In time, every household accumulates many items that it doesn’t use or has multiple copies of. You don’t want to pack nor move things you won’t need in your new home. The months before moving is a perfect time to sort out your belongings and get rid of those that no longer have a place in your household.
Read our decluttering guide before you proceed.
Stack up on packing supplies – that is among the most popular moving company. In order to bring your costs on moving boxes and other supplies, you should start gathering them in the months before your move. Do frequent rounds on your local shops and ask them for free boxes, ask your friends and check online for freebies on Craigslist, Gumtree, and other websites. You can check out our infographic on finding free boxes for more hot tips.
Additionally, you want to get stacked on duct tape, masking tape, markers, newspapers, packing paper, bubble wrap and all the shrinkwrap you can find. Organise them into a single box for ease of use and to help the house movers do their job easier.
Jewellery packing hacks
- Put your necklaces in between two sheets of plastic wrap. Take out the air bubbles and it will preserve them from tangling, saving you time when you get to unpacking.
- Use pill cases to store your earrings and rings, so you don’t lose them and they are easy to order. Egg cartons and other small containers are also a great solution. Alternatively, you can use these containers to store bolts, screws, nuts and other small hardware.
- Pack stud earrings, clipping them through the buttonholes of a button.
- Don’t pack jewellery and small valuables with your clothes. Instead, put them in a standalone bag and carry them with you for safekeeping.
Clothes packing hacks
- Roll clothes, don’t fold them. This saves huge amounts of space. However, be careful not to make moving boxes too heavy.
- Group clothes hangers into groups of five. Slide each group directly into a garbage bag and they are ready for transportation.
- If you pack clothes that easily wrinkle, like an evening dress, first put it in a dry cleaning bag. You can also use a thick garbage bag if you have one. The plastic will prevent creases and wrinkles from setting in.
- Pack shoes in a nylon bag or use a shower cap.
- Stuff your shoes with small items to maximise space gain.
- For clothes that are out of season, buy a few vacuum seal bags and compress them out of your way. It’s also easy to recognise them and put them away when unpacking.
- Put your towels, linens, pillows, blankets, curtains and similar cloth items to good use. Use them as wrapping and padding for other items or pieces of furniture. Less money spent on packing supplies
Furniture packing hacks
- Wrap an entire chest of drawers in plastic wrap. Add a few loops of duct tape to secure the wrapping paper in place and the drawers are ready to move with all of their contents intact.
- If drawers have sticking handles that might cause bumps and damages, unscrew them and screw them on the inside.
- Put two fitted sheets on each side of your mattress. This way it will stay clean during the entire trip and ready for use. The sheets can go in the washing machine immediately after.
- Wrap the legs of heavy furniture (such as the sofa) with a few layers of newspaper and duct tape. This makes for easy sliding and protects the floor from scratches.
- For furniture with no legs, you can fold two towels and put underneath each end. This will make sliding easier and allow you to move your heavy furniture around.
- When you dismantle furniture to reassemble in your new home, carefully collect all small bits of hardware and put them in a sandwich bag or another appropriate container. Then, label and tape this to it’s according piece of furniture to ensure it will always be nearby when you need it.
- If you’re not hiring a moving company, it’s worth to buy or hire moving equipment. Dollies and hand trucks are invaluable when moving to a big house with lots of items. You can resell them easily afterwards.
