If you’ve already gone through our tips for a stress-free move, you’ll know that packing your belongings in the right way is a major part of moving homes without undue hassle. However, when you consider the mountain of items you’ve collected over the years that now need to be transported to your new property, the toughest question you’ll ask would be: how to pack for a move? Well, the tips and tricks shared below will help you pack up for a move in the most efficient manner.
How to Pack for a Move?
Moving for the first time can be a daunting experience. There’s just so much to do and so much to pack. While it is exhilirating to be moving homes, the challenge and the mammoth task of packing that lies ahead will surely feel draining, unless you use our easy moving tips to organise your packing process and stay on top of the game.
Here are some of the best packing tips for moving homes:
- Start packing early
- Declutter what you own
- Get the right packing supplies
- Designate a packing zone
- Know how to pack
- Do not empty out every piece of furniture
- Avoid packing boxes to their limit
- Have an inventory ready to tally
- Label the boxes carefully
- Don’t forget to pack a box of essentials
Don’t let the moving process overwhelm you. We’ve detailed the best tips below to help you experience a smoother move.
Start Packing Early
We know you’re stressed about moving homes, but if you really want to know how to pack for a move, the answer is to remain calm, organised, and to start well in advance. That’s right! Do not leave the packing for the week before your move. Start decluttering, organising, and packing up non-essentials about a month in advance so that you’re well on your way by the time moving day arrives.
Starting early has an additional advantage. It keeps the stress at bay and gives you plenty of time to pack things at a leisurely pace over the course of several days. You’ll also be able to ensure better safety for all of your belongings if you have plenty of time to spend on packing each delicate item.
Declutter What You Own
If you’re moving for the first time in years, you probably have stocked up on a lot of clutter, most of which you no longer need, especially if your new home has no space for extra storage. This is why it becomes essential to declutter your belongings and have them ready for packing before you even begin to move them into boxes. Start with one room at a time, sorting out every item into the Keep, Discard, or Donate pile, as you move on.
Moving homes is the right time to cut down on your possessions and discover hidden treasures that you’d long forgotten about. However, taking your belongings with you into the new house should not be a sentimental decision. Reason about the usefulness of each item as you declutter the home. You can efficiently declutter the home over a weekend if you stick to the task at hand. You can also set certain items aside from your essentials box. These will be things of daily use that will be packed at the very end and unpacked as soon as you arrive in the new home.
Get the Right Packing Supplies
If you want to pack up a house for a move, you’ll need the right supplies. These include cardboard boxes to pack and move your belongings, as well as brown paper and newspapers to use as wrappings and stuffing for the delicate decorative items and dinnerware. You can use an additional layer of bubble wrap for fragile items, so keep that handy as well. You’ll also need brown packing tape, paper tape, scotch tape, scissors, permanent markers (any colour), as well as sturdy plastic or paper bags for smaller items that can be stuffed into bags without being damaged.
Remember that while some packing supplies will require a trip to the nearest stationery store, you might be able to get empty cardboard boxes from your local superstore for free if they no longer require the boxes they get their supplies in. Opt for small to medium-sized boxes, as they’ll be easier to carry, even if they’re full to the brim. The larger the box, the heavier it will be, and the more effort it’ll take to carry it out to the truck you’ve hired for the move.
Designate a Packing Zone
Since you’re packing up the whole house, you need to organise the packing process smartly. If you start placing packed boxes in every room, the move will begin to overwhelm you days in advance. Designate a less frequented part of the house where you can push or drag all of the packed boxes until moving day. Don’t panic if you’re worried about how to pack for a move. Just keep tackling one room at a time, and you’ll be good to go.
Know How to Pack
When you’re moving for the first time, it is crucial to know the packing order for each room and its belongings so that you can pack up the house successfully. Ideally, you should start with the areas and items that are least-used on a daily basis, so that you do not end up reopening boxes in search of some stuff. These include the drawing-room, the guest bedroom, the storage room, etc.
Moreover, focus on one room at a time. Pack it completely before moving on to the next one. While it might be tempting to leave a room mid-way during packing to move to an easier option, do not give in to the temptation. Stick to the room you’ve begun until you’ve sorted, decluttered, and packed everything that needed to be transported to the new residence. The bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen should be the last areas on your list for the move, and while packing the kitchen may seem like a lot of work, you can achieve the task with some easy tips.
Additionally, keep in mind that every item that you own needs a different packing technique. You’ll need towels, clothes, newspapers, and bubble wrap as padding to pack the kitchen equipment, plates, cups, and other breakables. But you can easily throw your children’s stuffed toys, pillows, blankets, bedsheets, and other soft items into heavy-duty trash bags to make them easier to carry.
You should also pack heavier items, like books, into smaller cartons so that the box is not too heavy to lift. Be sure to seal the cardboard boxes at the bottom and the top with packing tape, label boxes with markers as you seal them with paper tape, and keep the essentials aside to pack on the moving day.
Another packing tip is to pack similar items together and to put the heaviest item into the box first. Use a layer of padding made of newspapers, Styrofoam, or any other padding material. You should also remove the lid of all bottles containing liquids, and then place a plastic wrap at the mouth, before closing the lid again to avoid accidental spills of toiletries or cleaning chemicals in the boxes.
Do Not Empty Out Every Piece of Furniture
Moving homes in Pakistan does not require you to empty out each and every piece of furniture that you own. In most cases, the truck driver you have hired will bring a team of labourers to help him carry your belongings, and while you should partially empty out your cabinets and wardrobes to make it easier for them carry, you can leave light-weight items inside locked drawers as long as they are unbreakable and sturdy. This primarily includes clothes and soft toys.
However, avoid one of the most common moving mistakes and do not just assume that the truck driver will be at your place on time and bring someone along. Follow up with him on the contact number he’s given and ensure that moving day is a big success and not a tiring game where you are just waiting for the movers to show up.
Avoid Packing Boxes to Their Limit
We’ve covered this packing tip above briefly. The trick to packing for a move successfully is to pack as much as you can carry. Small to medium-sized cartons can be filled to the brim, but if you are packing large cardboard boxes, avoid filling them to a point where even sealing them becomes a challenge. The problem with overfilling boxes is that the heavier the box, the greater the chances of it getting dropped on the way to the truck or from the truck to your new home. Play it safe and leave some space empty to keep the boxes at a manageable load.
Have an Inventory Ready to Tally
Keep making an inventory of each of the boxes as you pack up the house. This will help you keep a count of all of the boxes once the movers have delivered them to your new address. The inventory should include the total number of boxes as well as the number of boxes for each room. This will make it easier to track down any lost or misplaced boxes.
Label Your Boxes Carefully
You wanted to know how to pack for a move, and you’re getting all the answers, but one thing that you have to remember is that you’re packing your belongings for your new home, not the old one. Thus, label your boxes based on where they need to be placed in the new layout. For instance, you might have a separate drawing and dining area in the current residence, but a more modern floorplan might offer an open layout where you have to combine furnishings for your drawing, dining, as well as the lounge areas.
Moreover, label boxes based on their unpacking order, determining which room you should unpack first. Some helpful unpacking tips will then help you sort out your belongings in an orderly fashion.
Don’t Forget to Pack a Box of Essentials
This is one of the most crucial tips when you’re packing for a move, especially when you’re moving homes with a baby because there is not just your box of essentials, but also an arsenal of supplies that you’ll need in the baby bag on moving day.
The box of essentials will also include a spare change of clothes, some dry edibles, basic toiletries, cleaning supplies, toolkit, necessary medications, as well as chargers for your electronic devices. You’ll basically be living out of this box until you’ve unpacked in the hours following the move, so choose what you’ll need wisely, and pack accordingly.
Now you know how to pack for a move successfully, ensure that moving day is a lot less frantic and chaotic. Recheck your house twice to thrice before you lock it to ensure you’ve loaded every box into the truck, and the house is well and truly empty and in the state you want to leave it in. You might consider cleaning the house once it is empty if you are selling it off. It is also advised that you clean up the new home thoroughly before you begin unpacking, as it is easier to clean an empty room before the furniture is put into place.
Stay tuned to Zameen Blog for more informative posts and get answers to all your questions related to moving homes in Pakistan. We can also be reached at blog@zameen.com for any queries you might have in this regard.
