16 Packing and Moving Hacks
Time for you to move to a new place? Then it is time to decide what things you will purge, donate, and pack. Packing up your stuff requires patience, care, and a drink in hand to get through it. Invite your friends over to have a packing party so everyone can share in the work load! No matter who packs your belongings, there is a method to the madness of packing so that it all arrives in the same condition at your new home. The following are some hacks and creative tips to help with the process.
- Use the packing materials you have from padding glassware with rolled socks, to using bath towels to surround boxes with fragile contents.
- Use bubble wrap and plastic cling wrap to seal utensil drawers. It keeps them in place during transit without the need to unpack.
- Use oven mitts to pack sharp knives and hold in place with packing tape.
- Buy pool noodle floats at a dollar store which can be cut with a utility knife to add corner protection for picture frames and some flat panel TVs.
- Boxes used to ship apples and eggs are extra sturdy and sized perfectly to pack kitchen items. Ask your local grocery stores to put aside some for pickup. Boxes can also be ordered at Amazon but I also find U-haul stores to be reasonable too.
- Wrap your hanging clothes in a non-scent garbage bag before placing them in a wardrobe which will make it easier to unpack and save a wash cycle.
- Use plastic quart and sandwich bags with labels to store any screws and parts for furniture that had to be taken apart. Collect all of these in one clearly labeled box.
- Save up air bubble packs from your online shopping to stuff in the center of lamp shades then cover with plastic wrap.
- Do not over pack large boxes which quickly become heavy.
- Some, if not all, moving companies will refuse to move items in plastic garbage bags so but the bags in boxes.
- Mark every box on all four sides with a permanent marker or taped label to indicate contents and room location at the new house. This will save you and any movers a lot of time.
- The bottom of wardrobe boxes can be used to store additional lightweight items. Odd-shaped items like sporting gear fit well in these.
- Large vacuum seal bags are incredibly useful to compress the amount of space needed for fluffy clothes (winter gear) and bedding. Plus, they are fun to watch in action.
- Plastic totes provide extra rigidity and can hold more weight, making them useful for tools and toys.
- Use plastic storage packs for all spices and liquids to prevent unwanted spills in transit and absolute messes during unpacking. For bottled liquids, like shampoo, unscrew the cap, place a piece of plastic wrap, and reattach the lid to further prevent spills.
- Stack plates and pictures vertically in boxes to help prevent breaking.