The big day approaches, but the house still looks helter-skelter with piles and pieces waiting to be packed. Sound familiar? A hectic moving day doesn’t have to be the norm. With a little planning, you can move from your old digs to your new home without incurring a headache.
Here are some tips for people looking to make their next move a smooth one:
- Plan ahead. Packing and unpacking usually develop into bigger jobs than originally expected. Ideally, you should begin packing six months before the date of your big move. Pack the items that are of least importance first so that your necessities are more easily accessible when unpacking.
- Pack clothes in suitcases and other luggage containers. Boxes often look the same. It is easier to identify which package holds your casual clothes or towels if they are packed in a different-style container. Pack luggage with items that you will want to use soon after your move, like towels and toiletries.
- Develop a color-code. Assign each room in your new home a color, then label boxes meant for that room in the same color. For example, if you label all of the boxes meant for your kitchen in blue, you won’t have to worry about the movers putting your dining set in an upstairs bedroom.
- Keep personal items with you. Never trust valuables, medications or important paperwork to the movers. Pack them in your own vehicle to avoid possible theft and to gain easier access to them later.
- Get more boxes than you think you will need. You will undoubtedly find some items to pack at the last minute. To avoid any last-minute headaches, make sure that you have at least 10 extra boxes set aside for moving day. Buy new boxes – they’re the sturdiest.
- Make sure that you have plenty of packing materials, including bubble or foam wrap and protective tape. Pak Mail, a company that specializes in packing, custom crating and shipping, sells a full line of moving materials, including boxes, bubble wrap, moving kits, foam wrap, labels, packing peanuts, sealing tape and moving tubes. Pak Mail also creates custom crates for customers shipping oddly shaped or sized items.