IN THIS POST:
– Packing Up the Outdoors
– Packing Up the Storage Areas
– Packing Up the Laundry Area
– Packing Up the Living & Dining Room
– Packing Up the Bedroom
– Packing Up the Kitchen
– Packing Up the Bathroom
If you’re about to move homes, you’ll obviously be anxious to have all your belongings packed up and ready for the move well before moving day. Well, for that, you’ll need some basic packing tips, but along with that, you’ll also need to know the order of packing for a move so that you can pack room by room in an organised manner. This is what we’ll be covering in this post.
Order of Packing for a Move
Packing for a move becomes a lot easier when you exactly know which room to pack first. Remember that the packing order should always begin with the areas that are used less frequently, moving on to the more important ones as you go down the list. The simple logic here is to pack the belongings that will not be needed in the coming weeks first and leave the essentials for the last minute, so you don’t end up reopening the packed boxes again in search of something that’s used regularly.
For instance, you will most likely not be entertaining guests in the old home anymore, so packing up the living room early on makes sense. Similarly, you can spread a cloth and eat on the floor, so the dining room can be packed up next. The storage areas will simply move as they are from one home to the next unless you want to discard items, so they can be packed away in a corner too.
Keeping this concept in mind, here’s how you should pack room by room for the move:
- Outdoors
- Storage Areas
- Laundry Area
- Living & Dining Room
- Bedroom
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
Now, let’s talk about what to pack first in each area/room, beginning from the outdoor areas of the house and moving inwards towards the primary living spaces. Remember that you’ll be packing the box of essentials at the very end, so if you find anything in any of the rooms that needs to be placed in that box, pile it to one side as you move from room to room.
Packing Up the Outdoors
Irrespective of whether you’re moving out of a house or an apartment, there are several belongings that you can categorise as outdoor equipment. Here’s a list of such things and how to pack them:
Plants
Since plants are living beings that need sunlight and air to thrive, wrapping them in a sheet of plastic is obviously not the way to go about it. For potted plants, it is recommended that you take inventory of which plants are healthy and worth transporting to your new residence. Set all chosen potted plants aside, ready for the move. Make sure you keep them away from the path that the movers will use to carry your furniture out to the truck to ensure there is no accidental damage to the plant or its pot.
For flowerbeds and fruit trees, consider uprooting a small portion of the plant and replanting it in a smaller pot if you want to replant it in your new yard. Otherwise, you can simply note down which plants you want in the new yard and buy fresh seeds from a shop to replant in the right season.
Gardening Tools
If you have a garden or yard, you’ll also have an array of tools for its upkeep, including pruning shears, rakes, weed killers, fertilisers, watering cans, hoses, seeds, and maybe even a lawnmower. Use this equipment one last time before the move to maintain the yard for the new owner and then pack all of it up.
Make sure to label the box containing your gardening tools clearly, as you might need them in a few days after the move if the previous owner did not take good care of the yard. The box must also be sturdy so that the sharp tools do not cause accidental injuries. Ideally, wrap each tool in a towel to give it some extra padding before placing it in the box. The lawnmower, of course, will simply be covered in plastic to be transported intact in the back of your moving truck.
Lawn Furniture
If you decorated your outdoor space with a seating area, disassemble and pack all the furnishings. This applies to the swinging chair, the lounge chair, the picnic table, the barbeque area, or any other entertainment space you created outdoors. For apartment dwellers, decorating a small balcony can be challenging, but if you’ve managed to fit some kind of seating into the space, now’s the time to pack it. Since most lawn furniture is foldable, it shouldn’t be too hard to pack away. Smaller and softer items like throw pillows can simply be thrown into large trash bags and placed on the side to load into the truck.
Children’s Toys
If you’d turned your yard into an outdoor play area for your kids, you’ll need to take apart all the toys, jungle gyms, playsets, and pack them up. If you don’t have the original packaging, simply take them apart and use large moving boxes for the job. Items that cannot be disassembled will simply need to be moved, as is when the time comes. All inflatable toys, like a pool, can be deflated and transported carefully in large plastic bags. You’ll also need to transport your children’s ride-on cars, strollers, or bikes, in the back of the truck carefully, ensuring that they do not jostle about and damage the other luggage during the move.
Packing Up the Storage Areas
Once you’re done with the outdoors, it’s time to move to the area that you rarely visit in the house—the storage room. Most of us have a lot of stuff stored there, half of which we don’t even need, so it is recommended that you go through the belongings as you pack up and discard or donate what you don’t think you’ll use again. But even if you decide to keep it all, here’s how to pack it up:
Clothes
When you’re packing up the house, decluttering is a large part of the process. Thus, you might choose to discard some of your existing or out of season clothes. For the rest, since these clothes are in storage, they’re already packed up tight. Don’t open a box unless you really have the time to go through its contents. You can move them for now and recheck them at a later date after the move.
Food
The food stocked up in storage generally contains dry food ingredients, or packaged boxes or bottles that act as a backup when you run out of jams, sauces, and spices, or need a quick snack in between meals. Now, if you stored the food smartly, you’ll exactly know which products are expiring before the move and must be consumed before then. Everything else with a longer expiry date is already packed up.
Simply stack spice boxes, cereals, biscuits, and other edibles on top of each other in a basket, bag, or cardboard box, and they’re ready to move. You can throw the canned food cans in there, too. For glass containers, use newspapers or old towels to create padding between the jars and bottles. Make sure the box has a sturdy bottom or reinforce it with packaging tape before filling it up. You don’t want all your supplies to drop the moment you try to pick up the box.
Tools
Every home needs some essential tools for immediate repairs, and when you’re moving, your toolkit is most definitely coming too. Just make sure that you pack it right. If you have the original kit, box, or bag, you can use that to transport your tools. If not, wrap each item carefully in old clothes or bubble wrap, and opt for a stronger box, or maybe even a metallic chest to carry them from one home to another. You can consider combining your home tools with your gardening tools if you always store them together. For power tools, detach their cords and parts, and pack each tool with its attachments.
Other Supplies
Most homeowners in Pakistan shop for groceries and essentials at the beginning of the month. This means that food is not the only thing you stock up on. You might also have spare bottles of toiletries, toothpaste, toothbrushes, tissue rolls, and much more. Most of this stuff is unbreakable but is prone to leaks.
Pack up all the soft and dry items together. For all the liquids, wrap each bottle in cling wrap before packing it, so even if it leaks, it will not damage other items in the same box. Also, avoid putting heavy objects on top of these bottles as the added pressure can cause a leak.
Packing Up the Laundry Area
Moving on to the next area, we’re going to talk about what to pack first in the laundry room. Even if you don’t have an area reserving to wash your clothes in, here are the appliances and equipment that you might have to pack up carefully:
Appliances
Unplug your washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher and disconnect all the components that can be detached. Make sure the appliances are completely dry before covering them with a plastic sheet. Tape each alliance’s parts and cords inside it after putting them in a plastic bag. This way, you will not lose them during the move, and they will not bump around inside the machine either.
Cleaning Chemicals
Having a separate laundry area depends on the floor plan of your house or flat, but one thing that’s constant for most homes is an under the sink storage space, usually in or near the kitchen where you store all your cleaning supplies and chemicals. Firstly, since most of these chemicals have overpowering smells, keep them far away from the packed edibles during the move. Secondly, use the same trick as you did with the toiletries, wrapping each item at the mouth with cling wrap. Ideally, open up the cap, place a piece of plastic, and then close the lid again. This is the best way to prevent leaks, especially where chemicals are concerned.
Cleaning Equipment
Dusters, mops, brooms, dustpans, and a range of other cleaning equipment will also need to be transported to the new house, but you’ll probably need most of these items on the very first day to clean up the place. Thus, either keep all of the equipment aside with the essentials, or pack them in a clearly labelled box or a plastic bag, and make sure that these are loaded onto the truck along with the box of essentials at the very end.
Packing Up the Living & Dining Room
Most modern homes have an open floor plan that combines a living and dining space, so we’ll cover them together as per the packing order for a move. You can pack the living room first and then follow the same tips for the dining room if you have separate areas for both. Here’s how to pack up the central living area:
Electronics
Since electronic items can be fragile, wrap them in plenty of bubble wrap before you pack them. Use large cardboard cartons for the TVs, desktop monitors, gaming consoles, and other devices.
Ideally, add a piece of cardboard flat against the screens and then use thick blankets to wrap them up since they are the most prone to cracks and can be costly to repair. Detach all parts and cords before packing and pack all accessories, including the remote controls, with the respective devices so that you’re not left with a jumble of cables to sort through when you start to furnish the new home.
Decorative Items
Wall art, mirrors, frames, vases, and small decorative pieces can be wrapped individually in bubble wrap before being placed into a sturdy box. Fill the extra space in the box with newspaper so that none of the items jostle around and cause damage during the move. You should do the same with table lamps and wall lighting fixtures. Remove the bulbs and move them in a separate container, though. For floor lamps, if you can’t find a box that is tall enough, simply wrap the entire stand in plastic and place it sideways into the moving van, taking care that it is not crushed by heavier items.
Books
When you’re packing your books, place the heaviest and largest ones at the bottom and stack the rest on top. If you have a lot of books to transport, opt for a large plastic container rather than a cardboard box, as books can be quite heavy to carry. Also, keep the weight manageable and avoid overfilling the boxes. You can place any CDs or DVDs that you own on top of the books. You can also consider moving books in durable plastic bags if moving boxes are unavailable, as books do not get damaged easily. Place the books away from the boxes containing liquids, as water damage is the biggest threat to your paperbacks.
Furniture
Living and dining room furniture can be quite bulky and should be placed in the truck before any of the boxes. Cover light coloured upholstery with sheets of cloth and then a plastic sheet to protect it from stains, scratches, and dents. Take the centre tables and the dining table apart if possible. Remove the legs of the couches if they’re detachable. You can also stack chairs on top of one another if your design allows it.
The purpose behind detaching parts and taking furniture apart is to make it easy to manoeuvre. You should also cover all the furniture with cloth or plastic sheet before moving so that they’re protected during transportation. Remember to lock all drawers and cabinets that can be locked, so they do not open up mid-move. Also, pack all glass table tops as well as decorations with layers of bubble wrap as sufficient cushioning inside the boxes to prevent accidental damage.
Fabrics
You can simply fold the curtains, rugs, table covers, carpets, mats, throw pillows, and other fabrics, and place them in a large plastic bag to make it easier for you to move them. If you have delicate fabrics, cover each with bubble wrap before adding it to the larger bag or use a separate box for heavier curtains. Rugs, carpets, and mats can be rolled up, covered with plastic, and tied with a piece of string or rope. You can fill a bag with throw pillows if need be.
Packing Up the Bedroom
The bedrooms will be packed as close to the moving day as possible unless you want to live from boxes and sleep on mattresses on the floor. The following applies to all bedrooms in the house, including the master bedroom, your children’s bedroom, and any guest bedroom you might have at home. Let’s begin packing:
Clothing
Empty out your wardrobe and use travel suitcases to pack up your casual clothes if you can. Moving boxes will work just as well. Plastic bags can be conveniently used for scarves and other smaller clothing items. For formal clothing, cover them with a sheet of plastic before moving them, either on their hangers or after folding. For shoes, shoe boxes make the perfect packing material, but if you don’t have enough, start packing shoes into moving boxes, keeping each pair in the same box so that you don’t end losing one shoe.
Fragile Items
Fragile items in the bedroom include the valuables, such as jewellery or cash. Keep the money with you and move your jewellery to sturdy plastic or cushioned boxes. You can also use small soft pouches for the less fragile pieces.
You can also try some unusual and creative means of storing jewellery, such as using hard cases for your spectacles and even pill organisers for your rings, earrings, necklaces, and more. It is recommended that you do not place the jewellery in the moving truck, though. It is best to keep it with you when you drive to the new home.
Bedding
The bedsheets and mattresses should be taken off the bed before the move. The mattress will be transported as is, covered in any old bedsheet that you have available to prevent it from getting dirty. The bedsheets and all the other linen can be bagged into travel bags, or boxes and transported with ease. You can also throw your pillows into the same boxes if there’s enough space.
Furniture
Disassemble the beds in your home if possible and wrap the pieces in old sheets of cloth. Smaller pieces can be covered in bubble wrap. Do the same with your wardrobes, dressing table, side tables, and any other piece of furniture in the bedroom.
If something cannot be taken apart, empty it out so that it is easier to carry. You can, however, leave a few lightweight pieces of casual clothing in the cupboards as long as the doors are locked and the clothes inside will not get torn or damaged by stray hooks or corners inside the cupboard when it moves from its spot. Remove all mirrors and wrap them in bubble wrap to be transported separately.
Medicines
While prescription medication should be kept with you during the move, all over the counter tablets can be packed in Ziploc bags or plastic boxes for easy moving. Make sure to seal or wrap open liquid medications with plastic before placing them in a container and ensure that they remain upright during the move. Bubble wrap padding is recommended for glass bottles.
Cosmetics
Pack cosmetics with plenty of padding and consider using a makeup pouch or a sturdy plastic container for them. Blushers, face powders, and eye shadow kits, which might break in high-pressure situations, will require more careful handling than lipsticks, eyeliners, or eye pencils. You should consider placing a piece of cardboard on compressed powder kits to keep them from shattering and pack them in sturdier packaging. The rest of the stuff can travel in plastic bags or soft pouches.
Toys
A large part of the children’s room is covered with their toys, and you can’t leave any of their favourite ones behind. For soft toys, a carton or a trash bag can be the perfect carrier. For toys that might break during travel, it’s recommended you retain the packaging for just such an instance when you are required to move homes. But if the original boxes are not available, any moving box of the right size will work well.
You can group toys together after wrapping them in bubble wrap and filling empty spaces in the box with newspapers. Small toys can be placed in small plastic bags before being put into a moving box so that they don’t get lost in the move. You will also need to keep some toys aside for the essentials box, as your kids will surely need something to entertain themselves with once you reach your new residence.
Packing Up the Kitchen
When you’re wondering which room to pack first, the kitchen is most definitely never going to be it. While you can check out detailed tips to pack your kitchen as well, here are some of the most essential elements of your kitchen that require your attention when you’re packing up the house for a move.
Food
Stop buying perishable goods in the week before the move and consume all food that is close to expiry dates so that you have less stuff to carry during the move. The dry food section has already been covered in the storage area above. For all the other food in the kitchen, throw away what you can’t consume, and use ice coolers to transport refrigerated and temperature-sensitive edibles.
Dinnerware
The kitchen is the trickiest part of the house to pack because it contains so many fragile items. All of your dinnerware, including plates, glasses, cups, bowls, and trays, must be packed into sturdy boxes with plenty of padding around each item using bubble wrap. Avoid overfilling the boxes of chinaware to reduce the risk of damage. Use crumpled newspapers inside glasses and cups to fill the gap between items. Always pack cups and glasses upside down, though.
Plastic or metallic crockery can be packed in a box with fewer worries of damage. Meanwhile, pots and pans should be stacked inside one another if possible, with their lids being placed at the top of the stack before the entire thing is either put into a box or wrapped in a cloth. Wrap and transport glass lids separately, placing them into boxes on their side. Cutlery can be packed into a plastic bag, packing similar items together. Cover all knives and other sharp items with cork or Styrofoam if you can, to avoid injuries.
Appliances
Empty out and defrost the refrigerator and deep freezer before the move. This will make them easier to carry. Most of the kitchen appliances are large and bulky, so cover them with sheets of plastic or cloth if the original boxes are unavailable. Make sure you keep each set of cords inside the appliance or tape them to the side for better organisation. Small appliances can be taken apart if they have any detachable parts before being boxed up. Make sure all the appliances are dry before they are packed.
Packing Up the Bathroom
There’s a reason why we are mentioning the bathroom at the end. It’s one of the last rooms you’ll use before leaving the place for good, especially if you’re moving homes with a baby. So, it’s best to keep the bathroom stocked until you’re almost ready to leave. Here’s how to quickly pack it up then:
Toiletries
Gather all the toiletries from your bedroom and the bathroom in one spot. We’re talking about the ones you’re currently using since you’ve already packed up all the spares. Remove the caps and add a sheet of plastic to all the opened bottles before replacing the caps. This will prevent leaks. Throw away used soap, but keep a new one aside for the essentials box.
Fabrics
Towels, bath mats, rugs, and bathroom curtains can all be folded and placed into boxes separately. Don’t combine floor rugs with hand towels, especially if they’re still unwashed. Also, make sure you only pack dry fabrics. The towel you’re currently using should be put into a plastic bag and washed at the new home being stored away in its place. You should also pack plenty of toilet paper, which can also be used as padding for any glass bottles of perfumes. Old towels work well as padding, too.
You now know the perfect order of packing for a move room by room. Remember to begin packing well in advance and use the right unpacking order when you reach your new home and begin to set it up. Some easy unpacking tips will also make it much easier to stay organised once all the boxes have been transported and moved to your new house or flat.
If you have questions regarding your move, you can reach us with your queries at blog@zameen.com. Keep reading Zameen Blog in the meantime as we continue to post helpful moving tips from time to time.
