your moving journey.
Just make sure the boxes are very gently worn and that you only use them to hold lightweight items like linens and towels. You don’t want to deal with ripped boxes and broken valuables on the big day.
9. Check to see if you have original boxes for your electronics.
You might think your flat screen TV could withstand a 30-minute drive across town in a cardboard box, but alas, it’s a fragile piece of technology. The best way to transport your electronics is in the original boxes they arrived in when you purchased them.
Check to see if you stashed these boxes somewhere — attic? Garage? If you don’t have them, make a list of what you’ll need to buy or borrow to properly cushion your stuff.
Quilted blankets, bubble wrap, and sturdy tape all work well to protect TVs and similarly delicate items.
10. Schedule disconnect times.
Call your cable, internet, electricity, Council Tax and gas providers at least a week ahead of your move to figure out when you need to shut everything off. Make sure you leave enough time in your schedule to gather any necessary items — like cords, remotes, or cable boxes — you may need to return.
11. Call in favours early.
If you’re relying on friends and family to help with your move, be courteous and give them a month’s notice.
Send out an email with the details of where to meet, what time, what to bring, and what to wear (read: no sundresses or uncomfortable shoes) so everyone is on the same page.
12. Pack ahead.
Packing little by little is far less stressful than trying to tackle it all in one day. As early as a couple months out, start packing the stuff you know you won’t be using.
This can be anything from off-season clothing to books you’ve already read to mementos, pictures and keepsakes.
13. Pack decorative items a few weeks out.
Pack all your art and decorative items several weeks before you move. These pieces can be some of the trickiest to store because they’re fragile and often oddly shaped, so having a bit of extra time to figure out how to properly cushion them is crucial.
Sure, your walls and mantels will look a bit stark, but when you’re running around the house a week before the move feeling like you’re about to lose your mind, you’ll be so glad your grandma’s landscape painting is already nestled in its precious bubble wrap.
14. Change your address a week before you move.
This is one of those things everyone forgets to do until they’re two weeks into life in a new home and they realize their Amazon Prime shipment still hasn’t arrived. Change your address ahead of time so your bills, credit card statements, and packages can arrive on time and without hassle.
15. Label moving boxes like a boss.
The key to finding your stuff easily is labeling all your packed boxes accurately and clearly. When you’re stacking boxes in a van or car you won’t be able to see their tops, so make sure you label the sides as well. But don’t stop there.
Label the boxes by category and by room (for example, Books, Library and Books, Bedroom) to speed up the unloading process.
If you’re more of a visual learner, use color-coded electrical tape to label your boxes.
16. Create a number system.
If you want to take your box labeling a step further, create a number system.
As you pack up a box, take note of every single item inside of it. Write the list in a Google doc, or use a handy organizing app like Sortly, and then give the box a number.
This genius strategy has two major benefits:
1. You can go straight to box #16 with the plunger instead of digging through every “Bathroom” box just to find it.
2. You’ll know the total number of boxes you’re transporting so you can check to see if one goes missing or is stolen.
17. Use small boxes for heavy items.
It sounds obvious, but if you’ve ever known the struggle that is carrying a large cardboard box stuffed full of college textbooks across a parking lot, then you also know this advice cannot be overstated.
Fill your small boxes with heavier items and use large boxes for light things like decorative pillows, towels, and linens.
18. Use packing tape.
Not to be confused with duct tape, packing tape is the heavy-duty, insanely sticky clear tape you see at the post office.
Always make sure your boxes have tops, but don’t do the interlocking fold method with the flaps of your box tops — just tape them closed. It’s much more secure this way.
24. Protect fragile items with packing paper, bubble wrap, or blankets.
Remember that packing paper you put on your master list when you stocked up on supplies at the hardware store?
Use it to pad all your fragile dishware and decorative items. Stuff it inside glasses, wrap it around vases and bowls, and shove it between your dishes and the side of your boxes.
Make sure you wrap each of your fragile items separately, so they’re fully cushioned. If you don’t have packing paper, opt for bubble wrap or a quilted blanket.
19. Pack dishes vertically.
Don’t stack your dishes horizontally inside a box. Instead, wrap your plates and bowls in packing paper, gently place them into a box on their sides like records, and then fill the empty spaces with bubble wrap to prevent cracking and breaking.
Also make any use of paper you may have to wrap your plates.
20. Stop buying groceries a week before you leave.
To save you the guilt of throwing away perfectly decent food, stop buying groceries a week or two before you’re scheduled to move. Try to make meals at home to use all the food you have left.
If you don’t finish everything, invite a friend or two over to see if they need some half-finished spices or boxes of pasta.
For anything you can’t get rid of, toss it and don’t look back.
21. Put your storage bins and luggage to use.
Instead of trying to figure out how to pack up all your woven seagrass baskets, linen bins, and carry-on suitcases, store stuff inside them.
Think clothes and shoes for sturdy suitcases, and hand towels and pillowcases for lightweight, open-top bins and baskets.
22. Set aside cleaning supplies for moving day.
Build a mini cleanup kit so you can do one final sweep through your home on moving day.
Set aside a broom, mop, dustpan, duster, sponge, cleaning products, paper towels, and old rags for wiping the grimy, hidden surfaces you could never get to when all your stuff was in the way.
If there is any help you may need with your home move, you can always get in touch with us, and we'll be more than happy to help!
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