Packing Tips for Moving – Make Your Relocation Less Stressful

Tasks Can Quickly Add Up When It’s Time to Move

Chances are, you are looking forward to your future life, house hunting, and trying to find a job before moving to another state. But all of your stuff is waiting for you – you’re not ready to get going yet. There are so many things to wrap, and you have plenty of other errands to run, too.

Before you know it, it’s all starting to pile up, and, naturally, you’re beginning to feel too much pressure and even symptoms of relocation depression. However, to overcome this feeling, start looking through cross-country moving companies and book the best one for your needs. Professionals will give you some long-distance relocation tips to help you turn this chaotic endeavor into smooth sailing.

Create a Moving Checklist to Help You Stay Organized

You’ve decided where to move and figured out how to tell your friends that you are relocating, but the hard work is far from done. To avoid the most common moving mistakes and steer clear of all the unnecessary stress and pressure, you need to stay organized all the way through.

According to recent surveys, almost half of the people like to write to-do lists whenever they’ve got a busy day. Thus, here’s your first tip: create a moving checklist to help you keep track of everything that is to be done. Write down all the stuff you’re planning to take with you to avoid forgetting something important, as that would be a rather stressful experience.

Make a Separate List of Essentials

Of course, you don’t want to forget anything. But there are always those non-essentials that you can do without, and you won’t even notice that they’re gone. So, you should create a moving-out list. Add a separate one containing essentials, and then pack those first. In most scenarios, this is crucial, but especially when it comes to a last-minute move.

You can do without your favorite sweater, but you won’t be able to do anything if you forget any of your documents or other important papers. These should be at the top of your list – fashion comes second.

Declutter and Get Rid of All the Items You Can Do Without

In the world of tips for packing for a move, there’s one golden rule – the fewer belongings you take, the better. This is especially true if you’re moving alone to another state or maybe moving into a smaller home. For example, if you and your partner are moving in together, you won’t need all of your furniture. However, if you were to bring absolutely everything you own, things would get out of control quickly, and you would find yourself in complete chaos.

According to a survey done by the National Association for Professional Organizers (NAPO), 54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by just how much clutter they have. However, 78% also have no idea what to do with all of that stuff. Well, relocation is the perfect opportunity to deal with this problem. Keep it simple and stress-free by getting rid of anything you haven’t used in some time. If you haven’t worn those pants in a year, you probably never will.

Be honest with yourself, and leave behind everything you can do without. You were wondering how to pack clothes for moving? Here’s your answer – reduce the number of clothing items, and there won’t be any trouble.

Donate or Sell the Stuff You Don’t Need

No matter if you are moving during holidays or in summer, there’s a simple solution to clutter.  You can always donate unwanted items. Not only will you have fewer things to deal with, but you’ll also make someone else very happy. This applies to all your stuff, including pieces of furniture that, perhaps, won’t fit in your new home. You can find out where to donate furniture before you move.

You’re probably also wondering how to pack books when moving. If you have too many of them, remember that you can donate books, as well. Charities such as Goodwill are always an excellent choice. If you’re short on cash, with all the relocation expenses piling up, you can always sell some of the more valuable things.

Sort Your Belongings by Category

To reduce stress and anxiety, try organizing your belongings into categories to help you plan more effectively. Create several piles and sort your stuff, depending on how they fall into one category or another. You can also go a step further and create smaller groups to really keep the organization to a maximum.

Make Sure You Buy High-Quality Boxes and Other Supplies

The right moving supplies can save you from a lot of moving stress by keeping your belongings safe during a move and preventing damage. First, create a list of protective packing materials needed to wrap all your belongings. Secondly, invest in high-quality supplies.

Consider whether you’ll need more bubble wrap or packing paper and buy accordingly. If you want to reduce relocation costs, take boxes from your local grocery store. However, keep in mind that these cardboard containers are used, so they might not be sturdy enough to keep your stuff in place during transport.

Don’t Overpack the Boxes

If you could put everything in just a few garbage bags and call it a day, that would be great. But, that’s simply not possible. That’s why one of the most important packing tips is to avoid overfilling boxes. A perfect packaging job is not done by cramming too many things in a single box. You can only cause damage by doing that. Gather as many boxes as needed to place your belongings without overstuffing. You should set a limit and keep your largest box no heavier than 50 pounds.

Use the Right Shape and Size to Pack Different Items

When it’s time to move, the average American household will need around ten large boxes per room. But it’s not just about the number – the size matters, too. Make sure you find the best-sized moving boxes when boxing up things of different shapes, sizes, and weights. Be extra careful with how you pack knives and other pointy, sharp objects. One of the first things to keep in mind is to always put heavy items like books in small boxes and light stuff like pillows in larger ones.

This is also of crucial importance when you’re packing electronics, and you don’t have the original package. Additionally, keep in mind not to place packing tape over glass or other delicate surfaces. No one wants to be stuck (pun intended) removing tape residue for their first few days at the new place.

Fill in the Empty Space in the Boxes

It is of crucial importance not to overstuff, but you shouldn’t leave too much space, either. When there’s too much empty space between your belongings, there’s room for shifting around during transport. This is precisely what you need to avoid to be sure nothing gets damaged along the way. You can use different types of packing materials to fill in the gaps, such as foam, packing paper, or peanuts. If you want to kill two birds with one stone, you can always use some clothing pieces for this.

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute – Pack Something Every Day

Packing procrastination is very real. But no matter how tedious this task might seem, you shouldn’t wait until the last moment to get down to business. This will only add stress and pressure, increasing the risk of causing irreparable damage.

There’s no need to try and finish it all in one day, either. The best solution is to come up with a plan and pack something every day. Little by little, with the help of moving day tips for packing to move, you’ll wrap everything before you even know it.

Start Packing at Least a Few Weeks Before the Moving Day

Start packing early before your move. Don’t wait until the last week. Even if you believe you can finish in a week, it’s better to start early. Most professionals, including Cross Country Moving Company, recommend at least six weeks. Otherwise, you might start rushing it, and you’ll definitely deal with anxiety about moving out.

Perhaps you’ll feel too tired after two days, and you’ll want to take a break. Perhaps it will go slower than you thought. Leave room for these and other possibilities and start with your boxing-up process a few weeks earlier. You’ll be able to handle it with no unnecessary pressure added.

Packing Room by Room Will Help You Avoid Boxing up Chaos

To stay organized from start to finish, you should deal with one room at a time. Only when you’re done with one room should you move on to another. When you’re not able to focus on one area at a time, you can easily create chaos and lose control.

Also, you must keep stuff from one room separated from the things from the other. To have full control over the whole ordeal, create a photo inventory or even a household inventory list of the items you’re relocating.

Use Labels to Know Which Stuff Goes to Which Room

Labeling boxes is the easiest way to remember where your things are. Label the contents of each box and note to which room it goes, too. To ensure successful unpacking in advance, print labels in different colors for each room. That way, when it comes to unpacking, you can simply follow colors to know which box goes to which room.

Be Extra Careful With Things That Need Special Treatment

Have you figured out how to pack glassware? Do you know how to pack computers and other electronics? Always remember that you need to pay special attention when packaging fragile items and expensive devices.

Be sure to wrap them sufficiently and be extremely careful while doing so, as they can easily be damaged during the boxing-up process, too. You should use bubble wrap and foam to cushion your breakables so that everything is delivered intact to your new home.

When Wrapping Breakables, Make Bundles for Extra Protection

To ensure extra protection for your breakables, it’s a good idea to put them in bundles. This applies to dishes, in particular. Create bundles of five or six, placing paper between them, and then adding more paper to wrap the entire bundle.

You should place cups and bowls inside one another, again, with extra paper in between. Never place delicate items separately in one box each. That way, they can easily move around and break during transport to your new home.

Take the Valuables With You

Make sure to always keep your documents, important papers, heirlooms, and other valuables close to you throughout the move. These shouldn’t go with the rest of your stuff, but in a bag that you’ll take with you. That way, you can relax and not worry about your valuables being stolen or lost somewhere along the way.

Consider Hiring Experts to Help You Move

The safest way to wrap and ship your stuff is to plan your moving budget and book expert long-distance moving services on time. It might not be the cheapest way to move out of state, but it’s definitely the safest one. These experts can provide you with professional packing services, and they can also bring boxes and packing supplies, so you don’t have to worry about it.

In case you’re looking for safe storage units, they can offer it, too. Looking for a way to transport your car across the country? Look up how car shipping works, and book auto shipping service with your chosen long-distance mover.

All in all, professional cross-country movers can ease the entire process and save you from all the hard work. Plus, you can relax knowing that a highly trained cross-country moving crew is packing your bulky furniture and handling your precious belongings.

If the cost is the only thing stopping you from hiring a professional long-distance moving company, consider relocating during the cheapest time of the year. This will help you cut some costs, so it’s the best time of the year to move according to many. Bringing in the pros gives you time to check the safety of the neighborhood and figure out how to change the address while they’re doing all the work.

Know What You’re Not Allowed to Bring

If you hire expert movers who can offer you cross-country moving services, they will be able to help you with everything you need. But, you should know that there are certain things that they are not allowed to bring or keep in storage.

So, you should know what you can’t put in the moving truck and plan accordingly. These include perishables, flammables, and simply anything that can be hazardous.

Follow Packing Tips for Moving to Make It a Breeze

No matter how tricky it might seem now, handling your belongings doesn’t have to be chaotic at all. You only need to follow our best packing tips for moving cross-country, stick to a plan, and book professional assistance. Taking care of this part will help you enjoy the journey, no matter if you are moving for a relationship or in pursuit of knowledge.

The Cross Country Moving Company stands ready to handle the heavy lifting and make this endeavor a breeze. So, don’t hesitate to contact us today. It’s good to have some tips and tricks under your sleeve – but you can leave the rest to the pros.